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“What was that?” said Fleur.
Her voice was too high-pitched, Remy noted as he shut the door to the outer rooms of his quarters. She was angry. Well, she was always angry. That was typical.
He took his crown off his head and set it on the mantle of the fireplace. “That was me saving your life.” He unbuttoned his brocaded jacket and shrugged out of it, tossing it on a chair. He walked past her and into his
bedchamber.
She followed him. “But I’m not with child.”
He sat down on a chair by his bed and began pulling off his boots. “Not yet.”
Oh, nicely done, Remy, he thought to himself. That’s a wonderful way to tell her that you’re taking her to bed.
“Not yet?”
He looked up at her. Well, what did it matter, anyway? She was angry, and she was in love with another man, so why not act as though it was a business arrangement? Maybe it was, if it came to that. “I assume if we manage it within the next two months, it will
be adequate. Two months will be pushing it, but once the swell of your belly is observed, all will be forgiven.”
She was shocked, which might be worse than angry. He wasn’t sure. She shook her head. “We had a deal about this.”
“We had a deal that you’d consent to bed me when we were trying to have an heir, which we are, and for very good reason.” Business arrangement, he reminded himself.
“No. No, I’m not ready. I can’t… I can’t possibly…”
A business arrangement that will involve looking at her bare breasts and teasing her nipples stiff and putting my cock inside—
He stood up, untying the bow at his neck. Just like that, he was aroused, and the magic inside him, the flames, were churning. And with her, it could be okay if they did. With her, he could let go, and she wouldn’t be harmed. Blazes, he wanted her, and he
didn’t want her to know how badly, because she didn’t want him at all. “You should start removing your clothes. It’s best if we get started right away. We’ll have to be aggressive in our attempts. If you don’t conceive immediately, it won’t be for lack of trying.”
She backed out of the room. She went through the door, back to the sitting room.
Blazes, where did she think she was going?
He hurried after her, stopping her just as she had her hand on the knob.
When she turned to look at him, it wasn’t anger that was written all over her face, it was terror.
He swallowed. He’d never seen her afraid of anything. He couldn’t bear being the thing that scared her, not in this. He wanted to tell her to forget about all of it, that he wouldn’t lay one finger on her, but things were far too complicated for
that.
This plan of Dubois’s, it was the best plan that they had, and they had to see it through.
He tried to make his voice gentle. “Fleur.”
She took three steps backward. Her face twisted, and he worried she was going to cry. “I’m not ready to have a child,” she whispered.
He couldn’t bear it if she cried. Perhaps if he were cavalier, perhaps if he challenged her, she’d rise to meet that, retain her typical haughty disposition. So, he said, lightly, “Oh, that’s the concern? Listen, don’t worry.
You’re a queen. You’ll have nurses and nannies aplenty.”
“I have to go to Islaigne,” she said. “How am I supposed to do… do all the things I want to do if
I’m saddled with some squalling little pink bundle of… of…?”
“We’ll still go,” he said. “I promise you.” It wasn’t working. Her voice was shaking. She was falling apart in front of him. Blazes, he wasn’t even going to be able to do this? If she didn’t want this, was he supposed to force her? He couldn’t do that. He’d done a lot of bad things, but that was too far, even for him.
“But I can’t abandon my own child,” she murmured.
“You’ll never have to,” he said, trying to reassure her.
She turned away from him, turned into the wall, burying her face in it.
He needed to do something to make her feel better. He needed… Maybe if she could see that this affected him too. Maybe if she could understand what it meant to him. “Fleur.” He put his hand on her shoulder.
“No.” She didn’t look at him.
“I know you miss him,” he whispered. “I know I’m not him. I know you might never feel for me what you felt for him. But the thing is, I…”
He choked. He couldn’t finish it. Couldn’t say anything.
She was unresponsive.
“Look at me?” His voice cracked. Too much, he thought. She’ll despise me for being such a weakling. She’d never be this weak. I shouldn’t show her that I’m…
She turned around. Her lower lip was trembling.
“I want you.” His voice wasn’t strong. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a woman as badly as I want you.” Blazes, had he said that out loud? He searched her expression for some response, but there was none, and more stupid words were tumbling out of his mouth. “I think I could love you. Let me try to fall in
love with you.”
Her voice was choked. “Remy, please.”
“Maybe you could try to fall in love with me, too.” His voice had dropped to a harsh whisper. The minute the words were out of his mouth, he wished they could be unsaid. She would never love him. No
one loved him. No one ever had.
But she reached for him, and she touched his face, and something in him broke when her fingers brushed his skin.
He moved closer, giving her more access to sink her fingers into his beard, wanting her touch more than he wanted to admit to himself. His power was churning, and he was barely holding back the flames.
He kissed her. He didn’t think about it. He just did it.
She made some noise when their mouths touched, and he wasn’t sure if it was a good noise or a bad noise, but she didn’t pull away.
So he deepened the kiss, his tongue finding hers, his arm going around her to crush her against him.
It felt too good to kiss her. It felt too right. This woman… she was going to destroy him.