Page 66 of Seven Nights with the Wicked Duke

He laughed with a raised brow.

"You aren't ready for that kind of debauchment, Cecilia," he teased.

She frowned with a pout.

"Why are you still treating me like a child?" she asked. "I believe we have gone beyond that, Your Grace."

He rose from his seat and neared her with a purposeful look.

"Do you really think you can handle seeing all of me,Cecilia?" he asked.

"I doubt it's anything I haven't seen before."

He guffawed loudly, pulling her to her feet.

"If you're this eager then I believe you're ready for our next activity," he announced. "I certainly hope you do not get cold too easily."

"What are we doing?" she asked curiously.

"Did you forget your own list?" he asked. "We're going swimming."

Her eyes widened excitedly as she looked up at him.

"Really?" she asked.

"Indeed," he answered. "You do remember the final stipulation you listed, don't you?"

Dread filled her as she realized they were heading to their last activity. After this, she would go back to the life she lived before she had stumbled into the duke.

"Can we postpone it till the morrow?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself. "It is quite late and I'm positively exhausted."

Perhaps if he would let them postpone it, she could think of a way to negotiate keeping their friendship until she was at least married to whomever her brother decided on finally.

"No," he answered with a frown. "This is to be our final night together, Cecilia."

CHAPTER 23

"This is to be our final night together, Cecilia."

Theo felt cut to the heart when her face fell at his words, but he had decided. No matter how dreadful ending their agreement had him feeling, he would stick to his plan.

He had failed to maintain his control over his emotions at the dinner because seeing Hector so familiar with her and the thought of him being the one who would teach Cecilia everything left to know about pleasure set a bitter feeling rolling in his stomach.

And that feeling had alerted him to the fact that something had changed between him and Cecilia but seeing her now as she undressed for their new activity, he felt as though he was tainting the light that used to radiate from her.

He was starting to care for her beyond just helping her with her silly list and that fact scared him. He had promised himself evenbefore he had given his invitation after the dinner that it would be their last night together because he couldn't understand how and why she was able to make him so vulnerable.

"I have asked my staff to stay away from the path to the lake," he told her. "You will have no fear of anyone seeing you."

She nodded.

"It is a cold night," she added.

"Indeed but it was on your list and we must do it. You can take a sip of whisky to warm up before you go."

She wrinkled her nose.

"Do I have to?" she asked.