AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You cannot marry me.” The words escaped her automatically because, frankly, the idea was preposterous. How could she let herself believe the man she’d loved for so long wanted her? Truly? Forever?
Rakes and wallflowers did not marry. She needed to remember that.
“Unless you have a secret husband as well as a secret life, then I do not see the problem.”
“Blake...you are not the sort of man to marry.”
“I like this too much. We should definitely marry.”
“Blake,” she protested, both palms to his chest in an attempt to get him to move. “I must leave.”
He shifted off her after giving her a blistering kiss that left her mouth throbbing. “Very well, you can leave. But we really should get married.”
Demeter rolled her eyes.
***
He didn’t have long, Blake concluded as he aided Demeter into the carriage and settled beside her. By now, he should be negotiating the marriage contract with Anton. As easy as it would be to simply let things happen, he was not going to force Demeter to marry him. He was going to have to work on his powers of persuasion, though.
He stole a glance at her tousled hair and creased clothing, unable to prevent the smile curving his lips. He’d known Demeter had hidden depths, but who could have guessed at the passion beneath her demure behavior? He’d never bedded an innocent before, and he supposed technically, he still had not, but making love to Demeter had been something else entirely. Why would he ever want to let her go?
“You know you do not need to accompany me home,” she said as she smoothed a crease from her skirts.
“Firstly, I am not sending you away alone after what just...”
He drew in a breath in a bid to control himself. All it took was a quick flash of memory and he wanted her all over again. But there would be time for that. Once they were married. The carriage jolted ahead, not helping matters when Demeter put a hand to his thigh to steady herself.
He ground his teeth together, drawing in a breath through his nostrils. “And thirdly...”
“What was the secondly?”
He scowled. “What?”
“There was no secondly.”
“Oh forget that. The simple fact is someone threatened you to get to Foster. There is no telling what they will do if he does not pay up.”
“If I return home looking like this with you in the carriage, people shall think you have ravaged me.”
“I’m your fiancé,” he reminded her.
“But we are not wed.”
“Yet.”
She shook her head with a smile.
“I am not risking you being harmed,” he said firmly. “And whilst we are on the matter, I do not want you leaving the house until this matter is resolved.”
“But that could be forever!”
“I’m glad you have so much faith in my investigative skills,” he drawled.
“I am still going to be aiding you. You cannot stop me.”
The firm thrust of her chin told him it was pointless arguing with her. That did not mean he was going to let her be reckless, though. “You are to go nowhere alone,” he commanded. “In fact, you are to go nowhere without me.”
“It is a fine job people think we are engaged or else we would be drawing an outrageous amount of attention.”
