Callum nodded. “You are right. If anything, the Duke's disapproval only drove me even closer to her. I wanted to spend all my waking days with her and the times when I was not with her, I felt empty. My grandfather's disapproval only drove me crazily in love with her. It did not take long for me to decide that I needed to marry her.”
Louise gasped.
“I did not care that it would be a big scandal that even my grandfather would not be able to handle. I simply wanted to be with her forever. In fact, now that I look back at it, if the Duke had threatened to disown me if I did not leave her, I would have gladly turned my back on my family forever, all for her sake.”
“It all came crashing down one day when I went to her house on a visit and I saw a sight that made my heart clench painfully. There, my lover was, on a bed with another man, lost in the throes of the pleasure that he was giving her. She did not see me at first but when she opened her eyes, our eyes met and she saw that I knew,” he said, “she was shocked and I was frozen to a spot. I soon gained control of my legs again and walked out of the door, reeling with anger and intense sadness. I did not even look to see who the man was. I was simply too broken by my sadness to care.”
“That must have been hard on you,” Louise said.
“Indeed, it was,” Callum said, “and for a long time, I could not get over what I had seen. It was then that I turned to alcohol and women. I became a notorious rake and drank away the memory of her.”
Louise sighed. “I am terribly sorry for what happened to you. No one should ever have to experience that,” she said.
Callum smiled. Surprisingly, he felt lighter and freer after telling Louise about the betrayal that broke him. It was as though a heavy weight had just been lifted off his chest and he was free to be himself again.
“Thank you for trusting me with this,” Louise said.
“I appreciate you for also listening to the boring tale of how I was heartbroken,” Callum said.
Louise chuckled. “Your tale was not boring at all. I have to ask you a question, Callum,” she said.
“Of course, I promise to tell you. No secrets from now on,” Callum said.
“I am glad. Is this betrayal the reason you have sworn off marriage?” She asked. Callum bit his lip because despite knowing the truth, he still struggled with talking about it with someone else. “The last time I asked you this question, you did not respond,” Louise continued.
Callum nodded. “You are right. After seeing her in the arms of another man, I knew I could never trust another person ever again. That incident had broken my ability to trust. I could not afford to make myself so vulnerable to another woman because I knew it would only result in me getting my heart being shattered. I never got close to another woman again, at least, not emotionally.”
“And have you ever met anyone who made you reconsider being committed and even getting married again?” Louise asked.
Callum was startled by the question, not because it was difficult to answer but because it caused him to think deeply and he was too terrified of what his response would be if he were to answer truthfully.
“I do not know,” he said simply. That was as much truth as she could get out of him regarding the subject. Louise nodded.
“When you decided to help me get a match, was it because you felt pity for me?” Louise asked.
“That was the case,” Callum responded, “at least, at first.”
“Then what happened next?” She asked.
“I realized that I could not stop thinking about you,” he answered truthfully.
“Thinking about me?”
“Yes, my thoughts were filled with all the ways I could do depraved things to you,” Callum said.
"Is that so?" Louise asked, her lips upturned in a smile that did something to Callum's groin, "why don't you show me then?" She asked.
Callum's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He could not believe his ears. "Do you...Do you want..."
Louise nodded in a self-assured manner that only made Callum even more intrigued and attracted to her.
"Your wish is my command, My Lady," he said, even though his whole body was nearly vibrating with need and excitement. Throughout the last few days, Callum had done all he could to hold himself back and stop himself from taking Louise. Yet, here she was, telling him to do to her what had long plagued his dreams. With two steps, Callum cleared the distance between himself and Louise. For a moment, he took the time to drink Louise in, her presence, her beauty, and what lay beneath the dress that she wore.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked.
"Nothing," Callum said, "I just want to tell you that you are, in fact, the most beautiful woman I have ever set my eyes on.
Louise blushed. Callum reached out then and pulled her in for a kiss. He pulled her into his arms without any hesitation at all. Callum could tell that she had been awaiting this moment for a while too. The kiss lingered for a moment and then Callum broke it off. He looked into her blue eyes and he felt his groin throb painfully in his pants.
