Page 14 of Married to the Icy Duke (Duke Wars #3)

“Of course I don’t … don’t mind,” Charlotte stammered, aware that blood was rushing into her face.

She could feel the heat in her cheek and knew that she was blushing, no doubt as red as beets, and there was no way he could not notice.

But she was here now, and the only thing more humiliating than all of this would be to run away without saying what she had come here to say.

“I came to find you because you did not greet us.”

“No, I did not.”

“Am I correct in guessing that you instructed your housekeeper to inform me of the ‘rules’ which I must live by?”

His sharp eyes found hers once more through the mirror. “Perhaps. I thought it would be simpler.”

She clenched her teeth. “Well, you were wrong. If you wanted a quiet, obedient bride, you made the wrong choice. I am not going to starve all evening simply because you like to have your dinner at seven o’clock. What is wrong with dinner at five and then supper at ten?”

“Perhaps I do not like to be tied to a dining table so frequently,” he responded tartly. “You can eat when you like, my dear. I am not starving you. But dinner will take place at seven.”

She folded her arms. “Six.”

He dropped the cloth back into the basin and turned to face her. Water splashed up onto the mirror, dripping down again.

“Are you trying to haggle with me?” he murmured softly. “You are causing me problems already, my lady. We are not even married yet.”

Charlotte held her ground, as best she could. Despite her best efforts, her eyes kept drifting down to his bare chest, drops traveling down his stomach and disappearing beneath the waistband of his breeches. She swallowed thickly.

“This is an important conversation. Please put on a shirt, can’t you?”

He gave a twisted grin. “If my bare skin offends you, my dear, I suggest you avoid ogling me.”

She reddened further, if that was possible. “I am not ogling you!”

“The evidence suggests otherwise.”

Charlotte breathed out slowly.

Heavens, he is the most infuriating man I have ever met.

Aloud, she said, “As to my causing you problems , as you so kindly say, I should like to point out that if you had simply asked for my help with little Tommy, I would have agreed. I would have helped you, for his sake, not yours. But instead, you asked me to marry you. That, my dear duke, makes me your problem already.”

His mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. At some point, he had stepped closer to her, or had she stepped closer to him?

A reddish haze seemed to be descending around Charlotte, and all she could think of was reaching out to touch that warm, wet flesh in front of her.

Would the curve of his chest muscles be firm?

What would he do if she curled her fingers around the waistband of his breeches, knuckles brushing his skin?

No, no, no! She shouted at herself, appalled. Stop this!

“Ahh, you do not like rules,” the duke drawled.

“No,” she shot back. “I do not. You said that I would be free to do as I liked.”

“And so you are. Like I said, you can eat when you wish.”

“Yes, but the proper meals will be held when you wish. In between, I’ll be restricted to tea-trays and slices of cake, perhaps a light luncheon.

The housekeeper told me that you were a man set in his ways, with rules.

I imagine that the rules do not end here.

There’ll be rules involving when I rise in the morning, when I entertain— if I entertain—where I go, and whom I see.

You won’t want your house turned into an Orion den, so what does that say for whom I can invite once we are married?

You are so used to your own rules, Your Grace , you have not thought how they will impact my freedom. ”

He hesitated, just for a beat.

“And you deduced all this from my chosen time for dinner?”

She shrugged. “Am I wrong?”

“Perhaps not. But perhaps my rules are flexible enough not to impact you after our marriage.”

“ After our marriage, I might find myself more trapped than ever before.”

“You will not.”

“How should I know?”

He sighed. “You must trust me.”

She gave a short laugh in response. “I have just been told that I must eat when you say. Why should I trust you?”

There was a heartbeat of silence after that.

Charlotte forced herself to hold Isaac’s stare.

Quite abruptly, he surged forward. With a squeak, Charlotte backpedaled, knocking up against the door, which closed behind her.

Isaac came close enough that she could feel the dampness of his skin and smell the residual copper tang of blood.

He rested one hand on the door by her head, allowing him to lean down so that they were almost nose to nose.

Charlotte’s heart beat so fast she felt as though it were trying to fight its way out of her chest. Her breathing became shallow and rapid, and heat pulsed insistently between her legs, a rush of desire more powerful than anything she had felt before.

I want him, she realized in shock. No. No, no, no. I will not let myself be swayed like this.

“Now, for a woman who claims to crave freedom,” the duke said, his voice deep and slow, “you certainly seem to want me to pay attention to you. And barging into my room in such a manner? Heavens, one might even think that you were trying to seduce me.”

That sent a flare of anger through Charlotte. Without thinking about the wisdom of her course, she placed a hand on his chest and pushed hard. It wasn’t hard enough to really push him backwards, but Isaac stepped away even so. She breathed deeply again for what seemed like the first time in hours.

“How dare you?” she hissed. “I am staying here because I have no choice. You are, quite frankly, my last hope. But I will have respect.”

“As will I,” he shot back.

She lifted her chin. “I am staying for Tommy, and for myself. I do not wish to seduce you.”

An insufferable smirk spread over his face. “If you say so.”

Her cheeks burned. “I do say so. In fact, I shall implement a rule of my own. You are not to touch me, Your Grace. Married or not, wifely duties or not, you will not touch me. That is my rule.”

Was he surprised? Charlotte was convinced that she had seen a rush of surprise flit across his face. The expression was there and gone so quickly, however, that she might easily have imagined it.

“Done,” he said at once, his voice smooth. “I agree. I am glad to hear that we are on the same page, my darling Charlotte. Agreement at last, eh?”

Charlotte stared up at him, heart thudding. Giving a low growl of frustration, she spun around, flung open the door, and ran out into the hallway. She could hear his laughter pursuing her all the way.