“You have done enough,” he growled. The man looked positively furious, and for the life of her, Rachel did not know why itexcited her so much. He was being possessive as a husband ought to be, though she had thought he was not capable of such an emotion.
“The ball is not yet over,” she argued.
“Does it look as though I care?” he narrowed his eyes at her.
“Well, youshouldcare,” Rachel tried to free herself from his hold, but it only made him tighten his grip.
“Then, have it clear in your mind that I do not.”
He stopped suddenly and then pulled her towards a small opening in the hallway where the wall concealed them from the view of prying eyes. She opened her mouth to protest, but he was quicker than her, as in a moment he had her pressed against the wall.
“Simon…” she tried to say, but he braced both of his hands on either side of her.
Oh my.
This felt like trouble, and her heart was beating out of her chest. He wastooclose. They were in public. Surely, none of this was acceptable.
Then why did it make heat pool between her legs? Her mouth opened slightly as his gaze bore down into hers.
“You ought to know better than to provoke me,Duchess.”
“I was not trying to provoke you,” she said, but her words lacked any conviction.
A part of her did want to see if she could get a reaction out of him, and she had succeeded.
“If you do such a thing again,” he said in a rough voice that made a shiver run down her spine, “understand that it will not be without consequences.”
“And why should I worry about the consequences?” she asked, mustering the last of her courage. She knew that her resolve would not last for much longer if he remained in such proximity to her.
And she wondered if he was going to kiss her. Surely, someone would see. It would be his way of laying a claim on her. It horrified and excited her equally that she wanted him to.
Simon held her gaze for a moment, leaning down only slightly, but then, abruptly, he pulled away from her.
“We are going home.”
She followed him into the carriage. Inside the carriage, it felt cold. He refused to say a word to her, and she did not know what to say either. So, they spoke not even once for the entire ride back to their home.
But the patience ran out as soon as they entered the privacy of the estate.
She stepped down as soon as the door opened, ignoring Simon as he followed closely behind her.
“What wasthat?” she demanded.
“I think it is time for you to sleep, Duchess,” Simon said, in a hurry to get rid of her as usual, but she was not in the mood for his evasion tonight.
“No,” she folded her arms in front of her. “I will not let you leave tonight without an explanation. What you did on the dance floor, in front of everyone….”
“You should not bother with people’s opinion,” he offered. “The one person you shouldbotherwith is your husband.”
Oh. He dared to pin it on her.
“So, it does not concern my husband when I am humiliated like this?”
That seemed to catch him off guard. “I did not humiliate you. I saved you.”
“Saved me from who?” she questioned. “Lord Ashford did not mean any harm. He simply asked for a dance. Andforgiveme if I wish to have a dance at a ball.”
Simon’s expression darkened. “You should not have been dancing with him.”
