The Duke's Love (6 page)

“My parents want me to go to a small dinner party tonight
,
”
s
he said in a disgusted voice, ignoring his comment. Greg
ory
chuckled at her expression. He really needed to find someone like her.

“I’d better be going as well
,
”
s
he said
,
as she stood and smoothed out her skirts, avoiding his face.

“Don’t get into too much trouble
,
darling.” She looked up
and
glared at him as he walked out of her front door and into the waiting carriage. Thinking of the night ahead, he had a feeling
the night might be a long one
. He did not want to feel guilty
for
not telling Ana who would most likely interrupt their evening. Perhaps
,
omitting the information would be better.
At least
, he
could act surprised if she raised a ruckus, but he would still feel guilty. Either way, he
would
los
e
. No
,
he would not tell her.

Ana
had
always loved the theater. It was her one of favorite forms of entertainment. Ana and Greg
ory
arrived with their chaperone a few minutes early. They sat in his luxurious box
overlooking
the entire stage. It was an excellent spot
and s
he was having a good time with Greg
ory
. He was the only man
that
she would call a good friend
and s
he trusted him
without reserve
.
Witty,
charming,
and extremely handsome, he
was also
a
Viscount
and an heir to an
E
arldom.
To the ladies in society, he
was considered quite a catch. Nevertheless, he was not for her.

He was looking for a wife
,
and he wanted her help in finding a suitable woman that would fulfill his requirements
and s
he was more than happy to oblige him. She was tired of seeing him with a different woman on his arm every time she saw him at a public function when he was not attending with her.

It was the least she could do for him after he
had
stood by her decision to leave Jake. He was her rock when she needed him. Between him and her best friend Eliza, she
had
got
ten
over her parent
’
s death and the broken relationship
easier
.
Generally,
Greg
ory
escorted her to the theater.
Of course, the
ton kept their eyes on them wondering if a match would be made between the two. Ana
did nothing
to correct the misconception. It afforded her a little freedom from
ardent
suitors. She figured Greg
ory
like
d
the respite from the women throwing themselves at him as well, at least
that is what
he said, but she thought otherwise
,
since women still threw themselves at him constantly.

"Are you enjoying yourself dear?" Greg
ory
politely asked. They had been seated
and now
they were waiting for the play to begin. They
had come
to see a romance and it was a little overcrowded, as this play was most popular around town.

"Yes
,
I love coming here. Are you enjoying
the evening
?" She asked a little distracted
,
as she was looking for people she knew.

"Yes
,
I am
admiring
all the beautiful women
,
"
h
e said with a teasing grin.

"Well,
g
ood luck
at
finding someone better than me
,
" Ana said. They continued their banter until the first
act
of
the
play started.

When
the first
act
of the play concluded, Ana went down
to the lobby for
something to drink. She was parched. Instead of watching the scenes unfold on stage, they had been sitting there
choosing
all the available females for Greg
ory
to approach
,
and Ana was certain they had found some. During the break, Greg
ory
went off to get introductions
,
while they waited for the second
act
of the play to start.

Ana thought Eliza would have been a great candidate for Greg
ory
‘s wife
, but s
he kept her opinions to herself.
It would be better
to let them figure it out for themselves
, and s
he had faith in the two
of them
.
Anyway, she
had her own problems to worry about
,
and those began when she allowed the
Duke
of Ashbury into her life.
After quenching her thirst, she
returned
to her seat
and waited for Greg
ory
to sit back down beside her.

During
the second
act
of the play, Ana
was distracted when she spied
the Duke
and Miss Fairchild enter
ing
his private box.
It would have been difficult not to notice, since his box
had remained empty
during
the last two years. Her heart fluttered
, and she felt nausea coming over her.
Sarah of all people!
She could not believe he would have approached her
out of all the women in the city for the season
.
After all, they
were enemies, all being Jake’s fault. Jake
had
reassured Ana
when they had met
that Sarah was
no one
to him
and naively she
had
believed him. However, Sarah had told Ana a marriage contract was in the works when Ana
had
stepped into her picture perfect life.

She kept stealing glances at the pair. If she were honest with herself, she would admit she was jealous.
In fact, s
he was wildly jealous. Ana watched as Jake whispered in Sarah’s ear and her face broke out with laughter. It hurt and she
realized she could no longer
sit there and watch
the man she still loved courting another women
.
At one time, that was them
. No, she must not think like that.
Suddenly,
Ana decided she would leave before the play ended
, so no
one would notice her departure.

“
I would like to go home
,
Greg
ory,
" Ana whispered to him. 

“
You are running
away
,
my dear
,
"
h
e softly answered back. She was motionless as his meaning kicked in. He knew! He knew why she
wanted to leave
. Did
that
make her a coward?

“
I don't care.
I cannot sit here and
watch
them sitting
directly across from us.
You can stay and I will have your driver
see me home,
"
s
he heard Greg
ory
give a heavy sigh.

“
No, I will escort you home
,
" h
e said.

“
I need time to myself, so please
stay,
and enjoy the rest of the play
,
"
s
he pleaded. He agreed to her
request
.

She knew Greg
ory
had no reservations about
letting her borrow his carriage. He agreed to have his driver escort her and her chaperone home. He would see her later
,
he promised with a peck on the cheek. Ana left the box and made her way through the hall to get to the carriage waiting out front. Luckily, the hall was empty, so she was spared from talking to anyone.

“Ana
,
love, where are you going?”
It was his
voice
; a voice
she missed dearly. She turned to face him
,
but she ran into a solid wall of his chest instead. Jake was an inch away from her face. How did he sneak up
on
her like that? She glanced around
and wondered
where her chaperone was. Jake’s hands shot out to steady her
and he
wrapped his long fingers around her waist. She gripped his arms and balanced
herself
to keep from falling
, looking into
his clouded eyes,
and
confused by what she saw.

“Where are you running off to?” Jake leaned down
,
whispering in her ear.

"It is none of your concern
,
" s
he stammered out.

He positioned them to where she was between him and the wall. He put his hands out to the sides of her face and placed them on the wall behind her
, encasing her in
his arms. For the life of her, she
could not think of anywhere she would rather be
. 

“Why aren’t you with Miss Fairchild
? She will be wondering where you went
,
”
s
he said a little breathlessly, trying unsuccessfully to duck under his arms to freedom.

“She and her mother went to visit some friends
,
and I was left alone. Are you jealous of Miss Fairchild? I don’t see why, you threw me over
,
princess
,
” Jake said in a low voice.

“Jake
,
it wasn’t like that. I loved you! You must have known that. If you would
just
give me a chance, I will
try to
explain
,
” Ana said
,
desperate to get her feelings out before it was too late.

“I’m sorry
,
Ana. I don’t want your explanations
,
and
besides,
I wouldn’t believe them
,
” Jake drove his mouth down on top of hers. She stood there trying to make out what
had
just happened
,
but could not think clearly. She tried to push him away
,
but his body
gently
pushed into hers and his hands
teased over
her face
,
as he forced his way past her lips. Ana did not fight it anymore. She came alive under his mouth. It had been too long!
His tongue was mingling with hers, making
demands,
and seeking a winner.
Ana
crushed
her body
into
Jake
’
s
,
no longer trying to get away
,
but
instead,
trying to get as close
to him as
possible. Their bodies
were pressed
up against the wall. She
clung
to his evening jacket as tight
ly
as she could and basked in this carnal delight.

This was something she had missed.
They were always passionate together
,
but this surpassed all her memories. She felt Jake’s hands
as they
roamed her body.
He
lifted his face a fraction from hers
,
and she thought she heard him mutter a string of curses
,
before kissing her again. She could not get enough of him. Her hands gripped his back, his shoulders, his head, anywhere she could reach. She wanted him. She
had
never stopped
wanting him
.