Page 83 of Yours Truly, the Duke
He remained relaxed in front of the fire. “I’ll take it as a good sign that you’re not immediately throwing me out.”
“I should.” She unfastened her cape and tossed it on the edge of the bed as she walked farther inside. “What were you thinking, Wyatt?” she asked, keeping her voice low.
“That you were chilled and I should stoke the fire for you.”
It seemed impossible under the circumstances, but she had to bite back a smile at his reply. By some miracle, she managed to huff a frustrated sigh. She untied the bow of her brocade spencer, shrugged out of it, and sent it the way of her cape. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
He took a few steps toward her but made no move to come around to the side of the bed where she stood. Which was good. She might be tempted to strangle him. Or kiss him.
“I wanted to make sure Bella was all right and no longer frightened.”
Fredericka’s eyes strayed back to him. She appreciated his caring and walked over to her dressing table to remove her gloves. “She’s fine now. Asleep, but really, a ghost story for someone so young?”
“I shouldn’t have let her stay when she came into the book room with Charles. I had promised him a story if he would listen to Elise’s fairy tale and I didn’t want to disappoint him. She seemed to enjoy it as much as her brother.”
“Of course she did,” Fredericka replied, refusing to look at him lest he see her inner turmoil. It was vast, consuming, and confusing. “You must know she craves any attention from you. She’s vulnerable, and you are strong and solicitous toward her.” Saying the words, Fredericka suddenly realized she could have been talking about herself instead of her niece.
“You’re right about it all,” he said earnestly. “But you must know I would never knowingly hurt a child.”
His tone and words were sincere, and she did know that. Unbelievably, she was already forgiving him, though a small part of her didn’t want to. Not yet. Wasn’t it better to continue with umbrage than desire? She stripped off one glove and started on the other.
“I hope the nightmares won’t be lasting,” he offered in a conciliatory tone.
Fredericka laid the other glove on her dressing table and glanced at him through the mirror again. He looked far too handsome for her overwrought state. Without thought, her gaze strayed to the neckline of his shirt. The V was open, showing a good portion of his bare chest. Her stomach tightened and her cheeks heated at the thought of kissing the very exposed hollow of his throat.
Annoyed at herself for such wayward thinking, and at him for making her feel them rather than the matter at hand, she started unfastening one of her earrings, avoiding another glance his way. For some reason her fingers were trembly. She kept fumbling with the catch.
“I’ll make it up to her by telling a story about flowers and fairies.”
“What?” Fredericka looked up and saw he was directly behind her. She quickly averted her gaze back to her ear. “You’ve told her quite enough.” Finally conquering the jewelry clasp, she tossed it onto the table with a frustrated drop.
“I’ll leave if you want me to, or…” He trailed off the last word cautiously.
Their gazes connected in the mirror again and she was more aware of him than ever before. Was that longing she saw in his eyes? Was that the emotion that suddenly filled her too and clawed at her insides so ravenously? Tension between them intensified. “Or what?” she asked.
“I can help you with this.” He took one step forward and put his hands to the ribbon at her nape. Fredericka stiffened but didn’t shrink away. Wyatt held still as if waiting for an indication to back off or continue. “If you pull the bow the wrong way and make a knot you’ll never get it off.”
His low and husky voice relaxed her shoulders.
Lightly, as he untied the necklace, his fingertips tickled across her skin. Each feather-like brush, intended or not, tingled and tantalized. At his touch, she shivered from her head to her toes and back again. Fredericka felt warmth and strength radiating from him. Maddening as it was, she wanted to forget her vexation for his lack of understanding Bella’s age, sensitivity, and everything else, and lean against him.
“I didn’t come just to stoke the fire and check on Bella,” he whispered softly across her shoulders, stirring the fine hair at her nape. “I wanted to see you.”
Fredericka remained silent. Attraction was growing every second she looked at him. It was difficult fighting irritation and enticement. She didn’t know which emotion would win.
Once the ribbon ends were separated, he let the topaz slide down her chest to pool in the valley between her breasts for a few seconds. She shivered, thinking he was going to bend his head and shower the back of her neck and shoulders with little moist kisses that would drive her wildly insane. Instead, he removed the necklace and placed it on top of the gloves.
“There’s something else I want to say,” he said softly.
“I’m not sure I want to hear it.” If she was going to send him away, it had to be now. Remaining with her back to him, she lowered her gaze to the top of her dressing table for a moment, searching for inner strength before she lifted her lashes to him and whispered, “You should go.”
His gaze swept over her face, settling on her eyes. She knew he was weighing whether to comply or challenge her. She was contemplating how she would react when he made that decision. When she thought she couldn’t take the waiting any longer, he nodded as if to acquiesce and strode over to the door. Crestfallen, she gathered the shreds of her courage to accept his choice.
When he made it to the door, instead of opening it, he turned the key in the lock and walked back over to her.
A tremor ran through her. Fredericka swallowed hard and only then did she know for sure that was exactly what she’d wanted him to do.
“There’s something I need to say. I’m not going until I do.” He remained resolute. “I don’t want you thinking I kissed you earlier tonight only to make up for all the things I’ve done wrong.”
