“Youweresmiling at him, you can’t deny that.”
“I’m not denying it at all,” she continued to defend herself because she believed in her own innocence in this matter, but the more she was forced to defend herself, the more outraged she was. “I was being polite to a gentleman that Leonard,your brother,introduced me to. Nothing else. And yes.”
“Yes what?” he asked, annoyed.
“Yes, I do smile like that to all my friends.” This was not entirely true, but she wanted him to believe it was. She wanted him to hurt as much as she was hurting now, being accused of doing something she would never even dream of.
She could see his jaw tighten before he replied. “Well, you are my wife now, the wife of a duke, and that comes with a certain set of responsibilities you need to adhere to. You can no longer smile like that at other men.”
“Why, when I haven’t done anything wrong?” she challenged, her voice carrying a hint of vulnerability.
He raked his fingers through his hair nervously, tousling his locks, so that they fell in a rakish abandon over his forehead. For a moment, she forgot all about their argument, and all she could see was the man who made her knees weak, standing before her.
“You don’t have to do anything wrong, Phyllis, don’t you understand that?” he asked.
“What… what are you talking about?” she asked, incredulous at this conversation which was making less and less sense.
He paused for a moment, then he continued. “You know how the ton is. They create things that aren’t there. And you were being… overly friendly with a man who was not your husband.”
“Overly friendly?” Her brows knitted as she spoke.
“Well… yes, overly friendly,” he confirmed. “And you know how this can be misconstrued by those around you. We have only just gotten married. We need to establish an image in the ton, Phyllis.”
“Why can’t you just admit that this has nothing to do with the ton, but rather with the man in question?” she finally asked him. “You obviously don’t like him.”
“That has nothing to do with this,” he snorted.
“It does,” she retorted quickly. “It would have been all right if I were speaking to your brother, wouldn’t it?”
He didn’t say anything to that at first, and she took it as a confirmation.
“See?” she said victoriously, her eyes gleaming. “It is not the ton. It is the man. You have some dislike for him, and I—”
Before she could even understand what was happening at that moment, Alexander closed the gap between them, capturing her lips in a kiss that ignited a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
She trembled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer. They were so close that their chests were pressed against each other’s, and she could feel his heartbeat, which mirrored her own. In that stolen moment, the world dissolved, as Phyllis felt a strange pull, a magnetic force she couldn’t deny. Her initial resistance crumbled, and she found herself lost in the intensity of their kiss.
The kiss was a slow burn, a gradual exploration of uncharted territory. Alexander’s lips, warm and assertive, molded against hers with a possessive fervor. Phyllis, initially tense, found herself succumbing to the magnetic pull, her fingers instinctively threading through the dark strands of his hair.
Yet, as the realization dawned that she might be succumbing to the forbidden allure of her husband, she abruptly pulled away, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion that she had made a mistake she would not be able to correct. The taste of his lips lingered, leaving her torn between the desire that had sparked and the walls she had built to protect her heart.
* * *
Alexander had no idea what had come over him. He hastily released her from his grip, his palms still burning where he had held her body so close to his. But it was a dangerous game they were playing. It was crossing of boundaries that had been clearly set up, for a very good reason.
“I… I apologize,” he managed to muster. He could still feel the taste of her lips on his, and the thought was driving him insane. He had opened a door which he found impossible to close now. But he had to. This couldn’t happen again.
“It’s all right,” she responded, sounding breathless and flushed. Her cheeks were a poppy red, and it suited her porcelain complexion perfectly. She had never looked more beautiful than at that very moment, caught off guard by his kiss, which she reciprocated without even thinking. “I… I think I shall retire to my chamber…”
“Yes, we both should,” he quickly agreed, as they headed towards the staircase at the same time.
Once they noticed that, they both stopped. She smiled. He smiled back. For a precious brief moment, the situation wasn’t tense. They were back to pretending that everything was all right.
“You go first,” he suggested.
She nodded, skipping hastily up the stairs. He listened to the sound of her footsteps dying at the end of the corridor, before continuing his ascent to the first floor. As soon as he closed the door to his chamber, he exhaled deeply, but it brought no solace to his tortured soul. It seemed that now that he had gotten a taste of Phyllis’ lips, he wanted more. No. Heneededmore. The sheer need for her was coursing through his veins now, all-consuming and unstoppable. He needed to banish those thoughts from his mind. He hoped that sleep would aid him in that endeavor.
Unfortunately, it did not. He spent the entire night tossing and turning, wondering how he could clear the air with her after everything that had happened. He hoped to speak to her again in the morning, and reestablish the rules of their agreement, just to make sure that both of them understood what was required of them.
