Panic dispelled the rest of her torpor. He made it sound as if she’d ceded more than she had.
She sat up. “It was the heat of the moment, and I didn’t give... that is, we didn’tdoanything irrevocable—”
“It’s just a matter of time. You can’t deny what’s between us.” His gaze warned her not to. “I’m not going to spend my energy fighting my attraction to you.”
He had tofighthis desire for her? Her chest went as soft as a gently boiled egg.
“With time and proper guidance,” he went on, “I’m certain you’ll do.”
She blinked. “I’ll do... what?”
His eyebrow cocked. “You’ll do as a duchess, of course.”
It took a second for his arrogant assumption to sink in. Her jaw slackened; her traitorous heart gave a leap. “Is that supposed to be amarriage proposal?”
“Pet, the time for proposals is over. You’ve made your choice. You’re mine.”
His conceit raised her hackles. “I amnotyours. One reckless... interlude doesn’t constitute ownership.”
“Andromeda’s and my bedchamber make three interludes,” he said smugly, “and the only reason you’re still a virgin is because I wish to respect our wedding night.”
Pressure built in her head like water heating in a covered pot. “I never said I’m going to marry you! And Lord knows why you want to marry me. We fight like cats and dogs. We have nothing in common. You’re a duke, and I’m a country miss—”
“As I said, you’ll learn.”
“I have no interest in giving up who I am to be your wedded slave. I have dreams of my own, a purpose to fulfill—”
“The managing of my estates and producing of my heirs should give you plenty to do.”
Was he serious? Did hetrulythink he could dictate her future?
“I am going to be an investigator.” She repeated this slowly, as if to a daft person. After all, if the Hessian fit...
The indulgent light vanished from his eyes. “I’m offering you one of the most coveted positions in Society. Do you know how many ladies would give their eyeteeth to be the next Duchess of Strathaven?”
“Then marry one of them.”
“I don’t want any of them. I want you.”
Why, oh why, did the authority in his voice make her thrum with yearning? She told herself she disdained his arrogance. Yet her belly fluttered, some feminine part of her helplessly captivated by the fact that such a beautiful, sensual man would look at her with burning possession in his eyes.
Swallowing, she said, “Whydo you want to marry me? You... you don’t love me.”
“No, I don’t,” he said dispassionately. “Love is a complication I neither need nor want in my life. What I’m proposing is a marriage of mutual benefit.”
How could he be so cynical about love—about life?
“So far I haven’t heard any benefits,” she managed.
His brow quirked. “Marrying me will endow you with worldly goods, the privilege to do as you please. On my side, I will gain a duchess and someone to provide me with an heir.” His voice lowered to a seductive timbre. “Given our attraction to one another, the begetting of the latter should prove a most pleasurable activity.”
“That’s not enough to build a marriage on.”
“I say it is.”
“You’re not going to bully me into marrying you,” she said.
She steeled herself for an onslaught of threats and intimidation. Instead, he scrutinized her for long moments, his eyes as impenetrable as smoked glass. His words took her by surprise.
