Falling in Love with a Duke by Monica La Porta

Author:Monica La Porta [La Porta, Monica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Monica La Porta

Chapter 34

When Elizabeth had left the safety of her bedroom, she must have also left her brain behind. She had just proposed to Sebastian that they become lovers and was hoping he’d accept her outrageous offer.

It was true that he had said the words, but the decision must have formed in the back of her mind earlier, keeping in the background of her thoughts.

Sebastian was wrong in believing she had offered herself in the spur of the moment. The idea had simmered, coalesced with her sentiments, moving to the forefront one heartbeat at a time. Insidious little thing, it had grown from a scandalous fantasy to a rightful need, and finally escaped the confines of her fevered mind.

Her entire being pulsed with a longing she could not deny. It was so strong it left her breathless.

“I’m sorry.” Sebastian moved her hand from his chest and gently accompanied it to her side where he left it. His touch was impassionate, even cold. “We need to act properly.”

His refusal stung more than she could ever have imagined.

“Right now, we can’t—”

She didn’t let him finish his sentence. “We can!” Her temper rose as swiftly as rekindled cinder. Maybe she hadn’t lost her brain but found her spine. “All my life I’ve been what my family and the rest of society wanted me to be.” She closed the remaining inches separating them, bringing both hands to his face and cupping his chiseled jaws.

He flinched. “Stop.” As before, his command was but a whisper.

For the second time, she decided to ignore him. “Just for tonight, I want to follow my heart and forget what I can and cannot do.”

Gulping, Sebastian shook his head. The resolute expression on his beautiful face made her heart ache.

Love hurt.

Finally, though, she had her answer.

I love you. She tried the words in her mind. The feeling was undeniable, and the simple truth devastated her.

“You are still promised to another man. Tonight, I won’t take what is rightfully his.” He placed his hands atop hers. His touch lingered a moment before he pried her hands away and stepped back. “Try to understand. I want to do what’s right by you.”

“I’m offering myself to you. Once I’m married, my husband will decide everything for me. This is the last free decision I’ll ever make.” Anger clouded her declaration. She was tired of playing society games, exhausted in fact, but wouldn’t make more of a fool of herself than she had already done. “If you don’t want me, so be it.”

“Elizabeth, I’m so sorry.” Sebastian’s eyes shimmered in the flickering light of the candle. “I wish I could tell you…” He blinked a few times, his chest rising and falling hard. “Have faith in me. In us. It’s all I can say.” A moment later, he tilted his chin up and said, “I need to wake my groom. Wait for me. I won’t be long.”

The door closed softly behind him, leaving her alone with her thoughts and a broken heart. Of all the rogues in London, she had managed to single out the only honorable one of the lot.

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