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“Yes. Did you never tell him about me when we were courting?”
Blake grinned. “No. I married you so fast nobody had time to open their mouths. Good thing too. If I had delayed proposing, I would have been too late, and you would have married Kensington.”
A silence hung in the carriage, and Blake bit his lip. Devil had him mentioning Kensington in the current company.
A few minutes later, they escorted Lady Lavinia to her townhouse and settled back into the carriage homebound.
Blake sat next to Annalise and scooted even closer. “Annalise.” He put two fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face to his. “Can we talk about the note? I know you saw it.”
“All right.” Annalise raised her eyes to his.
“I can’t change the past, darling,” he said as softly as he could. “You have no idea how much I regret hurting you. I have no intention of ever doing so again. You have my word.” He looked into her vulnerable eyes and let out a self-deprecating laugh. “You have no reason to trust my word either, do you? You will.” He leaned closer to her and brushed her lips with his.
It wasn’t even a kiss. He simply touched her lips with his and gave her a nudge. It was a gesture of affection, a reassurance, a promise.
Annalise turned to him more fully. “Was this woman one of your mistresses?”
“In the past, yes. Before we started courting. Before I even met you.”
“But was she one of the women you were seen with after our wedding?”
Blake swallowed hard. Annalise was looking him directly in the eyes, not flinching, her features unfathomable.Why are you asking this? Just let the past be in the past.But he couldn’t stay silent, and he wouldn’t lie to her either.
“Yes,” he said.
“Thank you.” Annalise lowered her eyes, and Blake blinked in astonishment. “For not lying to me.”
Blake cleared his throat. “I shall never lie to you. I promised, didn’t I? And it means a lot to me that you are giving me this chance.”
Annalise nodded but didn’t say anything, and Blake scooted closer to her.
“You are the only woman I want. The only woman I have ever wanted this much. Let me prove it to you. Let me atone for all the hurt I’ve caused you.” He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and softly turned her to look at him.
“How?” she asked quietly.
“Let me replace all the bad memories with the good ones. With pleasurable ones,” he whispered and kissed her on the lips.
Annalise’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t think it’s enough,” she whispered.
“Probably not,” he agreed and wiped a stray tear away from her cheek. “But it’s a start.”
He lowered his head and kissed her softly. She didn’t pull away, so he sipped on her lips, drinking her in. He trailed his hands down her sides, and she moaned sweetly into his mouth, feeding his excitement.
Blake picked her up and placed her on his lap. Annalise immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Blake nudged her nose with his before kissing her hungrily. He licked the seam of her lips, and Annalise moaned. Blake repeated the action. This time, taking advantage of her parted lips, he swept his tongue inside her warmth.
He took her face between his hands and angled her head for a deeper kiss. Annalise’s hands were in his hair, massaging his head. Blake moaned and broke the kiss. He breathed heavily, holding Annalise tightly in his arms.
Blake lowered his forehead to hers and stared into her downturned eyes. Their breaths mingled as they both panted, holding each other. Annalise’s fingers curled into the lapels of his coat. He was about to kiss her again, but she leaned out of his reach.
Annalise bit on her lip and regarded him with a thoughtful expression on her face. “Is it different?” she asked. “With a mistress?”
Blake choked on his tongue. How did one answer such a question? “Well…” He uncomfortably shifted in his seat as Annalise continued studying him thoughtfully. He’d promised not to lie, hadn’t he? “Yes,” he finally pushed past his throat. “It is.”
“Different how? Better?”
Blake’s mind went blank for a moment. “No.”
“You promised not to lie to me,” she said innocently.
