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‘That isn’t very nice, Titus. She was living here long before I was.’ She hesitated and some rogue spark made her say it, even though she knew it was asking for trouble. ‘Of course, I could always come and spend the night with you in the great house.’
There was a pause. ‘You know we can’t do that, Roxy.’
‘Well, we could,’ she argued. ‘You’re the Duke who can do anything he pleases. You told me that yourself. But clearly you don’t want to.’
Didn’t he? He studied her blue eyes thoughtfully. Didn’t he sometimes wake in the night in his vast four-poster bed and wish that he could reach for her? Hadn’t he sometimes thought how blissful mornings might have been if he’d just been able to slide straight into her waiting heat and then run his fingers through the silken tumble of her hair? But protocol made that impossible—as did the thought that Roxanne might read too much into such a gesture.
‘If we do that, then we might as well make an announcement to the rest of the staff that we’re sleeping together,’ he said.
‘Actually, sleeping together is one thing we’re not doing.’
‘You know what I mean, Roxanne.’
‘Yes, I know exactly what you mean.’ The stupid words came tumbling out before she could stop them. ‘You’re ashamed of me.’
‘You’re much too smart to come out with something like that,’ he said softly. ‘I am not ashamed of you—I’m just thinking about your welfare.’
‘Ever the solicitous boss!’ she mocked.
He tilted her chin up with the tip of his finger. ‘Don’t you think it might make life awkward for you if people knew that we were involved?’
‘You’re saying they don’t?’
‘Why?’ He rolled onto his back and studied her from between narrowed eyes. ‘Have you been boasting about your encounters with me?’
‘Titus Alexander, you are a very arrogant man,’ she said crossly. ‘I haven’t said a word to anyone, but occasionally I wonder if Vanessa has some idea about what’s going on. Sometimes I see her looking at me curiously.’
‘Oh, Vanessa knows plenty about what goes on in this house,’ he said, with a curious smile. ‘But guessing something is different from being told something. If we were blatant about our liaison then it would undermine her authority—and place you in a potentially awkward situation. It just makes life easier for you this way, that’s all. Now, come here and kiss me.’
Easier for him, she thought as she shook her head, more from a sense of pride than because she meant it. ‘I don’t want to kiss you.’
‘Don’t you?’ He reached out and cupped her breast, his thumb circling the hardening nipple. ‘Are you quite sure about that, Miss Carmichael?’
Roxy’s mouth dried as she felt the urgent stab of sexual hunger. ‘You are an outrageous man, Titus.’
‘I thought we’d established that a while back.’
‘We’ll have to be quick,’ she whispered.
‘Oh, I can be very quick.’
She should have resisted, but there was something about Titus which made him impossible to resist. Especially when he was pushing her back against the pillows like that and was moving over her body. She squirmed as he thrust deep inside her, until he awoke the first helpless wave of pleasure. Oh, Titus, she thought helplessly as her back began to arch with senseless abandon. What have you done to me? She had vowed not to let herself feel too deeply—to keep this affair in its proper place—and yet hadn’t she started breaking all those vows as if they’d meant nothing?
It had begun to scare her when she thought about the future, when all this would come to an end. His birthday party was next Saturday and working here permanently had never been in the cards. She knew that. And Titus had never raised false hopes by making promises which he couldn’t keep. So hadn’t she better be the one to broach leaving, so that at least she’d be able to walk away with her pride intact?
She watched as he began to dress, wishing that the rest of the world didn’t exist. That they could stay here, locked in their own private little place. But you couldn’t keep a man by locking him up and throwing away the key, could you?
‘Was that good?’ he murmured as he observed her gaze following him around the room.
She pretended to think about it. ‘No, it was absolutely awful,’ she said. ‘But I’m willing to give you another opportunity to get it right, if you play your cards right.’
Titus smiled as he finished buttoning up his shirt. The least educated woman he’d ever met and she also happened to be the smartest. He thought back to all the ‘suitable’ women who had been trooped out for his approval over the years. He thought about the way they behaved—with all their originality replaced by a breathless acknowledgement of his eligibility. And he thought about his imminent birthday party and the aristocratic crumpet who would have their sights set on changing his single status as soon as possible.
; He glittered the watchful Roxanne a lazy smile. ‘I shall do my very best to improve my technique,’ he said.
‘Good.’ She sat up in bed, determined to break her wistful mood. ‘Are you getting excited about your birthday party?’
