He also wanted to discuss it with her, suggesting she join him in the city at her earliest convenience. She didn’t particularly want to discuss it with him, since she didn’t much care about the wedding itself, but, as refusing to go just because she found his presence threatening would be admitting far too much, and her father now had a full-time caregiver, she felt she had no choice but to agree.
And so a few days later she found herself on a helicopter, a building nervousness along with a strange sense of anticipation collecting inside of her. She tried to ignore both sensations by watching the unrolling green of the countryside below her and attempting to enjoy the novelty of flying, since she’d never been in any kind of aircraft before, let alone a helicopter.
But all too soon they were approaching the city and once again she was faced with the reality of having to be in the Duke’s disturbing, compelling and dangerous presence. The thought made her heart beat fast and her palms feel sweaty.
The helicopter circled around before zeroing in on a particular building. The Duke had told her that he’d fly her directly to his office where they could chat in peace and this was clearly it.
Anna gripped tightly to her usual distance as the helicopter came in to land on the building’s rooftop helipad, and when she got out she was instantly surrounded by people. A no-nonsense, businesslike woman who introduced herself as Bonnie, Cedric’s PA, whisked her down to the waiting room outside the Duke’s office.
It was the most luxurious waiting room Anna had ever seen, with thick, pale, silvery carpet and black leather furniture. Black and white abstract photographs on the walls. Clean and minimalist and looking extraordinarily expensive.
Anna’s heart began to beat even faster and she had to resist wiping her palms down on the light summer dress she wore. When she’d put it on in her bedroom earlier she hadn’t given it much thought, since she wasn’t used to fussing around with her appearance. It had been cool, and that was the extent of her thinking.
Now, in amongst all this sophistication and quiet luxury, about to meet the man who unbalanced her so completely, she felt underdressed and shabby, as though she’d gone to a ball in her nightgown by mistake. It made her temper shift, the veneer of her thin control cracking, and she had to grit her teeth hard to hold on to it and not let it escape. Because bad things happened when she lost her temper. Very bad things.
Bonnie led her to the big double doors of the Duke’s office and then pushed them open, ushering her inside.
The Duke himself was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. It was the most magnificent view, though it wasn’t the view that immediately drew the eye. How could a mere view compete with the man who stood there as if he owned it? Dressed in a dark charcoal suit that highlighted the width of his powerful shoulders and lean waist, he was a commanding, magnetic presence as he talked on the phone to someone. That deep, rich, melted-chocolate voice filled the room, whispering over her skin and making her shiver.
Anna wasn’t aware of when Bonnie backed out silently. She didn’t notice the doors shutting behind her. She even forgot about her temper. All she was aware of was the man by the windows, the taut electricity of his presence surrounding her and stealing all her breath.
Who are you kidding? You couldn’t resist a night with this man and you know it. And now you don’t have to. Something inside her gave a strange little twist and then relaxed, as if she’d had her hair in an overly tight bun the whole day and then had let it down. Perhaps it was being away from the cottage, away from her father, that was affecting her, because all of a sudden a loose, easy feeling flooded through her, the tension in her muscles gradually unwinding.
She’d agreed to marry him. She’d signed a legally binding contract and there was no escaping it. She’d also agreed to a night, one that he’d argued for, because he’d wanted her. And not just her; he wanted her passion too. So what was the point in resisting him? What was the point in controlling herself?
Perhaps you should give him a taste of who you really are… Anna took a silent, shaken breath as the idea took hold, a combination of excitement and trepidation gripping her. And why not? He’d wanted that passion, had told her he couldn’t get it from anyone else, and so really she was duty bound to give it to him. Of course, once he found out who she truly was, he’d probably realize, as her father had, that she was too much trouble to bother with. Not that she cared.
She had her university plans and no doubt they’d soon be starting the procedure for having a child. His opinion of her was the least of her worries.
Anna waited for him as he finished up the call and then a silence fell as he slid the phone into his pocket and turned, his eyes meeting hers. She didn’t look away. Couldn’t, if truth was told. The sheer masculine beauty of him and his electrifying presence held her hypnotized. The air crackled between them, a shifting, twisting static charge, and her breath stopped in her throat. And for a second she thought he might stride straight across the space between them and take her in his arms. She wouldn’t be sorry if he did, not at all. But, of course, he didn’t.
Instead he moved over to the great black slab of a desk that stood near the windows and leaned back against it, folding his arms, studying her.
“You really are quite the virgin sacrifice, aren’t you?” he murmured.
For a second, Anna had no idea what he was talking about. Then she realized. “Oh, you mean the white dress?” She kept her voice as cool as his. “It was the first thing that came to hand.”
“I see.” His long, beautiful mouth curved. “It’s very appropriate.”
“I didn’t wear it because it was appropriate. I wore it because it was too hot for jeans.”
He tilted his head, watching her. “Is that a fact? Nothing at all to do with me, then?”