The Dutiful Witch (The Ward Witches) by Lauren McMinn

onto him and began to bounce up and down. As with the kisses, she went straight for the heady, passionate, all-out sex. She left it so that he had no choice but to rise to the occasion. He tried to flip her over, but she resolutely remained on top. Fiona ensured her own orgasm, then nearly forced him into his own.
    Then, and only then, did she allow him to talk. “What was that about?”
    “ I wanted you.”
    “ I could tell,” he said wryly. “But you've hardly even seemed to like me recently.”
    Fiona started at that. “You thought that?”
    “ Yes, I did. I know you married me because our magic was aligned. You've indicated plenty of times that you want merely to do your duty. You don't even want to be Duchess, for goodness' sake!” He looked angry. “You'd rather get pregnant days into our marriage than try to form a lasting bond of a more romantic sort. But you'll use me for sex, should the need arise. What am I supposed to think, Fiona?”
    She was horrified. Indeed, she could see exactly how it would look like that. She'd screwed this up from the start, it seemed. And she was still screwing it up now. She cast around in her mind for the words to assure him that it wasn't true.
    “ It's alright, I assure you. My mother didn't like my father either. I'll get the other bedroom set up for you tonight. But don't get confused,” he said, his anger turning to a more cold rage boiling under the surface. “I'll let you do your duty, and bear an heir, whatever you decide you need to do. But you don't get to have it both ways. You don't get to have your fun then dismiss me when you get sick of me again.”
    He got up and went into the second bedroom that Fiona knew was beside the master but had never been in. She got up to follow him, but realized she still didn't know what to say and got dressed since it seemed silly to stay naked after what just happened. Then she sat down on the couch and listened to the noises of Seb doing whatever he was doing in the second bedroom. She tried to think of how to counter his allegations, but it was true that from what he had seen of her, she had been precisely like that.
    Not sure whether she should let him cool off or go while his emotions were still high, she hesitated at the door. But if she didn't say something, she'd make herself sick. Well, sicker than she was already feeling.
    “ Seb?” She called out, swinging the door open without waiting for a response. “Can we talk?”
    “ I've said all I think I need to.”
    “ But I'd like a chance to talk as well.”
    “ Then at least help me make the bed while you do.” He tossed one side of the fitted sheet at her.
    “ Stop this and listen to me!”
    “ Fine. What do you have to say?” He fisted his hands on his hips and stared at her.
    “ It's not like what you think. I've behaved terribly. I never meant to... I never meant to give you the impression I didn't like you. Please, be patient with me for a moment while I try to explain. I don't have any pretty words that will explain it nicely. I've been looking for my bond-mate my entire life. My adoptive parents loved each other very much. I suppose I thought it all just came at first glance or something. It seemed so easy. Then I met you. You're nothing like my uncle, for one thing,” she laughed bitterly. “I've lived on the run so long, so long. And your entire life is public domain now.
    “ I don't know up from down around you. You're handsome and sexy. But you're skeptical of me. It set something off those first few meetings, when you wouldn't even consider that I could be aligned with you. So you made me doubt. Was I unworthy? If so, how could I prove to you that I wanted the same thing that my aunt and uncle had? It made sense to me that if I didn't take the title of Duchess that you could see I wasn't looking at you as desirable because you were the Duke. Then tonight, you and your family were so nice to me, absolutely beyond what I could have expected. I wanted