The Duke was standing in the middle of the room, his hands in his pockets, his head tilted to one side. It was a relaxed, casual pose, and yet the way he looked at her was anything but casual. The deep midnight of his eyes burned and he radiated a subtle, sensual energy that made the air around him crackle. 

He looked like a man who’d never heard the word ‘no’ in all his life. Unluckily for him, ‘no’ was the only word she had.

“There's no reason why I should stay,” Anna clasped her shaking hands together in an effort to still them. “I’m not marrying you.”

His gaze flickered, his mouth curving slightly, and she had the disturbing thought that far from putting him off, her insistence was only inciting him further.
“But you haven’t heard my proposal yet,” he said mildly. “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“I don’t need to hear it. I already know that my answer will be no.”

“Of course. But you can hardly tell your father that you heard me out when you haven’t, in fact, heard me out…. Anna.” 



A LADY FOR A DUKE

He’d been very tempted to throw caution to the wind and seduce her right here, right now. But he’d decided even before she’d arrived that he wasn’t going to touch her before their marriage. He was going to do everything in the proper order. Not quite what he was used to, yet anticipation wouldn’t hurt and would make the night they eventually shared even more spectacular. 


Anna stared at him and then at the little box in his hand, then reached out for it. 


But he pulled it away before she could take it. 


“Uh-huh. You have to give me your answer first.” 


He was teasing, of course, yet only for the pleasure of seeing the heat of her temper flare. Obligingly it did, those sparks flickering in her eyes, which he found deeply satisfying. 


“Of course I’m going to marry you. I’ve already told you I will. I even signed that wretched contract.” Anna said, 


“No, “I even signed that wretched contract” is not the right answer. Say “Yes, I’d love to be your wife, Cedric”.” 


21