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’s own heart ached at the misery in her voice and at the knowledge that he’d caused her so much pain. But he could fix that. He would make it his personal mission to see to it that she never cried again. 


“No more tears, Anna. You’re killing me.” 


“I can’t seem to stop,” she admitted, lifting her gaze to look at him again. 


“God, I love you so much.” He cupped her face in his palms and let his gaze move over her features hungrily. Like a man starved and finally given a feast, he couldn’t seem to get his fill of her. “I swear I’ll never make you cry again.” 


She actually laughed at that. “Oh, Cedric, you can’t make that kind of promise.” 


The tightness in his chest eased a little. She wasn’t trying to escape from him anymore. She wasn’t trying to push him away. That was a start, anyway. 


57