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“Come,” he called and immediately stood as his wife entered the room. “Emily.”

She smiled, her eyes glinting, the crests of her cheeks flushing. “I hope I am not interrupting.”

“You are,” he said softly and rounded the desk, approaching her with sure steps. “Thank God.”

Her smile widened as she walked right into his embrace.

The next moment, his lips were on hers and just like that, without making a conscious decision, he was kissing her deeply, caressing her soft body as she melted into their passionate embrace.

Both of them were panting by the time they broke the kiss. She caressed his cheek tenderly, and he leaned into the warm touch.

“Thank you,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

He covered her hand with his. “You don’t need to thank me for the kiss. I enjoyed it just as much as you did.”

“No.” She laughed, a beautiful musical sound that made his heart sing. “Not for that. For the clothes.”

Tyrone disengaged her hand from his cheek and caressed her knuckles absently. “The clothes?”

“Yes, for commissioning a wardrobe for me and inviting a modiste into the house.”

“Oh, that.” He waved a careless hand. “I wonder why you didn’t do it yourself.”

“Because I don’t want to waste your money. I could have waited for a couple of weeks and it would have been cheaper.”

He pursed his lips. “Dear, you are a duchess. You need a wardrobe worthy of a duchess. I know you can walk around happily in rags as long as your family is clothed and go hungry for weeks as long as they are fed, but someone has to be looking out for you and…” He cleared his throat. “Since I am your husband, that someone should be me.”

She averted her gaze, but her cheeks brightened in color. He took her both hands in his, caressing her fingers with his thumbs.

She wasn’t wearing gloves, so he noticed a simple band on her ring finger. He brought her hand closer to study it. “Did I give you this ring?” He was ashamed he had to ask the question, but the truth was, he barely remembered their wedding day. And now that he thought about it, he should have given her a lot more jewelry. There were the duchess’s jewels, of course, that she had access to. But that was old jewelry, tainted with bitter memories. She needed something new, something shinier. Something that would bring out her own brightness even more.

“No.” She shook her head. “It is my mother’s ring.” She tugged it off her hand and brought it closer to his face. “It’s engraved, see? It says Amelia. My mother’s name. She gave it to me before you offered to marry me, when she thought we would be penniless, so that I could sell it. I kept it instead, and it came in handy when the minister asked if we had rings during our wedding, and you, well, hadn't.”

Tyrone took the band and read the inscription on the inside. Amelia.

It was a simple silver band otherwise. Shame spread along his body and settled on the tips of his ears and his cheeks.

He hadn’t even thought about getting a ring for the wedding ceremony. He cleared his throat. “It’s… lovely.” He handed the ring back, and she hesitated a moment before putting it back on.

She was so beautiful with her rosy cheeks, her bouncy locks, and inviting heat, not to mention her scent that lured him. He wanted to take her into his arms, place her on the desk, and devour her. His body came alive demanding completion.

The simple memory of her taste on his tongue almost made him come undone in his breeches. He let out a breath, calming his rioting mind.

He had already taken her once and finished on her belly without explaining why. He couldn't do it again.

Seeing how her eyes lit up every time she saw one of her siblings, he had an inkling that she wanted children of her own. Her own little family.

She would be an amazing mother, he knew. Not like the one he’d had.

Unfortunately, he would probably be a lot like his father. And he could not let that happen. But he couldn’t keep deceiving her about his motives and taking her to his bed. If they were to continue their physical relationship, they should both be aware of the outcome.

“Emily—”

“Alec—” they said at the same time.

His stomach fluttered at the sound of his name on her lips. Both chuckled, and he waved a hand. “Please, proceed.”

“No.” She shook her head. “You first, please. I need to… um… collect my thoughts anyway.”