Charlotte nearly choked on her wine at that. Victor chuckled low beneath his breath and passed her his napkin with entirely too much satisfaction upon his face.
“You enjoy tormenting me,” she accused.
“Immensely,” he admitted without shame. “I waited far too long to have you as my wife not to enjoy the rewards of it.”
Charlotte stared at him in disbelief. “You speak as though I am a prize horse you won at auction.”
Victor tilted his head thoughtfully. “No. I should never place a horse above you.”
She could not help laughing then, though she covered her smile quickly behind her hand. Victor watched her with such open warmth that her heart fluttered for a moment. It startled her how much she enjoyed making him laugh in return, how natural it already felt to sit beside him like this. He stole another touch along her hand.
Dangerous man.
The third course arrived with more grandeur still, thin slices of tender beef accompanied by rich gravy, mushrooms in cream sauce, and little savoury pastries filled with cheese and onions.
Victor dismissed the servants for a few moments once the plates were settled before them, leaving the two of them entirely alonein the candlelit room. The silence immediately changed shape around them, becoming heavier and far more intimate.
Charlotte lowered her eyes to her plate. “You sent everyone away on purpose.”
“Naturally,” Victor said. “I wished to speak freely with my wife.”
Charlotte’s pulse fluttered at the word wife.
Victor reached out and tucked one loose curl behind her ear with astonishing gentleness. “You look beautiful today,” he said quietly. “All I can think about is carrying you upstairs and making you beg for mercy as you tremble beneath me.”
Her fork nearly slipped from her fingers. “Victor,” she whispered weakly.
“We promised honesty in our marriage,” he replied. “I am merely being truthful.”
The warmth in his gaze made her skin burn hotter than the candles surrounding them.
Charlotte tried desperately to regain some dignity. “You are impossible.”
“And yet you will lie with me anyway.” His fingers trailed lightly over the inside of her wrist now, where her pulse fluttered wildly beneath her skin.
“You call me impossible, yet perhaps you are the impossible one, Charlotte. You somehow managed to make me enjoy being married.”
She stared at him then, startled by the sincerity beneath the teasing. For one fleeting moment, she thought he might say something more serious, something dangerous and real.
Something like… love?
Instead, his expression shifted back into wicked amusement as he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles slowly. “Though I confess,” he murmured against her skin, “I enjoy the kissing most.”
Charlotte made a strangled sound of outrage that only caused Victor to laugh properly this time.
“You rogue,” she muttered.
“You knew precisely what sort of man I was before marrying me.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” she said.
“And yet you still agreed.” His eyes darkened slightly as he held her gaze. “I wonder if perhaps you desired me more than you wished to admit.”
Her face burned so fiercely she feared she might faint dead away at the table. Charlotte attempted to pull her hand free, but Victor merely tightened his hold enough to keep her there.
“Answer carefully, Duchess,” he warned softly. “I may become insufferably pleased with myself.”
Charlotte lifted her chin stubbornly. “Your Grace is already insufferably pleased with himself.”
