The Defiant Wife (The Three Mrs #2) - Jess Michaels Page 0,42

close to him,” he said softly.

Then he looked at her. If she agreed to this, that would mean being closer to her too. And God help him, he wanted that, even if he could never say it. Should never say it. It was so unfair to them both.

So he said something else instead. “There will be far more opportunities for him in London.”

“I—” she began, but then her mouth just opened and shut.

“You and the Bartons will be given accommodation. I can think of a few neighborhoods that you would like very much and would be appropriate for a child of his situation and connection.”

“Leave Bath…” she said softly.

He tilted his head and held her stare evenly. “Are you happy here?” he asked. “If you are, I can arrange whatever you like. I could make things better for you and still provide opportunities for the child.”

He moved closer, drawn to her as he was always drawn to her. He reached out and stroked his fingers across the top of her hand. She sucked in a breath in response. God, how he loved when it hitched like that. The proof he had moved her, even a little.

“In London, you could see your friends,” he said. “I intend to gift the house Abigail lives in to her, so she will be there permanently. And I believe Celeste and Owen will be there for his business. You could get away from the bad memories that this place must hold for you.”

She dipped her head in response, and he knew he’d hit a mark. He slid a finger beneath her chin and tilted it back toward him. “You could be away from a father who might show up at any moment just to be cruel.”

Her cheek fluttered a fraction and he saw the pain in her eyes. He hated that his words had put it there, or at least reminded her of its existence. He only wanted to soothe her, not harm her.

She backed away, turned her face, almost as if looking at him was painful as she said, “I can admit there are a great many things I would enjoy being…closer to in London. Would it truly be better for Kenley?”

He shrugged. “It will be different. There will be a great many tutors at our disposal in the city. I can make sure he meets the children of other men of importance, so he will have established friendships long before he finds himself at Eton.”

“So he won’t be an outsider.”

“Correct,” Rhys said. “And I can take a more hands-on role in his upbringing, for whatever that is worth. He can learn about the legacy of his family…both the good and the bad.”

She did look at him now, almost like she was reading him down to the bone, though she had no right to do so. He had no right to want it so desperately. It was all so very unfair, what he wanted versus what he could actually have.

And her being close to him in London would only multiply that unfairness. But this wasn’t about him and what would be good for him. There was a higher purpose to the offer. He would have to learn to live with the consequences.

“I can see how this would be better for Kenley,” she said. “So yes, I will go to London with him. And I will ascertain if the Bartons would like to join us there.”

Though this was merely a business arrangement, its purpose to help his nephew, a thrill worked through Rhys that was much stronger than it should have been. He had to call on all the propriety he had practiced in his life to keep from shouting out in pleasure.

He cleared his throat and pivoted toward the door. “I shall begin making arrangements right away.”

He would have left the room then, both to do just that and to collect himself, but Phillipa caught his arm. He felt the weight of each of her fingers through his jacket, down into the very marrow of him. She licked her lips and all was lost.

“Do you have to start right now?” she whispered.

He couldn’t breathe as he stared at her, as a thousand thoughts zinged through him. Chief among them was that once they were in London, this would have to stop. So he had better enjoy it while it lasted.

He bent his head and caught her mouth in a kiss as answer, and drowned in the taste of her, the feel of her. It