“You dream of the impossible.” Jaw clenched and eyes glaring, he looked more angry than she’d ever seen him.
Unwilling to let his temper sway her, she held her ground. “I barely exist as an individual at the moment. Rather, I am part of a collective - theton- and as long as that remains the case, I will amount to nothing. Is that what you want for me? For my life to have no meaning?”
“What if I don’t love you in return?” His voice was harsh, unyielding. “What if I willneverlove you in return?”
Deflecting the blow his words had the power to cause was a struggle. Louise only managed to do it by holding his gaze and seeing the anguish he tried to hide behind the ruthless facade he’d erected.
“Stop trying to protect me,” she snapped, her composure slipping. His eyes widened with surprise. “I may be young but I know how I feel, and the fact of the matter is that I love you with all that I am. So much so, I am prepared to sacrifice everything for you: my reputation, my parents’ good opinion, my dowry, and whatever else there is.”
“You’ve no idea what you’re saying,” he growled. Leaning in, his all-too-familiar scent of sandalwood swirled around her. His hands grabbed her shoulders, pinning her in place. “You live a life of privilege with the world at your feet. Servants answer when you call, carriages take you where you wish to go, people respect you, and doors open for you on account of who your father is. Money needn’t be your concern because it is simply there, much as the large house you live in is there. Whatever comfort you want is at your disposal and will continue to be so as long as you marry well.”
Louise stared back at him. “You’re right,” she said, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. “I cannot imagine what I was thinking. After all, these are the most important elements in my life. Happiness and good health are nothing when compared with material things. What sort of woman would I be if I were to choose love over the chance to continue attending balls?”
“There’s no need for sarcasm.”
“Considering you clearly think I’ll flounder about and die the second life gets a bit hard, I disagree.”
“Love will not put food on the table or a roof over your head.”
His words gave her pause. She frowned. “Of course, I have no idea of your own financial situation, but I would have imagined your salary good enough to support us both until I am able to get my school running. Is it not?”
“Not when keeping in mind the standards to which you are accustomed.”
That did it. She wanted to hit him, only he was still holding her steady, so all she could do was push his arms away in frustration. “Your opinion of me is not very high, is it?”
He caught her wrist before she could mount a retreat. “Why can’t you see that I am attempting to do what is in your best interest?”
She swung her gaze back to his. “You’re delusional if that is what you truly believe.”
“Louise.” He spoke her name with a hint of warning. His hold on her wrist tightened.
“Marcus,” she countered with all the petulance one might expect from a spoiled child who was being denied the toy she wanted. Louise didn’t care. She was too upset to worry about decorum and good manners when all she wished to do right now was lash out in pain. She gave her arm a yank. “Let go of me.”
“We’re completely mismatched.”
“So you say.” She’d done what she could but it wasn’t enough.
As if determined to put her off further, he said, “Our life together would be a constant challenge.”
An unhappy laugh escaped her. “My life has always been a challenge. The only hope I ever had of improving upon it was by being free to design my own fate. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem possible.”
“It would without doubt be incredibly selfish on my part.”
Louise went utterly still. Her heart began pounding. “What are you saying?”
He dropped his gaze to her lips. “We shouldn’t do this.”
Sensing his surrender, Louise relaxed even as every nerve sparked to life in anticipation of what happened next. She turned back toward him and raised her gaze. A pair of stormy eyes met hers, both searching and imploring.
Daring to risk whatever was left of her pride, she raised one hand to his cheek. “I think we should do what feels right.”
The words were barely spoken before his mouth captured hers, not gently, but with a fierceness that rendered her breathless. His arms came around her, pulling her snug against him, and ridding her mind of all thought.
Marcus could scarcely believe what he was doing. He was kissing Louise and she, by God, was kissing him back with the sort of untrained enthusiasm that threatened to put all manner of improper thoughts in his head.
Christ, how he’d longed for this – for the added closeness and intimacy he’d been craving between them for weeks.
He tightened his hold and allowed one hand some freedom to explore. His nose bumped her spectacles, prompting a chuckle from each of them. Marcus leaned back slightly and carefully helped her remove them. He set them aside on a nearby table, then pulled her back into his arms and kissed her again, more deeply this time and with greater insistence.
