And yet there was so much more to how he felt when he looked at her. He saw the bright intelligence in her stare, the confidence in the way she moved, the sensuality in the twitch of her hips. There had never been another woman in his life who had enchanted him so utterly and completely. And even after all this time, that remained an immovable fact.
“Your Grace,” she said as she stepped into the room. She hesitated before she reached back and shut the door, giving them privacy.
“So formal,” he managed to choke out when he could form cogent words.
She swallowed hard before she responded. “I…I think it’s best.”
So she said, but he saw her gaze slide to his lips and then back up again. The expression belied her statement and his mouth burned like she had actually touched him there.
“Is it?” he pressed and moved a step closer. “Even after last night?”
Her mouth fluttered ever so slightly. “I—last night was a mistake, Your Grace. A weakness.”
“One we share.” He stepped toward her again, but this time she stiffened and he forced himself to stop. He couldn’t push this too far or too hard. He knew that. He knew her.
And in truth, he owed her more than seduction, didn’t he? So much more.
“Sophia, you cannot know how much I have missed you. How much I have thought of you over these past few years.”
There, now the words were out. Only she didn’t smile or preen or move toward him. Instead she backed away. “How very unfair to your late wife.”
He flinched. “No truer words have ever been spoken. It was. I have hated myself for that a very long time, I assure you. Hated myself for that. And for how I treated you.”
She held his gaze evenly but didn’t offer him respite with words. She didn’t try to make him more comfortable. But then again, he hadn’t earned that.
He drew very deep breath. “Sophia, I’m sorry. Those are incredibly empty words, but they must be said before I can make any attempt to prove them. I’m so very sorry about what happened all those years ago. About what I did. What I didn’t do.”
She blinked up at him. “You…you needn’t be, Edward.”
He drank in how she said his given name. That was a softening, he knew. And he couldn’t help but recall how she had moaned it in the past as she arched beneath him. He pushed the intrusive thought away and refocused. “We both know that isn’t true,” he replied. “Sorry is not a strong enough word for what I need to be as I stand here before you.”
She shook her head. “You are a duke. You were required to marry a lady. You were a decent enough man that you didn’t want to betray your wife with a mistress—”
“But as you said, I did betray her by always thinking of you.”
She dropped her gaze. “That is unfortunate, but I’m not the one who requires an apology for it. You must know I don’t—I don’t hate you for it. I never did, even if I wished I could.”
He sighed. “But I hurt you.”
She didn’t deny it, but paced away. “Everyone got hurt, it seems.” She kept her gaze out the window for a moment, then turned back. “Why—why are you here? Why were you there last night?”
He smoothed his hands along the front of his waistcoat and took a deep breath. Here was the tricky part. He couldn’t push too hard or too fast or she would run. He couldn’t demand because it wasn’t fair to her. He had to follow his very carefully laid plans, the ones that would act as apology, the ones that would show her his love.
“I told you, Sophia, I have not stopped thinking about you over the years. Since my mourning period is over now, I needed to see you. I wanted to…to be with you.”
Her eyes went wide and a shiver moved through her that gave him further hope. “Edward…” she began, her tone wary and her expression poised for rejection.
He stepped toward her, closing the lion’s share of the distance now in a long stride. “Please, Sophia. Answer me one question and then we can debate the rest. Have you thought of me over the years?”
ALSO BY JESS MICHAELS
Regency Royals
To Protect a Princess
Earl’s Choice
Princes are Wild
To Kiss a King
The Queen’s Man
* * *
The Three Mrs
The Unexpected Wife
The Defiant Wife
The Duke’s Wife
* * *
The Duke’s By-Blows
The Love of a Libertine
The Heart of a Hellion
The Matter of a Marquess
The Redemption of a Rogue
* * *
The 1797 Club
The Daring Duke
Her Favorite Duke
The Broken Duke
The Silent Duke
The Duke of Nothing
The Undercover Duke
The Duke of Hearts
The Duke Who Lied
The Duke of Desire
The Last Duke
* * *
The Scandal Sheet
The Return of Lady Jane
Stealing the Duke
Lady No Says Yes
My Fair Viscount
Guarding the Countess
The House of Pleasure
* * *
Seasons
An Affair in Winter
A Spring Deception
One Summer of Surrender
Adored in Autumn
* * *
The Wicked Woodleys
Forbidden
Deceived
Tempted
Ruined
Seduced
Fascinated
* * *
To see a complete listing of Jess Michaels’ titles, please visit:
http://www.authorjessmichaels.com/books
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today Bestselling author Jess Michaels likes geeky stuff, Vanilla Coke Zero, anything coconut, cheese and her dog, Elton. She is lucky enough to be married to her favorite person in the world and lives in the heart of Dallas, TX where she's trying to eat all the amazing food in the city.
When she’s not obsessively checking her steps on Fitbit or trying out new flavors of Greek yogurt, she writes historical romances with smoking hot characters and emotional stories. She has written for numerous publishers and is now fully indie and loving every moment of it (well, almost every moment).
Jess loves to hear from fans! So please feel free to contact her at [email protected].
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http://www.AuthorJessMichaels.com/