“You will refer to me as ‘wife,’” she ordered.
“Wife.” One word. Gruff. Feral.
Perfect.
He didn’t understand yet. But he would.
“You trusted me,” she said.
Those blue eyes blazed with new life. “I’ve always trusted you.”
She nodded, her eyes burning for a completely different reason. He saw her. Had always seen her. It was her turn to see. “You didn’t push me away six years ago because you stopped caring for me.”
“I’ve always cared for you.” Mirrored words, a repetition that held no less impact.
He’d never turned her away.
Love washed away the last sourness of her interlude with her cousin.
Alexander was gone.
Jackson was here.
And she loved him beyond measure.Him.The man, the duke, the violent brawler, and the gentleman.
Anna nodded again. “Now that that is settled—”
She kissed him.
A pressing of lips that had them both groaning at the contact.
Large hands grasped her waist and pulled, nearly crushing her to his chest.
Not close enough.
Her hands loosened in his coat and slid up and over his shoulders to find the satin curls at the back of his neck to drag him closer still.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Her lips wereas sweet as heaven.
He’d called her bitter. Thought her blinded by anger.
She was a damn queen.
“The tea,” she said against his lips.
“Not coming,” he growled, sealing his lips over hers again.
A moment more and she pulled back, breaking the kiss. He let her go because the thrum of violence was still in his veins.
His gaze went to where the sniveling dog had disappeared out the parlor door, and Jackson weighed the consequences of hunting the mutt and putting him down. “Was he one of thethings you’ve faced?” he asked, his voice barely a growl.
“Yes.”
His fists clenched. “Tell me.”
“After Papa died and our aunt became seriously ill, William and I were sent to Greenhill, my uncle’s home.”
