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“That makes no sense at all,” she replied, throwing her arms up in frustration.
“Indeed?” He moved closer to her again. “You can tell yourself that you did your duty—you found me several eligible young ladies. Only you will never admit the truth, that you deliberately interfered with the process so you could marry me without guilt.”
“You have completely lost your mind!” She’d never thought that intriguing idea.
“Do you think I don’t feel the same guilt?” he asked.
“You have nothing to feel guilty for. I am the one who impaled my betrothed.”
“Prove it to me,” he whispered. “To yourself.”
“What do you mean? Prove what?”
“Kiss me, Jennette.” He stepped directly in front of her. “Show me how repulsive it would be if you were forced to kiss me.”
“Never. We have kissed before and it meant nothing,” she lied frantically to avoid his proposition.
“That kiss could only be considered a peck on the lips. I am speaking of a real kiss, Jennette.”
“I have nothing to prove to you.” And she had nothing to prove to herself either. She’d dreamed of exactly what his kisses would really feel like—repulsive and unbearable were not even close. But she had no need to experience it firsthand. She had the memory of that one kiss no matter how brief the contact.
She turned to storm out of the room before this ridiculous conversation became more intimate than it already had. As she stepped past him, his arm reached out and caught her. Dragging her closer to him, his feral grin suddenly had her quivering.
For an impossibly long moment, they stared at each other. Neither saying a word.
“What—”
He cut her question off with his lips. Hard lips that hoped to punish her for her lies. She should push him away from her. Yell at him for his arrogance and gall. The last thing she should do was bring her arms up to wrap around his neck, drawing him closer.
His lips softened and he deepened the kiss, sending her into an abyss of heavenly sensations. As his velvety tongue skimmed across hers, she gasped. No man had kissed her like this in five years. Tentatively, she let her tongue touch his and discover the secrets of his mouth. Fire burned inside her belly as they explored each other so intimately.
She shivered and moaned as he pressed her even closer to his hard body. She’d wanted his kisses for so many years. His hands roamed down her back, cupping her derrière and squeezing softly. Even knowing she should put a halt to their kiss, she did nothing but return the heat of his passion.
While she had kissed numerous times before, never had she felt such a lightning shock of sensual desire. She had the strangest urge to unravel his cravat, unbutton his shirt, and let her fingers roam his broad, naked chest.
Unthinkable!
She pushed him away and turned so he would not see the bright red color tinting her cheeks. How could she have let this go so far? The man didn’t want her. Not after what she’d done to him.
“And?” he whispered.
And? She twirled around to him with a frown. The man wanted a critique of his kisses?
“It was utterly unbearable,” she whispered, then raced from the room.
Matthew released a long breath as the door closed behind her. What had he
done? Kissing Jennette had not been on his agenda for the evening. And yet, every time she came near him, he found his physical attraction to her growing. Not that it mattered.
There had to be another woman he could wed.
A woman who wouldn’t bring out his guilt for what he’d done. A woman who wouldn’t look at him with guilt in her eyes.
He needed to solidify his reasons for not wanting to wed her. She was a wastrel like his brother and father. While they gambled their money away, she wasted it on clothing she did not even need.
Anger for his stupidity surged within him. Even Miss Whitmore was a better option than Jennette. He walked to the door and reached for the brass knob. But the last thing he wanted to do was raise another man’s bastard as his own. His heir would be his progeny, not another’s. Nor did he want a woman who would be unfaithful to him. So perhaps not Miss Whitmore as a wife, but almost any other woman would be a superior choice.
But no matter whom he was forced to marry, it would not be Jennette.
