Page 34 of Bound By the Duke

Unable to handle his sudden closeness, Aurelia stepped back, her eyebrows knitting slightly atop her conflicted gaze. But he followed her until her back met the cold wall, causing a soft gasp to escape her lips.

What is wrong with him?

She couldn’t stop looking away from his gorgeous sapphire eyes.

But Percival, being Percival, remained silent. He didn’t touch her. He knew he didn’t have to. The mere nearness of him, tall, unreadable, the scent of leather clinging to his coat, was all enough to cage her in.

Her breathing became shallow, her shoulders rising with the effort to stay composed. And in that silence, he continued to watch her.

“Is something wrong?” she asked in a whisper when she could no longer handle the intensity of his gaze.

“I’ve never cared much for tradition,” he said, his voice low, though not quite soft.

Aurelia had to pause to process his words, till she realized he was referring to what she had asked earlier.

She lifted her chin. “No? And yet you married me like it was a business deal.” She folded her arms loosely. “Don’t forget I was at Hyde Park.”

He tilted his head slightly. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It sounded like a business deal. You know, with your solicitor?—”

“It was,” he cut in flatly.

A bitter smile curved her lips. “Then, forgive me for expecting the business partner to at leastacknowledgethe deal. Or did the contract say nothing about sharing a hall, let alone a home?”

His jaw tensed at her fiery sarcasm, but then it relaxed. “Duchess?—”

“If you intended to keep me tucked away, Your Grace—” Aurelia decided to push just a little more. “—perhaps you should have found a smaller room. Or a quieter wife.”

She was not sure where her courage had come from.

His eyes didn’t leave hers, not even for a second. He remained standing in front of her, his hands hanging by his sides, not touching her.

For Aurelia, that was the most unbearable part. That he stood so near, looking at her like a man might look at a flame. Like a man standing so close to a flame, even though it might burn him.

“You enjoy provoking me,” he said slowly, as if the words had been dragged through gravel.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her lashes fluttered.

“I’m merely asking a question, Your Grace.” Her tone was the perfect mixture of silk and defiance. “Is that not my right, as your wife?”

His hands were no longer idle. They were twitching now, as if in warning.

“I warned you once not to speak of heirs or beds,” he reminded her, his voice like smoke curling in a darkened room. “Do you make a habit of crossing boundaries, or only mine?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, the coolness of the wall sending a shiver down her spine. They were standing so close that she thought he might feel it. Thought he might hear her heart thudding so hard.

“I wouldn’t call it crossing,” she whispered, trembling slightly. “You haven’t drawn any lines.”

That was it. She wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life with a man with an unbearable demeanor. Silent. Closed-off. Intense.

When he took another step closer, his breath almost grazed her forehead. “Don’t mistake my patience for permission,” he warned.

Her lips parted to respond, but no answer came. His gaze dropped to her mouth, but only for a second. Still, it felt like fingers tracing her lower lip.

The mere thought made her suck in a breath as a shiver ran through her. Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the room with its sinister light, but she didn’t look away from him, not even when the rumble of thunder could be heard. The storm had come so suddenly.

“You are mywife, now,” Percival murmured. This time, the heat in his voice was undeniable. “That means duties beyond charming my daughter and bringing stray animals into my house.”