She took a moment to envision what he described, and shook her head to clear it of the folly. “That’s— I think I’m flattered. Because I’m fairly sure you didn’t mean any insult, describing an arrangement that would make it look as though I were your mistress.”
“Mistress?” His brows rose in shock. “No, no. Blast, I’m making a muddle of this.” He reached up to rub his forehead, her hand still tucked in his. He took a fortifying breath and dropped his hand back to a more comfortable level for her. “You and I, we’re already engaged. I’m suggesting that we follow our engagement through to its natural conclusion.”
She couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t be saying what she thought he was saying. He tilted his head, frowning at her in concern, and she remembered to inhale.
“The natural conclusion of
