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

That wound is deeper than you can heal. 


No, it was deep, no question. But it wasn’t mortal. And she already knew it was going to take time. She could help him with that, she was sure of it. “Please don’t agree just to spite your parents,” Anna said quietly. 


The glow in his eyes focused sharply on her. “What? What do you mean?” 


“I mean, you should have a family because you want one. Because you want a wife and a child. Because you love them.” Her mouth had suddenly gone dry, but she made herself say it. “A family isn’t about gaining an inheritance or getting revenge, Cedric. A family is about love. Or do you want your children to have the same childhood you had?” 


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