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

She shifted, wondering how he would react. Was this a good idea or would this talk go as poorly as every other one they’d attempted to have?

* * *

Damian stood in the center of his room, tapping his foot. He and Raithe had agreed to leave at half past ten this morning. That would ensure they’d reach London by tomorrow evening and he could have a meeting with the archbishop on the following day.

He let out a long breath.

In other aspects of his life, he made quick and conclusive decisions based on instinct. They almost always worked for the best.

Except when it came to affairs of the heart.

Then he had terrible judgment, clearly. He scrubbed his hand through his hair. He likely should have just picked a debutante at random. He’d have had better luck. Then he thought abo

ut the fear and revulsion he’d likely see in her eyes.

And he remembered why he’d chosen Cassandra to begin with. When she looked at him, there was heat and fire.

But he was in danger of once again being burned.

Not physically, of course. Not like last time. Which, he had to confess, was a real improvement. Then again, she’d lied to him about her situation. What else had been a falsehood? Still, her calm, even temper suited him. Was there hope after all?

Perhaps if he could just keep some distance between them. Keep from losing all his reason and— a soft knock at the door made him turn. He knew it was Cassandra. Even her knock was light and lyrical.

Crossing the room, he opened the door to find her standing with her arms wrapped about herself. Upset as he was, he still wanted to pull her into his embrace and comfort her. She looked dejected and concerned.

“Hello,” she said, her soft voice tickling along his skin.

“Hello,” he replied, not sure what to say, precisely. They’d experienced a great high and a rather bothersome low all within a few hours’ time.

“May I come in?” she asked, pressing her palms into the folds of her skirts.

He swept his hand for her to enter into the room.

She tentatively stepped in, crossing toward the fire as she turned to face him again. “I wanted to speak with you before you left.”

He gave a single nod as he joined her by the fire.

He watched as she shifted, her gaze cast down toward the floor. “I wanted to tell you, last night, about my lie. I just got caught up in the moment.”

Realization made him scrub his face. She had been trying to tell him something. He remembered her trying multiple times. As usual, he’d barreled ahead. “I see.”

“It doesn’t excuse what I did but…” She twisted her hands together, shifting again.

He waved his hand. “It’s all right. You were trying to protect yourself.” He understood. He did. But it didn’t change the fact that he’d gotten a stiff reminder of how this situation could lead to another broken heart.

“Thank you for that.” She eyed him as she took a deep breath. “You’re not upset with me?”

“No,” he said. Which was more or less the truth. “We’re all doing the best we can to move forward with our lives and protect ourselves.”

Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she assessed him. “Protection is important.”

He didn’t step any closer as he looked into the flames of the fire. “I’ll be back in five or six days. We’ll get married right away.”

He didn’t have to look to know she moved closer to him. “Damian.” She reached for his hand, the tips of her fingers lightly stroking his palm. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to marry.” He could feel her heat, her scent wrapped about him.

He looked at her then and read the uncertainty in her beautiful hazel eyes. “I made a promise when I signed the contract and took you to bed,” he said. “I intend to keep it.”

Cassandra shook her head. “I’m not sure I want another match filled with obligation and…”