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Page 29 of Tantalizing the Duke

His eyebrow arched in question. “And what was that?”

She rose on tiptoe, her lips a breath away from his. “You, Your Grace. Simply you.”

His arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her against him as his mouth claimed hers with a hunger that had nothing to do with society’s approval and everything to do with the woman in his arms. In that moment, with the echo of the evening’s music still hanging in the air, Milly knew they had won something far more valuable than the ton’s acceptance—they had found in each other a home that no whisper or scandal could ever breach.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The fire flickered in the drawing room, sending errant shadows dancing over the walls. Milly nestled beside Dainsfield on the settee, her gown hugging the curves of her body in a way that surely pleased the man who was now her husband. “We’ve known each other forever,” she said, breaking the silence with a hint of mischief in her voice.

He made a noise that might have been a chuckle as he brought an arm around her shoulder. Milly tucked herself closer, reveling in the warmth of both the room and his touch.

“Since you were eighteen, at least,” Dainsfield replied, his expression softened by memories.

She lifted her head, her sparkling eyes meeting his. “The party. That awful, wonderful cyprian party.”

Dainsfield’s reserved expression melted into a smile as he drew her onto his lap. “You looked too young to be at such a party,” he said, allowing the smile to linger.

“And yet there I was,” Milly retorted, with a playfully defiant lift of her chin. “And you! How old were you? Three-and-twenty, perhaps? Quite ancient to my tender eighteen.”

Dainsfield’s eyes warmed, dark and inviting in the firelight. “Old enough to know you shouldn’t have been there.”

Milly wriggled to make herself more comfortable, her laughter filling the room. “Yet I survived, as you can see.” Her gown shifted as she moved, showing just enough skin to make his gaze follow. “Did you really think I couldn’t manage it?”

“You managed all too well,” Dainsfield replied, drawing her even closer. “That’s what concerned me.”

Milly leaned back, studying him with teasing appraisal. “I seem to remember you were the only man at that party I didn’t make love to.”

Dainsfield’s brows lifted in mock affront, and his hand settled possessively on her hip. “A failing I’m more than capable of correcting.”

Her laughter was as bright as the fire, and she traced a finger along his jaw. “You were very solemn then, too. I wasn’t sure whether you pitied me or disapproved.”

He made a thoughtful sound, his fingers toying with the edge of her gown. “Neither, as it happens. I was mostly struck by how beautiful you were. The other men seemed equally struck.”

Her eyes danced with mischief. “I seem to remember some were quite overwhelmed. I took great satisfaction in that.”

“As I recall, you took satisfaction in quite a few things that evening.” He watched her intently, a familiar heat kindling between them.

Milly tilted her head, considering him with amusement. “And there you were, like a statue in the corner, brooding as always.”

“I wasn’t brooding,” Dainsfield objected, a flash of rare playfulness in his voice. “I was contemplating the foolishness of any man who didn’t fall hopelessly in love with you that night.”

Her breath caught, and she leaned into his embrace. “You didn’t.”

“I most certainly did,” he corrected, lifting a hand to trace her cheek. “I just kept it a secret from both of us.”

Milly’s gaze softened, a tender light in her eyes. “Five years is a very long time to keep a secret.”

“Not so long,” he murmured, his hand trailing down her neck with unerring purpose. “Though some things have changed in those years. You’ve grown.”

Her laughter returned, low and inviting. “You mean I’ve aged. Like cheese. Or wine.”

“I mean your body, my scandalous wife,” Dainsfield replied, his large hands moving to cup her breasts through the gown. “Particularly these.”

She arched into his touch, a breathy sigh escaping her lips. “Was that why you married me? In case they got away?”

“I couldn’t risk it,” he said, circling her nipples with his thumbs, feeling them respond beneath the fabric.

Milly trembled against him, a delightful shiver that he felt in his own core. “Even as a newlywed, you’re as reserved as ever.”

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