Page 10 of Ravished by the Beastly Duke (Regency Beasts #1)

CHAPTER 10

“ S hall we go to the dining room, Your Grace?”

Eveline watched a barrage of emotions cross the Duke’s face before he nodded reluctantly. She did not take his arm as was customary, but walked ahead, giving him the distance she sensed he needed.

He had been unusually quiet while she and his friend had conversed, and she hoped he had not taken offense to her interruption.

It had been odd to see him with such a jovial friend, but she guessed he needed distraction sometimes from his otherwise serious world, and she had been grateful for the stories his friend had told her about him. It worried her how she craved these little bits of insight about him, but he seemed content with the state of their relationship.

She had gone to his study after waiting almost half an hour in the dining room for him to arrive. She had taken extra care with her ensemble that evening, as she wanted to make a good impression, and had even delayed her descent to the dining room. But not seeing him there had her worried that he would not honor their arrangement and then annoyed her.

She had risen, despite the protests of that voice in her head, to go and give him a piece of her mind, but she softened upon seeing his face as well as that of a stranger.

His silence carried on even into dinner, and by dessert, she had run out of things to talk about as well as the patience to do so. His responses to her questions had been nothing more than hums or murmurs, and he had such an angry frown on his face that she worried she was the cause.

“Have I offended you, husband?” she asked.

His eyes finally met hers, and the blank look in them shattered her resolve.

“No,” he answered.

“Then why do you ignore me so?” she asked, lowering her eyes.

She had hoped that spending time with him would bring them closer, even as cordial friends if not lovers, but he seemed hell-bent on not letting her plans progress. Perhaps he had sensed her reasoning behind her request and hoped to thwart her attempts to build any sort of relationship between them.

“I am not ignoring you,” he answered tonelessly, resuming his meal.

“I cannot possibly believe that when you have barely said a word to me this evening.” She kept her voice low, so the staff would not overhear their conversation.

Thankfully, she had changed the seating arrangement so she could sit to his immediate left.

“The purpose of this agreement was to ease my loneliness. I do not feel it abated in any form. If you feel bothered by this arrangement, then you do not have to fulfill it. I can always try to adjust to my new life.”

He slowly lowered his cutlery to his plate, before taking his napkin off his lap and placing it on the table.

“Leave us,” he ordered.

His command had been clear, and soon the room was empty save for the two of them. It had her wondering if perhaps her inquiry had crossed into nagging.

“Men do not like a nagging wife,” she remembered Ava saying once during one of their lessons on proper behavior.

She wasn’t one to complain or lose her temper so easily, but recently, she had found herself moved to speak her mind more often than not. Silence would never achieve anything.

“I was not quiet because you angered me,” her husband stated in a calm voice. “I was simply pondering the fact that I have never seen you laugh as you did today with my friend.”

Eveline frowned, puzzled. Had it upset him to see her laugh with another man?

“And it upset you?” she asked. “There was nothing to it. I was just?—”

“It did not upset me,” he replied, even though his voice wavered. “I just was surprised to see my wife act so familiar with another man.”

Eveline could barely keep her mouth from popping open in surprise. Yes, his friend was handsome, more than conventionally so, but no man had ever made her blood sing the way he had.

Her husband was actually upset that she had been cordial to his friend if his tone was anything to go by, and he was insinuating that something more than cordiality had been brewing between them. It was absurd to imagine that she would flirt so shamelessly in front of her husband, even if she were that shallow of character.

She felt anger boiling in her blood, but she bit back the acid that would have spewed over had she not decided that her thoughts were too harsh to voice.

“I was only being cordial to a guest who also happened to be a good friend of yours and a duke,” she explained. “Civility demanded that of me.”

“If that is what you would call that exchange,” he retorted.

She sat up in outrage, folding her arms.

“Why are you accusing me, instead of confronting your friend as other men would?” she asked, still processing the shock from his words. “It takes two to flirt, doesn’t it?”

“Because I trust him.”

The words shocked her so much that she recoiled in her seat with a gasp. There was a hint of remorse in his gaze, but she ignored it, shaking her head.

It wasn’t unexpected that he would doubt her character, considering that it was her choice to forego propriety and common sense for a moment of pleasure that had led to their current situation. But it still stung to see him throw it in her face.

He had been charming when he had come to propose, but she should have known he would weaponize the situation against her.

She rose from her seat, holding her head high. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she blinked them back. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing how much his words hurt her.

“I thank you for showing me your distrust of my character,” she told him with a glare that she hoped conveyed all the anger she felt. “I shall retire to my chambers now. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”

His hand on hers stopped her from moving.

She turned to eye it, unable to mask her surprise, before her eyes rose to his face, which was now hovering over hers.

How had he moved so quickly?

“You do not even defend yourself,” he said, peering into her eyes with interest.

She pulled her hand from his with a frown. “You have already made your assumptions about my character,” she huffed. “What need is there to attempt to refute it?”

He chuckled softly, and the low rumble tempted her to press her ear to his chest to hear it again.

Do not be so easily taken by him, Eveline.

“You have the freedom to do anything you wish, wife,” he sneered. “Shopping, visiting your sisters and friends… but I will not tolerate you taking a lover.”

“You incense me with your words, husband,” she hissed.

“I only speak what I have seen happen time and again with others, and I am not so vain as to think that my situation will be any different, as I have failed to satisfy your desires—as you are content to point out,” he shot back. “Your actions tonight have only served to plant these seeds.”

He really was an infuriating man.

It annoyed her endlessly how her traitorous heart and body craved to be near him rather than away from him, even though he blatantly insulted her. The masculine scent enveloping her chipped away at the hurt and anger his words had placed in her heart, and the decadent way his eyes roamed over her did nothing to help.

“You cannot think so poorly of me when I have done nothing to affirm or disprove your thoughts,” she argued. “I was only being polite to your friend, and there was nothing more to the conversation. I am married to you, and as such, it is only you I require to fulfill my desires—as you so kindly put it.”

“Yet he felt comfortable touching you.” Picking up her hand, he added, “Kissing your hand.”

He placed kisses on the back of her hands, and she felt wet, pulsing heat pool between her legs.

“Who knows what else he might have been comfortable doing had I not been in the room.”

She pulled her hands from his, needing to gather her thoughts so she could make her case.

Why did he have to be so handsome?

“I would never let a man who is not my husband take such liberties with me,” she spat. “I have more respect for myself than you could imagine. Yes, I have had a temporary lapse in judgment, and that is why we are married, but I have learned a great lesson from the one experience where I chose not to listen to the voice of reason.”

She eyed her ring pointedly, so he would not miss the meaning of her words.

“I shall hold you to your words, wife.” He smiled wickedly. “You are forbidden from ever taking a lover. I can permit many things, but I will not stand for anyone else touching you.”

His long finger trailed down her cheek to her chin, before his thumb brushed over her lips. Her mouth went dry as she wondered if he was going to kiss her.

“I agree to your terms, husband. I shall not take a lover.” Feeling emboldened by this change in him, she took a step forward, looking him in the eyes. “But if you will not permit me to seek comfort elsewhere, then you shall provide it. It is only fair, is not it?”

“You are an incorrigible woman,” he groaned, before pulling her to him and taking her lips in a kiss that made the heat between her legs turn into a fire that had her feeling uncomfortable in her clothes.

She felt him move them towards the table, only vaguely aware of him pushing the plates aside as his lips assaulted hers with a desire that showed her the truth of who he was.

He was not only taking pleasure in this kiss, but he was also branding her, so she would know not to break their agreement.

This was not the gentle, exploratory kiss they had shared in the Yardleys’ home. This was more like a battle of wills, and Eveline fought just as hard, burying her hands in his hair as she felt him slide his hands around her legs to lift her onto the table.

The new position brought them even closer and made it easier for her to hold onto his broad shoulders, which she had always desired to feel.

Her husband was a large man, and the difference between them should have scared her, but she found herself feeling excited by it even as he pushed her backward, leaning over her.

She would never be able to eat in this room again without remembering what had happened between them.

But she was irritated that his hands did not wander further, one cupping her cheek while the other supported his weight.

She buried her hands in his hair as he nipped her lips once and then twice, before soothing them with his tongue.

“Open your mouth for me,” he murmured.

And she obeyed and tasted the blueberries they had for dessert on his tongue. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her as their tongues fought for dominance.

When he pulled away, it felt much too sudden, but she didn’t protest and allowed him to help her up.

“I believe I have comforted you effectively this evening, wife?” he asked suddenly.

His question was teasing, and the glint in his eyes made her want to pull him to her again, but she nodded, righting herself as he moved off her, sitting on the edge of the table.

With his hair as ruffled as it was and his shirt wrinkled, she thought him the most handsome man she had ever seen, especially with the lopsided smile he was sporting.

She suddenly felt shy as she realized that she must look a fright, as somewhere in their interlude, the pins in her hair had come undone. If any of the staff saw them now, they would no doubt know what had happened between their Duke and his Duchess.

“Good,” he said smugly. “I shall escort you to your chambers then.”

William smiled to himself as heard Eveline squeal for the tenth time that evening, followed by sounds of her feet kicking her bed excitedly.

She had obviously tried hard to keep him from hearing, but the walls between their chambers were not so thick that sound couldn’t travel between them.

He had found himself smiling too as he replayed their kiss in his mind. He had barely hidden his desire from her, and he frowned now, worried he had begun a dangerous game by revealing his jealousy to her.

In as much as she dared him to believe that he could enjoy simple pleasures such as flirting and falling in love with his wife, he knew that nothing good would come out of it except death and loss, which would haunt him or her for the rest of their lives.

A note had arrived from Theo a little after dinner, telling him to make sure that he took care of his beautiful wife and that he thought she was good for him, but it only served to warn him that he was struggling to maintain his self-control around her.

He had been unable to hide his jealousy around his annoyingly perceptive friend, who had no doubt behaved the way he had to stir up trouble. William had foolishly fallen into his trap because he had been blinded by jealousy.

“I agree to your terms, husband. I shall not take a lover. But if you will not permit me to seek comfort elsewhere, then you shall provide it.”

Eveline’s words haunted him and tempted him as well as her boldness in demanding what she wanted from him.

It was getting harder to resist giving in to the temptation that was his wife even after avoiding her. The devil on his shoulder taunted him to open the adjoining door and step into her chambers, but he thought better of what might happen if he were to lose himself thus.

He turned onto his side, before sitting up in bed.

She would no doubt begin to harbor feelings that he did not deserve, and she would no doubt be hurt when he failed to reciprocate them.

He would need to work on building his resistance to his wife’s light, or else one of them would end up suffering because of his weakness. Distance had not helped him, but perhaps with constant exposure, he might find a flaw to fixate upon.

Tomorrow, he would set his new plan into motion, but tonight, he would enjoy the sound of his wife’s excitement.