Her husband inhaled, then nodded his head as he took a step back towards her. “If it is within my power, you shall have it.”
As her trembling fingers curled into the soft fabric of her nightgown, Madeline felt her heart rejoice and her skin crawl with nervous agitation. Why had she spoken up? Why had she not simply allowed him to leave? After his refusal to bed her, she should have felt elated as it meant she hardly need see him at all. Should she abandon her original request and instead ask for something trivial?
Courage, that annoying voice whispered once more, daring her not to back down.
Cursing under her breath, knowing she could not refuse a challenge, Madeline lifted her chin another notch and met her husband’s eyes. “As I’ve said,” she began, her voice far from steady, “men have always sought to catch me alone to compromise me.” His features hardened at the direction of her words. Yet, Madeline continued undeterred, knowing that she would not be able to face herself in the mirror if she were to back down now. “Therefore, I thought it wise not to allow any…intimacies until I could be assured of a gentleman’s intentions as well as my own.” Drawing in another deep breath, Madeline felt her own fingernails dig into the palms of her hands. “I’ve never…” She swallowed, cursing her hammering heart. “What I mean to say is that there has never been an opportunity to…” His right eyebrow rose in question as he watched her intently, and for a moment, Madeline felt as though she would not be able to hold his gaze. “That night at Lord Kingsley’s ball, I had hoped that Lord Townsend would…”
“Propose?” he bit out.
“That, too.”
A frown drew down his brows as he took a step closer, his dark gaze holding her pinned to the spot.
“K-kiss me,” Madeline stammered, disgusted with her jittering nerves and her inability to hide her inner turmoil.
A low growl escaped from her husband’s throat, and for a moment, she thought he would lash out at her.
However, he remained quiet.
“Since that is no longer an option,” Madeline finally continued, knowing that abandoning her request now would only make her look like a fool…and a weakling, “I would have you…kiss me.”
For a moment, his eyes widened in honest surprise, and Madeline could not help but wonder why. Was it truly so unusual for a wife to ask her husband for a kiss?
As she tried her best to wait patiently for his answer, she noticed his face darken. A sinister glare came to his eyes, and his lips pressed into a hard line. “I cannot,” he finally said, then once more turned to go.
Instantly, mortification warmed her cheeks. What husband would refuse his wife? “You promised,” she reminded him, wishing she had never asked. “You said if it was within your power, you would grant me my request.”
Once more, he turned to face her, and she could see that his jaw was clenched as though he had to force himself to remain where he was. A storm battled behind his dark gaze as he watched her, and Madeline wished she knew what he saw when he looked at her.
“This is within your power,” she prompted when he failed to reply. “Is it not?”
He inhaled deeply, and for a moment, his gaze drifted to her lips.
“One kiss is all I ask,” she whispered almost breathlessly as her heart hammered in her chest. “I just…I want to know what it feels like.”
His gaze softened, and for once, Madeline did not care that her voice revealed her inner doubts and insecurities. For once, she did not want to put on a brave face and hide how she truly felt. For once, she simply wanted him to see her true self.
“I don’t want to be left wondering for the rest of my life,” she whispered with her heart on her tongue. “Please.”
Her husband inhaled slowly as though needing to gather his courage as well before he approached her, his gaze once more holding hers. “Are you certain that this is what you want?”
Madeline nodded as she watched him close the distance between them. “It is.”
Reaching out, he slipped his arm around her, his hand gently brushing over her lower back as he pulled her closer. His gaze never wavered from hers as though watching for any sign of doubt or reluctance. “One kiss,” he whispered, his gaze transfixed as it drifted from hers…and lower.
“One kiss,” Madeline confirmed in a gasp, feeling suddenly lightheaded, as her breathing quickened with each heartbeat that passed.
His left hand grabbed hold of her chin once more. Gently this time, like the touch of a feather.
Unable to bear his gaze on her any longer, Madeline closed her eyes.
Slowly, she felt him lean closer, felt his warm breath on her skin, the warmth of his body reaching out to her. And then his lips brushed over hers ever so slightly as though she had only imagined their touch.
Before she even had the chance to enjoy the feel of his warm lips pressed to hers, she could already sense him pulling away from her. Determined not to allow him to slip away, Madeline curled her fingers into the front of his shirt, holding him in place.
For a split second, he seemed to hesitate, his mouth still as it rested against hers. However, in the next moment, his arm tightened on her possessively and his left hand slipped from her chin to cup the side of her face before coming to rest on the back of her neck. Holding her head in place, he seemed to come alive.
Passion flared up in Madeline’s veins as her husband’s lips began to move over hers.
Gently at first.
Cautiously.
Almost respectfully.
Annoyed with his restraint, Madeline kissed him back, tried to mould her lips to his the way he had. Both her hands curled into his shirt before sliding upward and coming around his neck until their bodies were pressed to one another with no distance left between them.
In answer, her husband grew bolder, and he deepened the kiss in a way that made Madeline gasp. His lips touched hers with the same passion she had seen in his gaze earlier, and she wondered how she could have waited this long to feel it. Had she known, she would have allowed herself to be trapped into marriage long ago.
A low growl rose from her husband’s throat, and something darker, almost enraged seemed to fuel his touch. His lips were demanding on hers as though she had once again angered him, and this was his way of lashing out at her.
Then he pulled back abruptly, his jaw clenched as he stared at her with dark eyes. Removing her arms from around his neck, he stepped back. “One kiss,” he repeated, his voice hard, almost detached.
Rejection once more assaulted Madeline’s body, and she almost cringed under the abhorrence in his gaze while her lips continued to hum with the latent tingles his touch had awakened.
“Tomorrow I shall travel to Huntington House,” he reminded her, his voice harsher than she had ever known it. “Should you wish to remain in Town or travel to your father’s estate at the end of the season, feel free to do so.” He swallowed, the tension in his shoulders near breaking. “I assure you I shall not force my company on you, should you prefer that of…Lord Townsend.” As he spoke the man’s name, his voice was dripping with disgust in such a way that it sent a shiver down Madeline’s back. “If you insist,” he continued, his dark gaze intense as it held hers, “our marriage need only exist on paper. You have my blessing should you wish to act as though you’re still a woman free to make her own choice.” He almost seemed to cringe as the words left his mouth, and yet, he remained almost immobile.
Staring at her husband, Madeline tried to make sense of what he had said. He could not truly mean…? Could he? He could not possibly grant her permission to…?
Shaking her head, Madeline cleared her throat, her gaze searching his face, trying to understand the conditions of her marriage he had just put forth. Did he truly not want her? Did he not mind if she…? “What are you saying?” she demanded as the fire in her veins turned to ice.