“So will I.” She raised the book she had been carrying, then looked around for the most comfortable chair and found a chaise against the circular wall under the dome.
“A Sicilian Romance,” he murmured as he looked at the book.
“Have you read it?” she asked, curious.
Colin walked to one of the bookshelves and began to read the spines of the books. “I have no patience for romance.”
“Why not?”
“Love is confounding.”
“No, it is not,” she argued. “On the contrary, it is one of the most beautiful things in the world.”
Colin turned to face her. “It is that which made great empires fall. What is to dream of in something that causes so much pain?”
“What an unfortunate regard you have for love.” Anna wondered what happened to make him so cynical. “Have you never been loved?”
He shrugged and turned. “You have never been loved either.” His lack of denial answered her question, but she bristled when he added, “You would not be married to me if you had.”
“You did not have to say that,” Anna retorted.
“It is the truth, Anna. You, of all people, should not harbor fantasies about love.”
“You seek to make my opinion reflect yours.”
He selected a book and set it down on a table, then walked over to where she stood. “I have no interest in changing your opinion, but I feel the need to tell you the truth.”
“No, it sounds as though you are mocking me for dreaming. I will go back to the drawing room to read without being judged.” His eyes glinted, and she thought he looked amused. “Do you feel no remorse?” she demanded.
“I cannot feel any remorse when I have provoked you thusly. You are passionate and the flush on your cheeks is lovely.”
The nerve of this man!Anna turned and walked to the door, but then she thought to say more. So, turning around, she said, “I demand compensation.”
“For what?” His brows rose. “For telling you the truth or for offending your sensibilities? I steered you back to reality. I did you a favor.” His eyes laughed at her.
“I do not have delicate sensibilities.”
“I did not say that, Anna,” he chuckled, and she wanted to toss her book at him. “And why do you look as if I am oppressing you?”
“Why do you look amused?” she threw back, and he roared with laughter. “I dare not remain composed when I am faced with such beguiling passion.”
Oh, no!Anna realized everything he had said was in jest. “You are impossible! I cannot believe you did that!” She had to laugh at how easily she had believed he was in earnest.
He grinned, something she had never seen him do, and he was very handsome. Pushing his hair from his face, he held his hand out to her. “Yes, I am cynical, and I do not believe in love, but I respect your faith in it.”
She took his hand and let him pull her close, her breath growing short. “Forgive me for what I said about you marrying me because you were never loved. I realize now that it was a harsh thing to say.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, then slowly moved down until he was kissing her lips.
This was the sort of afternoon she anticipated when she woke that morning; one that would be spent in his arms. His hand danced up her back to stroke her neck, and she leaned into his hard body, her moan echoing his groan.
But then he pulled away, and a frustrated huff escaped her. Anna searched his face but did not find the answer she was looking for. Why was he refusing to touch her even though he could without hurting her, just as he had on their wedding night? “This is difficult for me,” he said.
Oh, dear!How selfish of her. She had only been thinking about herself and had not considered that he might want her just as much as she wanted him. “I can return to the drawing room if it will be easier for you.”
Colin shook his head. “No. Your company is not intolerable.”
She chuckled. “What a splendid compliment.”
“I am not accustomed to giving compliments or receiving them.”
