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She was as stunning as ever, even in the gloom of the stairway. He found himself yearning for the touch of her hand, picturing the way her eyes melted with desire when he overpowered her.

He had jerked off too many times to count with the memory of his fingers buried in her sex, her gentle sighs as she had given herself to him.

He closed his eyes, listening to her voice as she spoke to the kitten, a strong pull telling him to go to her, to be with them.

“And where, may I ask, did you get that kitten?” he spoke up, his voice echoing down the narrow stairway.

Alicia looked up, but her eyes were hard and angry, as if she had already known he was standing there, watching them.

She rose, cradling the little bundle of fur against her chest. “I did not think you would notice, Your Grace. You have barely noticed your wife for the past few days.”

Seth’s throat constricted as she moved toward him, the scent of blooming flowers wafting to him.

“I have been busy,” he replied testily.

“So it would seem.”

She made to move past him, but his arm flew out without conscious thought, trapping her between his body and the staircase. The kitten mewed.

“Have you missed me, Duchess?” he asked, his voice a low growl in the tight space.

Alicia’s eyes flashed. “Hardly.”

He moved against her. “Are you quite sure?”

Alicia’s breath hitched as his lips hovered above hers.

Her mouth opened as if in an invitation for him to push his tongue inside it, taste her sweetness, and revel in her sighs.

But then she took him by surprise, pushing his arm and stepping around him, almost making him topple forward and down the stairs.

She turned, her nose stuck haughtily in the air, a loose lock of hair tumbling down her shoulder as she glared at him.

“What exactly has you so occupied, Your Grace?” she asked.

“Seth.”

“Your Grace.”

Seth bared his teeth in frustration at her stubborn expression.

“It is not your business,” he muttered, and he had to hold back a groan as her eyes flashed again.

She scoffed loudly and turned away, marching up the stairs without a backward glance.

Seth was seconds away from storming after her, barging into her room to teach her a lesson.

I will show her what she has been missing, and she will not forget again!

He shook himself, inhaling deeply, irritated when her scent filled his lungs, mind, and body all at once.

I cannot be rid of her in this damned place.

He walked past the stairs, forcing himself not to follow her as he continued on to the parlor.

It was a good thing that she was unhappy with him. She should grow used to being left for days at a time—he had work to do and could not be distracted by his wife at all hours of the day.

Their marriage was to guarantee his inheritance, nothing more.