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“Better that than if she’d agreed because she only wanted the position,” he muttered to himself, trying to make himself believe it. Truthfully, if she’d said yes, he would have been overjoyed enough that he was not certain he would have cared why.

Of course, he would have cared deep down, but…

Giving his head a shake, Sebastian tried to rearrange his thoughts; he was losing focus as quickly as he’d lost his erection in the face of her rejection. It was painful to think of a future without her.

“I need a plan.”

The words felt right.

He had not planned this proposal, and everything had gone awry. Neither he nor Mei had been on the same page about their future after the house party.

Now she knew what he wanted, and he knew at least some of her objections to them. There might be more.

Tiffany.

He could put his sister on the task of finding out what objections Mei could have to marrying him, then he would put them out one by one.

If she thought any of their friends would tolerate disrespect for her, she had another think coming. Just look at how they’d rallied behind Kalina, despite her grandfather’s and uncle’s attempts to tarnish her and her immediate family’s place within Society. Sebastian had no doubt their friends would rally behind him and Mei in the same manner.

It was highly unusual for a duke to marry so far beneath his station, but there was no law against it.

But Mei had not been trained to run a tonnish household, much less a ducal one, unlike the other young ladies.

She thought of herself as a matchmaker, not an equal to a noble lady.

Well.

She would have to change her mind.

Mei

Heart pounding in her chest, accompanied by a sharp ache that made it hard to breathe, Mei dashed the tears from her eyes as she reached the door to her bedroom. Thankfully, there had been no one in the hall on her way through them since she had not had the sense to be careful. Pure luck had kept her from being caught out where she did not belong.

Closing the door behind her, she pressed her back against it. Alone. A very different feeling from when the duke had pressed her against one.

“Stupid,” she muttered, rubbing her hands over her eyes again. “Why would he do that? Why would he ruin this?”

Because he wants to marry you.

The thought flitted through her mind, bringing a little rush of joy that she immediately stomped on. It was nonsensical. Illogical. Rash.

“Me. A duchess.” Mei snorted, shaking her head. The derision helped to push down the tendril of yearning that was curling inside her chest. “What on earth could he be thinking?”

He must be thinking with his cock. That was something Mei had seen before. The desire between them was difficult to ignore, addictive even. But one did not marry on the basis of desire alone. Especially within the ton.

The entire thing was ludicrous.

Mostly, she was upset with him for ruining the rest of the time they had together as lovers with such a nonsensical proposal. They could have been together right now. Holding each other. Touching each other.

Her breath hitched as the yearning for his touch swelled inside her.

Not just his touch, but the way it made her feel. The way he looked at her.

None of that was ever going to happen again. Because she’d just refused his suit.

Which was the right thing to do, it was, but… by heaven, it hurt.

Straightening, Mei sniffed back the threatening tears, clenching her jaw against the lump rising in her throat. It was past time to go to bed. Things would look better in the morning.