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

Cedric had not expected such candor. Hadn’t expected his own reaction to it either, and it was clear from the look on her face that it had cost her. But he couldn’t imagine her hurting anyone. Yes, she was fiery and yes, she’d lifted a hand to him, but he had provoked her. And the electricity between them surely hadn’t helped. She didn’t seem a woman liable to flying off the handle, though, not when she’d seemed very cool around him—when he wasn’t provoking her, of course. What had happened to make her think it was an issue? And why did she call herself difficult? She hadn’t seemed difficult to him. A woman of deep passions, perhaps, but not difficult. 


He wanted to ask her questions, find out why she thought these things about herself, but he didn’t want to make her distressed or agitated more than she already was. Perhaps there would be some time later, when they were on honeymoon. You don’t need to know. Why would you want to? Cedric shoved that thought away. 


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