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“And what is your conclusion?” she asked boldly. “Have I sufficiently exercised your education?”

His eyes darkened, but she didn’t cower under the wave of his desire. She had no reason to.

“You have the next few minutes to show me everything I taught you,” he said with a smirk. “Think of this dance as a test, if you will.”

“Are you sure this isn’t just an excuse to spend time with me, Your Grace?” she purred. “I hear I can be very arresting company.”

His eyes lit up at the challenge.

She had to admit that she had missed seeing that look on his face, but still, her anger flared. He only wanted to dance with her as a test? The man was as pigheaded as they came.

She sincerely hoped that seeing her with other men had been enough to annoy him if he felt an iota of anything other than desire for her.

“Indeed?” he asked with a raised eyebrow, spinning her and pulling her back to his chest. “I wonder who would have alluded such. I am yet to see what they refer to.”

“You have a mean sense of humor, Your Grace,” she said with a wicked smile. “A lady like me might find it insulting to call me out on my charms.”

“I mean no offense, My Lady,” he said seriously. “But your charms are overflowing such that a man like me can’t hope to exhaust them even with carefully worded insults.”

“Indeed?” she asked.

“Indeed.”

“To make up for the insult to my charms, I expect a well-worded apology.”

“What if I chose to wax lyrical about the said charms instead?” he asked, leaning closer. “Surely that would please the lady more.”

“It would.” She nodded, curious to hear what he would say.

“You learned your lessons rather well, Lady Selina.” He smiled again, before leaning down to whisper in her ear. “I rather like this dress on you. Your fashion sense has improved.”

“Why must you always be so critical?” she asked, frowning at how swiftly he had changed the topic.

“It amuses me greatly,” he said with a smile. “I like seeing you angry. It is one of my favorite expressions.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re too easy to annoy.” He tsked. “I thought we had talked about this.”

“You’re the only one I forget my training around.” The words were out before she could think, and when the reality of that statement hit her, she stepped back.

Even when she had been annoyed in the past, she had always been able to maintain her composure and keep her wits about her, resorting to cold responses that conveyed her ire.

The Duke had been the only person, aside from her siblings, who had ever gotten her to feel different ranges of emotions that she had been taught to repress. Even Peter had elicited nothing more than calm happiness, while the Duke had made herecstaticwith joy.

The feel of his eyes on her stirred heat that threatened to consume her whole, and the feel of his hands on her, even small touches, when in polite company had her wanting things she had only read about.

She never should have admitted that he could make her lose her composure, not when it put such a horrified look on his face.That was giving him much more power than she should have given to him or anyone else.

The music ended all too quickly, but neither of them looked away or attempted to move. Selina noted emotions shifting and flickering in his eyes, warring for dominance, and she hoped he would make the right choice.

Them. Together.

He blinked, taking a step back, and she knew then that she had lost him to his stubbornness.

“The student has impressed the teacher,” he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “There is nothing left to teach you. I am… proud to have had such an excellent student.”

“Your Grace…”