When to Dare a Dishonorable Duke (Romancing the Rake 7)

He paused, leaning back on his heels. “You’ve got me there.”

She pushed her skirts back down her legs. She should not have allowed him such liberties but she’d wanted to know…was she even capable of such passion? He’d proven so, a lesson that somehow lightened the burden in her heart. “We can’t give in to our cravings again.”

“Why not?” He stood, towering over her as he leaned his hands on the wall.

She shook her head. “I already told you. It isn’t right.”

“I disagree. It was very right.”

She let out a long breath, tilting her chin to look up into his eyes. “I’m glad you’ve helped me discover that I can…that I’m able to…”

“I’m glad too,” he whispered low as he leaned closer, placing a light kiss on her neck.

She placed a hand on his chest, trying to create some distance. But her fingers only twisted into the folds of his shirt. “But try to understand. Our interlude only proves to me that perhaps I could marry. If I can experience such passion, mayhap I won’t be such a disappointment.” What if she found a patient husband, someone willing to show her how to be a good wife in the most private of moments? Damian could teach her that but his arrangement was temporary. Was she only to warm Damian’s bed until he tired of her and moved on to the next mistress?

And what would that do to her own heart?

He leaned back again. “That is why you were considering my offer. You thought you wouldn’t make a man happy in the bedroom?”

She shrugged, looking away. “That was part of it, yes.”

He let out a long sigh. “I hate it when I’m so mistaken.”

“How is that?” she looked back at him then.

“I meant to show you how good it could be between us.” Then he leaned over once again and captured her lips with his own.

She couldn’t deny that it had been good. Far better than that. It had been absolutely wonderful. Even thinking about it made her ache with need all over again.

But she also knew that she couldn’t go through with it. Somehow, knowing their passion burned so hot only made her realize that she was bound to be burned.

She pulled away and slipped underneath one of his arms, skittering a few steps away. “Damian. I am sorry but I still need to think about your offer. It’s risky and…we likely shouldn’t…” The words failed her. Part of her still wanted him and wished to ignore the possible consequences of his arrangement.

But another part cried out that she needed to think, not just feel. Not knowing what else to do, she turned and fled.

* * *

“We should,” he murmured into the night, slowly following behind her. He’d let her run for now. But she wasn’t getting away. Not from him. He twisted his neck, a crack filling the air. He watched her slip through the doors into the music room and he quickened his pace.

She didn’t stop but continued out i

nto the hall as he made his way into the room. Heading into the hall, he saw her start up the stairs. He waited until she stopped on the third floor and disappeared, then he started up the steps two at a time.

He’d be lying if he said the thrill of the chase didn’t make his heart beat a touch faster. Between that and the need already pulsing inside him, he was a throbbing ball of excited energy.

He reached the top of the stairs just in time to see her disappear into a doorway. The fifth on the left. Grinning, he started down the hallway, stopping in front of her door. He reached for the knob, still tasting her on his lips. She’d been intoxicatingly delicious and he’d only begun to taste her.

But the sound from the other side of the door stopped him. From inside the room, he heard the muffled sound of her cries. As though she’d tossed herself on the bed and sobbed into the blankets.

His passion, the need for the hunt, left him as a new emotion swelled in his chest. Sympathy.

Letting go of the knob, he raised his knuckles and rapped with three quick knocks on the door. “Cassandra,” he called. “Open the door.”

Her sobs ended, the room going quiet. She didn’t answer.

“I won’t touch you. I want to…talk.” Such odd words from him but true. He’d pushed her too hard and he knew it. He’d allowed the need building inside him to dictate his actions. She likely hadn’t been ready for such an interlude.

He could be overwhelming for many. He knew that. He tended to go after what he wanted with a single-minded purpose.