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“Kiss me, wife.”

Heat sparked within Evie at those words. How softly they were uttered, but with the sheer dominance that she had come to expect from him. They wrapped around her like silken bonds, compelling her to not only raise her chin but to also part her lips in anticipation of what was to come.

She saw the flash of satisfaction in his eyes, saw the hunger lurking in those green depths before his lips descended on hers. Whatever thoughts might have been running through her head, whatever concerns she had entertained, they all disappeared at that moment.

All that mattered to Evie was that she was standing there with Daniel and he was kissing her once more, after days of barelybeing able to get more than just a monosyllabic response from him.

The burst of applause from their guests startled Evie, painfully yanking her back to reality.

When she looked at Daniel, the hunger she had seen lurking in his eyes was gone, replaced by a stoic coldness that was almost as jarring as the sound of applause.

She forced herself to smile despite the pain that lanced through her heart.

In any case, she was the Duchess of Ashton now, and duchesses did not cry.

At least not in public, in full view of their guests.

He was not stupid.

He had seen the yearning in her eyes that mirrored his own, felt the sweet surrender of her lips when she welcomed his kiss with soft eagerness.

If it had not been for the applause, he could have gone on and on to bloody eternity kissing Evie.

Maybe even more than kissing—except that what he had in mind could not possibly be done out in public.

For all his… unorthodox tastes in the affairs of the bedroom, Daniel was not an exhibitionist, nor did he relish the thought of anyone else laying eyes on his wife like that.

He would much rather gouge his own eyeballs out first. Or anyone else who dared to look.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Daniel clenched his hands into fists as he affected a neutral look as he and Evie were swarmed by congratulations and well-wishes.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Caroline looking at him with a slight smile.

Well done,those gray eyes seemed to tell him.

He only smiled sardonically back at her.

Ever since he came to Ashton Hall, Caroline had been prodding him to find a suitable match—one that would make him happy, whatever that meant. Ever since Colin had married Alice, she had been relentless in her pursuit of his marital happiness, despite his vehement objections on the matter.

She should be satisfied now.She does like Evie, after all.

To her and the rest of the world, he had married Evie due to his strong feelings for her. The gossips, once eager to tear Evie’s reputation to shreds, were now shouting from the rooftops that they had always known that there was great affection between the cold Duke of Ashton and Lady Evelyn Fitzroy.

Only he and Evie ever needed to know the truth behind their marriage.

They all had their parts to play in this. He only hoped he could hang onto his sanity long enough to play a damned convincing act.

He glanced at Evie, who was smiling happily as Scarlett and Phoebe congratulated her. Already, he could feel his restraint slowly slipping through his fingers.

CHAPTER 20

When Evie dreamed of her wedding, she did not think that she would be married by a special license in one of England’s oldest and finest estates, nor did she think she would actually marry one of her brother’s closest friends.

And not just any friend, but Daniel Stanton.

She stole a glimpse at him over her glass of celebratory champagne, her breath catching in her throat as she beheld him in his full wedding regalia.