willing to compromise for her as she believed she was willing to do for him.
And the salt in the wound was that part of her that agreed with him. “Thank you,” she murmured, trying and failing to push her way out of his embrace. “Now I know where I stand.”
One strong hand came up to cup her cheek, forcing her to look at him even though she’d rather eat glass. “You must have known this would happen, Rose. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to such extremes in the first place. Tell me, what did you honestly hope to achieve with tonight’s revelation?”
Yes, what had she hoped for? “I do not know. Perhaps a balm for my guilty conscience. Or perhaps I’d hoped that you would beg my forgiveness for not recognizing me.” This time she managed to free herself from his embrace. “Or maybe I hoped that my virginity and my heart might actually mean something to you.”
She moved to walk away before hot tears could spill over her cheeks. She didn’t mean to sound so foolish. She had engineered this situation herself, and had no one but herself to blame for its outcome. At least she should be adult enough to accept that.
Grey caught her arm as she tried to move past him. “Both are gifts I will treasure forever, you can be certain of that. No one has ever bestowed anything more precious upon me in the entirety of my life.”
Damn him. The tears she tried so hard to stall slipped helplessly down her cheeks, scalding her flesh like hot, briny acid. She looked at him regardless, let him see the anguish on her face. “Obviously you have little regard for such gifts, sir, if you are willing to discount them so completely.”
He flinched, but it was a meaningless victory. “We all, in the course of our lives, are given gifts we know we cannot accept, Rose. You are that to me.”
Such beautiful and hurtful words she’d never heard before, and hoped to never hear again. She lifted her chin and blinked most of the tears away. “Thank you, Grey. That makes me feel so much better.”
He didn’t try to stop her this time as she brushed past him, but he obviously wasn’t done with her, for he stopped her as she reached the door. “Rose.”
She didn’t turn, but straightened her shoulders. “Yes?”
“Go out and enjoy all the Season has to offer, and find yourself a man who will realize he is the luckiest man alive to have won you.”
Hardening her expression, she cast one final glance at him over her shoulder. “Thank you, Your Grace. I believe I will do just that. Lord knows I won’t find him here.”
He was the biggest arse in England.
Of course Grey would only admit to a title of such distinction when alone and in the relative safety of his own home.
Safe. Is that what he was? When a woman as dangerous as Rose offered him her heart and body and he cried off like a simpering fool rather than take what she offered. He’d taken it willingly enough when he suspected the truth—when he’d be able to pretend she was someone else.
And now she knew the truth about him. That he had figured out her masquerade, and was diabolical enough to allow it to continue for his own pleasure.
Thank God she didn’t know that he’d think of the gift she’d given him, the gift of her innocence, every time he thought about her future husband availing himself of her charms. Grey will always have been her first.
“Christ,” he swore, heading toward the small cabinet where he kept a supply of spirits for guests. “I am not going to do this.”
He found a bottle of scotch and poured himself a generous amount instead. He took a long swallow of the amber liquid, bracing himself against the potent burn as it slid down to his belly.
Once upon a time he would have said that Rose deserved this. This is what happened to innocent little girls who tried to dance with a big bad wolf. Years ago he would have shrugged, briefly lamented the loss of her body in his bed, and moved on to someone else.
He’d ruined her. Ruined
And the salt in the wound was that part of her that agreed with him. “Thank you,” she murmured, trying and failing to push her way out of his embrace. “Now I know where I stand.”
One strong hand came up to cup her cheek, forcing her to look at him even though she’d rather eat glass. “You must have known this would happen, Rose. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to such extremes in the first place. Tell me, what did you honestly hope to achieve with tonight’s revelation?”
Yes, what had she hoped for? “I do not know. Perhaps a balm for my guilty conscience. Or perhaps I’d hoped that you would beg my forgiveness for not recognizing me.” This time she managed to free herself from his embrace. “Or maybe I hoped that my virginity and my heart might actually mean something to you.”
She moved to walk away before hot tears could spill over her cheeks. She didn’t mean to sound so foolish. She had engineered this situation herself, and had no one but herself to blame for its outcome. At least she should be adult enough to accept that.
Grey caught her arm as she tried to move past him. “Both are gifts I will treasure forever, you can be certain of that. No one has ever bestowed anything more precious upon me in the entirety of my life.”
Damn him. The tears she tried so hard to stall slipped helplessly down her cheeks, scalding her flesh like hot, briny acid. She looked at him regardless, let him see the anguish on her face. “Obviously you have little regard for such gifts, sir, if you are willing to discount them so completely.”
He flinched, but it was a meaningless victory. “We all, in the course of our lives, are given gifts we know we cannot accept, Rose. You are that to me.”
Such beautiful and hurtful words she’d never heard before, and hoped to never hear again. She lifted her chin and blinked most of the tears away. “Thank you, Grey. That makes me feel so much better.”
He didn’t try to stop her this time as she brushed past him, but he obviously wasn’t done with her, for he stopped her as she reached the door. “Rose.”
She didn’t turn, but straightened her shoulders. “Yes?”
“Go out and enjoy all the Season has to offer, and find yourself a man who will realize he is the luckiest man alive to have won you.”
Hardening her expression, she cast one final glance at him over her shoulder. “Thank you, Your Grace. I believe I will do just that. Lord knows I won’t find him here.”
He was the biggest arse in England.
Of course Grey would only admit to a title of such distinction when alone and in the relative safety of his own home.
Safe. Is that what he was? When a woman as dangerous as Rose offered him her heart and body and he cried off like a simpering fool rather than take what she offered. He’d taken it willingly enough when he suspected the truth—when he’d be able to pretend she was someone else.
And now she knew the truth about him. That he had figured out her masquerade, and was diabolical enough to allow it to continue for his own pleasure.
Thank God she didn’t know that he’d think of the gift she’d given him, the gift of her innocence, every time he thought about her future husband availing himself of her charms. Grey will always have been her first.
“Christ,” he swore, heading toward the small cabinet where he kept a supply of spirits for guests. “I am not going to do this.”
He found a bottle of scotch and poured himself a generous amount instead. He took a long swallow of the amber liquid, bracing himself against the potent burn as it slid down to his belly.
Once upon a time he would have said that Rose deserved this. This is what happened to innocent little girls who tried to dance with a big bad wolf. Years ago he would have shrugged, briefly lamented the loss of her body in his bed, and moved on to someone else.
He’d ruined her. Ruined
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