Free In the Barrister's Bed by Tina Gabrielle

celibacy.
    As for his telling speech by the stream, he hadn’t meant to reveal his entire family history—only that he had inherited the dukedom. But the sadness in Bella’s eyes when she spoke of her father’s passing had made him want to speak of his own parent. The irony was not lost on him. He had always been adept at getting a witness to confess on the stand, not the other way around.
    There had to be a solution to this dilemma. He would win—he didn’t doubt himself—yet he found himself thinking of her. Reeves would eventually be found, and if the thief had spent all their money, then James would offer to pay Bella from his own pockets. If only she would accept the money and quit the place, then he never need be tempted by her again.
    It was a good solid plan. She was merely a woman, no different from the countless other females whom he had entertained. He had a clear sense of himself and understood his current fascination with Bella Sinclair was due entirely to the fact that she was an irresistible challenge on two fronts—to bed her and to win against her in their battle over property ownership. He must maintain his focus, and not let the widow, no matter how alluring she was, distract him from his goal.

Chapter 8
    “The duke requested you join him downstairs for the evening meal.”
    Bella sat at a mahogany writing table in the corner of her bedchamber. Her notebook was open before her, the page blank. Whatever aspirations she’d had for writing had vanished for the day. She turned to see Harriet standing in the doorway, a look of expectation on the older woman’s face.
    “Kindly give the duke my apologies and tell the new cook, Mrs. O’Brien, to prepare a dinner tray to be brought to my bedchamber,” Bella said.
    Bella was tired from today’s events, and sitting across the table from Blackwood was the last thing she desired. Besieged by confusing emotions, she sought the comforting solitude of her room.
    “He’ll want to hear it from you,” Harriet said.
    Bella sighed. “I’ll write a note and have it delivered to him then.”
    Harriet stepped into the room and shut the door. “You must meet him on equal footing, Bella. It is your house and you should dine downstairs rather than cloister yourself in your bedchamber.”
    Bella raised her hand and stood. “Not tonight, Harriet. I spent enough time in his presence this afternoon.”
    Harriet sat on the window seat and patted the cushion beside her. “Sit, Bella.”
    Bella sighed and sat beside the elder woman. Harriet’s wizened eyes traveled Bella’s face as if looking for something amiss. “Tell me what happened.”
    Bella bit her bottom lip, then blurted out, “He kissed me.”
    Harriet’s face brightened. “Indeed. How was it?”
    How was it? It was a kiss Bella wouldn’t easily forget. Just thinking of his lips brushing hers was enough to make the blood rush through her veins.
    His first day here and she had fallen victim to his charm, had actually kissed him back. She had been overcome by the beauty of the landscape, the comforting warmth of the sun, and the virile man stretched out on the bank beside her. She had been entranced by the bitter sadness of his face—however brief the flicker of emotion—when he had mentioned his family’s abandonment. And when his arms had wrapped around her as he had demonstrated how to skip a stone, she had been foolishly swept away by an awakening yearning.
    He was a skilled kisser, and no doubt a skilled lover. She couldn’t help but wonder—what would it be like to bed the duke? Her experience was limited to Roger, and based on James’s kiss alone she suspected the experience would be vastly different.
    But Blackwood’s motives were questionable. He was devastatingly attractive and unscrupulous enough to take any woman. Combined with his title, she suspected females would be attracted to him in droves. Bella was nothing more than his opponent.
    So why kiss her?
    Harriet frowned, her eyes