A Ring for the Pregnant Debutante by Laura Martin

Author:Laura Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Published: 2017-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Thomas strode up and down outside the bedroom, trying not to look down at his hands. Two minutes ago they had been shaking and he kept telling himself it was just from nerves. It was natural for a man to be a little tense on his wedding day, natural for there to be a minute tremor in his fingers.

He glanced down again, holding his hands out in front of him and frowning as he scrutinised them. Nothing. Not even a hint of movement. With a sigh of relief Thomas allowed himself to sink down into one of the plush chairs and close his eyes for a second.

Soon the wedding would be over and they would be on their way to England. True, they would be thrown in close proximity during the voyage, but once he had delivered Rosa safely into his mother’s care he would be able to distance himself.

Again the memory of their kiss resurfaced, rekindling the desire that had been hiding just below the surface these past three days. He wanted Rosa, more than he’d ever wanted another woman in his entire life, and she was so tantalisingly close. Each day since she’d agreed to marry him he’d seen her hurt eyes as he had disappeared for hours on end, pretending there was much to prepare for the simple ceremony and their trip home. The truth was he couldn’t bear to be close to her—every moment he could see her, touch her, smell her, he risked giving in to his desire and ruining everything.

‘I will not desire her,’ he murmured to himself. That was not the point of their marriage. Although in a few hours they would be husband and wife he had never planned for it to be a conventional union. He needed someone who would be grateful for the protection and status he could give them, and not be too upset when he declined to visit her bedchamber. If only he hadn’t kissed Rosa. It hadn’t been planned or calculated, hadn’t been part of his ploy to get her to agree to marry him. He’d just seen her standing on the balcony, her lips pursed as she considered his proposal, and he’d just had to kiss her.

‘Never again,’ he promised himself, feeling the stab of disappointment as he denied his body the one thing it really desired.

He stood abruptly as the door to Rosa’s bedroom opened and she stepped out nervously. Immediately all his resolutions were forgotten as Thomas moved towards her and took her hand. He bent over it, kissing the soft skin gently, before raising his head and allowing his eyes to meet hers.

‘Are you sure?’ Rosa asked simply.

He almost laughed. She probably thought his absence the past few days was from doubting his decision to marry her now she had actually agreed. Little did she know he’d had to put physical distance between them, had to avoid any situation where he might accidentally touch her because one touch would be all it took to shatter his resolve.

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