The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)(12)

“Benedict.”

“Begging your pardon?” She arched an eyebrow, a sardonic expression for such a well-bred young woman. Precisely the sort of hidden surprises that made him fall in love with her.

“We are married now. I want you to use my Christian name.” He extended the gift farther. “Please.”

A heavy sigh escaped the seam of her lush lips. “What is the purpose of this?”

“Does a husband need a reason to give his wife a present?”

“I thought I made it clear that we are not going to have that kind of marriage, my lord.”

“Benedict. And I don’t recall agreeing to any terms defining what kind of marriage we would have.”

“You established the terms of our marriage quite clearly with your accusation.”

Regret sliced through him, deepening the wound that had bled inside his chest from the moment he realized how wrong he’d been. But by the time he had learned the truth, it was too late. He’d betrayed her trust when it mattered most. “A mistake for which I will be eternally sorry,” he finally rasped.

“And this is an apology?” she asked with a glance at the gift.

“I am not so foolish as to think I can buy your forgiveness, my love. This is just a token of my affection.”

Avoiding his gaze, she carefully unwrapped the paper and opened the long, velvet box to reveal the strand of rubies and diamonds that had cost him a small fortune. Her eyes widened. “My lord . . .” she breathed.

“Benedict,” he corrected quietly. “Does it please you?”

“It is beautiful. But far too lavish for me.”

“Nonsense. You are the Countess of Latford. You should be draped in jewels.”

“Thank you, my lord.” She turned to set the box on her vanity table. “If there is nothing else . . .”

Her politeness was a cold draft in the room. He wanted the heat back, the one that had scorched between them before he’d let his pride douse it with a single, reckless misunderstanding. Benedict once again closed the distance between them. “Please, my love. I beg you to give me a chance to make this right.”

Her lashes fluttered as her pupils dilated. “To what end, Benedict?”

“A long and happy life together.”

Her slim, elegant throat worked against a nervous swallow. “I don’t believe in such things anymore.” She brushed past him and crossed the room to stand beside the bed. “I told you I would do my duty, and I will. I will give you an heir as soon as possible. And then I and the child will away to the country so you can be free of me.”

“I don’t want to be free of you,” he growled.

“My lord, two weeks ago, you accused me in front of the most vicious viper of the ton of arranging for us to be caught in a compromising situation to force you into marriage for your title.”

“And I have since learned the truth.”

“Yet the damage has been done.”

“Then let me fix it.” He rushed forward in words and steps. “Please, Irena.”

Her lips parted. Perhaps it was the use of her name. Or perhaps it was the strain of his voice, heavy from carrying the weight of an apology he would never stop repeating. Not until she believed it.

“I cannot change what I’ve done or the horrible things I said. All I can do is try to prove the depth of my regret for what I have done and the sincerity of my feelings for you. If you will let me.”

There. A flutter of something other than disdain lit up her eyes. It dissipated immediately, but it had been there, and that mattered.

“Irena—”

“It’s too late,” she whispered.

“It’s never too late. Not for love.” He raised her hands to his lips, taking time to kiss each knuckle before meeting her shocked gaze. “And I do, Irena. I love you.”

A brittle smile met his words as she tugged her hands away. “Love isn’t enough, my lord.”

“Benedict,” he said, tracing his finger along the delicate line of her jaw. “And you’re wrong. Love is all that matters. And I will do whatever it takes to prove that to you.”

The arched eyebrow returned. “And how, daresay, do you plan to accomplish such a thing?”

“I am going to court you.”

Irena snorted in a particularly unladylike way. “Don’t be absurd.”

Her laughter made him stand tall, the idea taking root as its brilliance bloomed with certainty. “My love,” he said, “we are going to start over.”





CHAPTER FOUR




“I am so disappointed in you.”

Thea jumped at the sound of Liv’s voice behind her. Her hand slipped on the dustpan, and the entire pile of dust and debris from the wall landed back on the floor. She glared over her shoulder. “Why?”

“I leave you alone with a perfectly good bottle of wine, and you ignore it to clean?”

It was Sunday night, and Liv had offered to put the girls to bed so Thea could apparently stare mindlessly, but Thea didn’t have time for navel-gazing. She had to clean up the mess from the wall before the girls and the dog decided to play in it. Thea dumped the dirt in a trash can as Liv opened a bottle of Riesling chilling in the fridge. She poured two glasses, handed one to Thea, and plopped down on the couch. “Where’s the fun in getting divorced if you can’t use it as an excuse to get drunk?”