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“The will stated that if the child was a boy, the heir, that I was to take guardianship of the child and the finances of the estate until the boy became of age. If she had a girl, then a tidy sum was to be put aside as dowry, and I would become the duke as next in line. But what infuriated Miranda was that fact that William gave her next to nothing as her widow’s stipend, though any money or property she brought into the marriage would be returned to her.”
Tabitha raised her brows. “I take it the amount wasn’t what she had been expecting.”
Andrew chuckled. “No. Miranda flew into a rage, then fainted. Brilliant performance.”
But that wasn’t the worst of it.
“A few days later, I heard a knock at my bedchamber door one evening. It was Miranda. She practically threw herself at me, asking if I would be her lover. She said she’d always been in love with me, not William. I laughed in her face. As if I would get anywhere close to her. Miranda didn’t take the rejection well and stormed out. Two weeks later, she lost the baby. We were all upset, but I must confess, I was relieved. That child would have ended up a pawn in Miranda’s sick games. Am I a horrible person for thinking that?”
Andrew had admitted to himself it would have been hard to accept any child Miranda birthed, especially if it had been a boy who would have inherited the title. When she had lost the baby, Andrew had hoped his sister-in-law would fade into the distance and leave him in peace. But a woman scorned could be a fierce adversary, as Andrew was soon to find out.
“Once she recovered, Miranda left the estate. I didn’t know where she was or what she’d been doing until I returned to London to find I was now considered to be some monster. Seems Miranda had been telling stories of her mistreatment at my hands after William’s death and that it had caused her to lose her baby. Then somehow, the rumors started that I had been involved in William’s death. I’m not sure if Miranda had anything to do with that.” He shrugged his shoulders, meeting her stare. “Now you know the whole truth.”
“Thank you for telling me. For trusting me.”
“I told you all of this because...” Damn, his throat was thick with emotion, making it difficult to swallow. The words were stuck. Andrew blinked several times, astonished to realize that tears threatened to come forth. He’d never thought it would be so hard to open up to someone.
“I tell you these things, dear Tabitha, so that you understand why it would be wrong, nay impossible for us to be together. I am believed to be the worst tyrant. That I killed my brother and either slept with or threw out my sister-in-law—or both—causing her to lose her child. I am bogged down by these rumors. And I must confess that sometimes I want to run away and start a new life, but I can’t.”
Tabitha’s lips trembled. “Oh, Andrew.”
“How can I thrust all of this on the woman I love? To bring you under the same umbrella of lies and secrets wouldn’t be fair, but, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
He had laid out his heart and soul, torn down every last barrier until there was nothing left but Andrew. Not a duke, not a rake, just a man.
“You deserve better than a second-rate duke who will always have fingers pointed his way. You deserve a man free of suspicion and doubt. I love you too much to let that happen to you.”
He finished and peered at Tabitha. There was nothing left to say. It was up to her. Reverently, she cupped Andrew’s face between her hands, holding him mere inches from her. The gold specks in her eyes twinkled like stars in the night sky, a guiding beacon for Andrew’s weary soul.
“You know I don’t care what anyone says. I know the truth. That’s all that matters. You are the man I chose to be with. You make my heart sing and my soul soar with love. Your touch fills me with desire. I’m not in love with the Duke of Holcombe. I love the man, just Andrew.”
CHAPTER25
Andrew wrapped his arms around Tabitha, drawing her against his larger frame. On instinct, his lips sought hers, and she rewarded his advances with her welcoming embrace. He adjusted to get a better angle on her lips and give his full attention. He used his tongue to entice her mouth open, which she did, eager for what was to come.
Listening to Andrew’s story, Tabitha had wanted to fight every person who had slighted him, every matron who had spun rumors about him. This was the true Duke of Holcombe, a loyal, compassionate, loving man who made her body burn with desire and whose kiss reached her soul.
The heat of their embrace burned a path down Tabitha's body, coursing from her mouth to her breasts and further still until it settled between her legs and smoldered, ready to explode at a moment’s notice. Andrew likewise was not immune. With her body flush against his, she felt his cock grow in excitement. His hangover seemed to have disappeared, replaced by an urgent, feverish need to be with Tabitha. She relished the thrill of his muscular arms holding her, the ardent pursuit of his tongue, and the sweet exploration of his hands.
Breaking the kiss and making his way toward her ear, he whispered. “How long can you stay?”
Tabitha smiled, although he couldn’t see. “All night. I told my mother a sick friend needed me, and I may have to stay the night.”
He leaned back to lock gazes with Tabitha. “You weren’t lying. I do need you, Tabitha.”
With that said, Andrew redoubled his efforts. The urgency of the kisses intensified, more desperate, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. As he delved into the sweetness of her mouth once more, Andrew brought her fully onto the bed until she was under him. With one hand, he made quick work of the buttons on her blouse. He placed his hand under the fabric to cup her breast through her chemise and was welcomed by a soft moan. Each time he touched her, it felt like the first. Every mew of pleasure was for him, every groan of desire her way of telling him she was his.
Tabitha wasn’t hesitant this time in her own exploration. She ran her fingers through Andrew’s hair as he swept her away in a wave of passion, then raked her nails down his back until she grabbed his night shirt, drawing it over his head.
The first time they’d been together, Tabitha had been shy. This time she drank in the full picture of his wondrously hard body, already slick with sweat, radiating a primal strength that called to her. His thick erection stood out from the thatch of dark hair, a small bead of moisture formed on the tip. Without knowing, she licked her lips while gazing at his cock. Andrew couldn’t suppress the animalistic growl that crept from his throat.
“I don’t deserve you, Tabby.”
“Yes, you do. We have the right to be happy, and I am happy, with you.”
She met his intense stare and saw her own love mirrored in his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, still in awe that this man had chosen her.
Although Andrew was naked, Tabitha was still in her dress, but within minutes she too was bare, lying in her lover’s arm. Andrew made a trail of kisses from her lips down to her left breast, suckling and licking the nipple until it hardened, making Tabitha writhe. She arched into his mouth, never wanting this moment to end. He showed equal attention to the other breast, lightly nipping on the already sensitive tip, which made Tabitha let out a small gasp. Every touch from Andrew branded her as his.
