Seventeen
A chill chased down Vivi’s back when Luke gently turned her away to unfasten her gown. She attempted to will her rapid heartbeat to slow, but it thundered on.
He slid her still-damp gown from her shoulders. “Raise your arms, darling.”
Although it appeared she had won, he had yet to say he wanted to marry her. A voice inside her screamed for her to come to her senses. Surely he would recover his soon enough and realize he’d made a mistake.
He brushed a kiss against her shoulder. “Have you changed your mind, Viv?”
Heavens knew she should raise a fuss and play the put-upon lady, but she wanted to stay with him.
She hesitated, then lifted her arms. The removal of her petticoats followed her gown and fell away from her body, landing in a heap around her feet. Luke would take the honorable path if they were discovered together, she reassured herself. It was what gentlemen of noble birth did in those circumstances. At least the gallant ones. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to win him that way. Did he desire a match between them?
When Luke’s fingers moved to the laces of her corset, she twisted around and planted a hand against his chest.
Her throat refused to work properly. “If someone finds us…” Her voice sounded tight and thin.
He swept a lock of hair behind her ear. “No one will bother us. But if they do, I promise to accept responsibility.”
“I’m aware of the risks. I can’t let you…”
“So am I. And I am prepared to accept them.” His hand made soothing passes from her shoulder to her waist and back again. When she couldn’t find the correct words to respond, he sighed. “It’s all right, Vivian. I understand. I’ll help you dress then escort you back to the house.”
He bent to retrieve her gown, but she urged him to stand.
“I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered.
His quiet laugh came out on a breath and stirred a strand of hair at her cheek. “I don’t want you to go either.”
When he hugged her, she snuggled against him and savored the feel of him surrounding her. Longing pulled at her heart, threatening to steal it from her and leave her empty inside. She held him tighter and cursed her weakness.
She thought she might be falling in love with him. She groped for words to free her from her stupor. “Wh-what would you tell someone if they found us together?”
He released her. Even in the dark, she knew he smiled. Amusement rang in his voice. “I would tell them what we do is none of their concern. After all, we are betrothed.”
“But it is a pretense, a lie.” She couldn’t make light of the situation as he did. She needed a promise. Before she could escape back to the house, he captured her hand.
“It wouldn’t have to be a lie.” He drew circles on her wrist with his thumb, lulling her. “All it takes is two signatures on the marriage settlement, and we could become husband and wife. Would you sign it when your brother sent it, Viv?”
Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them away. His words almost sounded like a real proposal.
“My brother has already signed it. You don’t need my signature.”
“I would want it. Your consent is most important. I’ll dictate a letter to your brother at once to request the marriage settlement. Then I will arrange to have the banns cried. Or perhaps I can send Drew for a special license.”
When he would have kept talking, she placed her fingers over his mouth. She sensed his frown more than saw it.
“Do you want to marry me?” she asked.
He mumbled something she couldn’t make out.
“What?”
Grasping her hand, he pulled it away from his mouth. “Didn’t I just say I wanted to marry you?”
“No!” He’d been discussing a business arrangement, not declaring his love. “Was that your idea of a proposal?”
Luke scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Damn. I should have gotten down on one knee.” He knelt at her feet and captured her hand. “Vivian Worth, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
A lock of hair was falling down over his eye and driving her mad. She swept it aside and cupped his cheek. “Is this truly what you want, Luke? This isn’t because you feel obligated after kissing me?”
“I don’t feel obligated. Do you?”
She shook her head.
“I know I promised to assist you in making another match, but I can’t surrender you to another man. If you wish to hold me to my word—”
“No!” She dropped her hand from his face. “I want you.”
“And I want you, Vivian. It’s settled between us now.” He stood and placed a soft kiss on her lips, then patted her bottom. “Allow me to untie your laces, love. This may be our only chance to swim together.”
She turned her back to him, her heart sprinting. Without her corset holding her prisoner, she was able to draw in a deep breath, and she laughed. Who knew her clumsy attempts at courting him would actually be successful?
He gave her a nudge toward the lake. “I will join you in a moment.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly shy about being scantily clad. “You won’t peek?”
He chuckled. “Not today, but if I can’t look, neither can you.”
The water lapped at her calves as she walked into the lake, cooling her feverish skin. Reaching deeper water, she sank down to her neck. There was a splash and Luke emerged from the lake a short distance away. She couldn’t determine what articles of clothing he had removed, but the thought of him in half-dress made her insides quiver.
He shook his head and water droplets hit her hot cheeks. “Come. Show me you can do more than nearly drown.”
Her back stiffened, her nervousness forgotten. “I told you, I know how to swim.”
“So you say,” he teased and splashed her. “Prove it, water sprite.”
“You—oh, I will prove it.” And afterward, she would serve him a huge slice of humble pie. He could stand to learn a thing or two about humility. “I challenge you to a race,” she blurted.
“Hardly seems right for me to beat a lady.” He laughed, goading her.
“I wouldn’t celebrate a victory yet, Your Grace.”
When they’d still had daylight, Vivi had noted a small island a decent distance from shore. She gathered the hem of her chemise and tied the two ends in a knot between her legs. “The first one to reach the island wins.”
“I assume you are aware of what prize I will demand for my victory.”
Her stomach lurched. “Yes, well. You aren’t going to win, so I will be the one claiming the prize.”
His teeth flashed white in the moonlight. “Either way is satisfactory to me. On your mark, my lady.”
Luke moved even with her, placating her pride some. At least he wasn’t allowing her a lead. Perhaps she was unbalanced to believe she could compete with a man of his strength, but she could boast less body mass, which had to work to her advantage.
“Go!” she yelled and dove under the water. When she broke the surface, she kicked like a child in a full-blown tantrum. Her long strokes set a quick and steady rhythm. Luke kept pace with her. She tried to ignore his proximity and concentrated on executing flawless movements. When he pulled ahead, she pushed harder to keep the lead from widening. Her lungs were burning, but she refused to quit. If he beat her, then so be it, but she would never hand over the victory to him.
He reached shallower water around the island a moment before her and tried to stand, but she grabbed the seat of his drawers and pulled as hard as she could. He lost his footing and fell face down. She scrambled to get her footing on the slick lake bottom and raced for the island.
“You little devil!” He snagged her around the waist before she went more than a step and hauled her back. She twisted in his hold, trying to break loose, but her legs tangled with his and she fell on top of him. His head went under, and when he resurfaced, sputtering, he trapped her against his chest. She struggled, determined to be victorious, but she couldn’t break free.
Giving up, she stilled, her hand resting between their bodies as she sprawled on top of him. His heartbeat matched her erratic tempo and they were panting.
“Fine,” she laughed. “You win.”
He sat up and settled her on his lap facing him. His arm around her lower back kept her from escaping, but she no longer knew if she cared to be free.
“You are a worthy competitor.”
She warmed in response to his praise. “I told you,” she grumbled, but she couldn’t hold back her pleased smile. “Next time I will beat you.”
“I look forward to next time.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek in a gentle arc. “May I claim my prize now?”
Her heart skipped. “A kiss?”
Luke’s fingers cradled her neck and he urged her forward until they were lip to lip with barely a breath between them. “Yes.”
“I had forgotten you collected winnings in…kisses,” she said on an exhale.
“Only from beautiful women who challenge me.” His smile was but a brief flash before his mouth came down on hers, hot and captivating. She could think of nothing besides the feel of his lips coaxing her to surrender to her deepest wishes. She wanted him, too. For the rest of her life.
When their kiss ended, she stared beyond his shoulder to the dark outline of the cottage in the distance. She counted the lighted windows in an attempt to calm her racing pulse. She fiddled with the wet curls lying against his collar. “What do you think Lana and Lord Andrew are doing this evening?”
“I can’t say I care.”
She risked looking at him again. “Will they be searching for us?”
Her hair had lost its pins and hung around her shoulders. He pushed her hair behind her back and massaged her neck. “I doubt they will notice we are missing.”
“They do seem engrossed with each other at times, which make them less than ideal chaperones.” She closed her eyes as he kneaded a particularly tense spot at the base of her head.
His lips touched her temple and lingered. “I had assumed you wouldn’t want someone monitoring you every moment. Are you unhappy I chose them?”
“No. I don’t know. Maybe.” If she had more diligent chaperones, she wouldn’t be in this predicament, wondering if she should give in to temptation or begin to act like a lady and insist they return to the house. She pulled back to see Luke’s face, but it remained in shadow. “Did you know they would allow me more freedom?”
“I had a suspicion. Drew has never been one to adhere to propriety, and he reserves judgment in most instances.” He eased her from his lap. His shirt was plastered to his body, and his muscles shifted beneath the saturated linen. “Let’s rest on the island.”
When he stood and moved toward land, his drawers molded to his bottom and thighs.
She must have made a noise, because he glanced over his shoulder. “You promised not to peek.”
“Sorry.” She closed her eyes. She hadn’t meant to look, but curiosity was a dangerous attribute. Very dangerous. And hard to ignore. She stole another glance and sucked in a sharp breath when she discovered he was still watching her.
She wagged a finger toward the far shoreline. “Maybe I should swim back.”
“Come here,” he said with a laugh and extended his hand to help her up.
She hesitated but could think of no reason to refuse him that didn’t make her feel foolish. A brief rest couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t until she was out of the water that she realized her chemise was still tied in a knot, exposing her legs.
Luke led her to an old tree trunk that had washed ashore and urged her to sit down beside him. They sat in silence, staring at the moonlight shimmering on the glistening, black water.
He smoothed a finger over the fleshy part of her thigh. “You have strong legs.”
“You aren’t supposed to be looking either,” she chided with as much conviction as she could marshal, which wasn’t nearly as much as she should have.
“Then remove the temptation.”
When he reached between her legs to loosen the knot, she started. His head brushed her breast as he sat up again, sending a rush of heat throughout her body.
“You may cover your legs now if you wish,” he said when she remained frozen.
She snapped out of her trance and wiggled side to side, tugging at her chemise to cover her bare limbs. Settling beside him, she allowed her gaze to travel along the contours of his legs then quickly jerked it back to the water. It was difficult to keep her promise not to look when she had never seen a man in his state of undress, nor did she expect to ever see another one as spectacularly made as him.
She lifted her head and her breath left her. Luke was studying her with gleaming eyes as black as onyx. A corner of her mouth turned up. So much for promises. Her curiosity chased away any shyness as she allowed her gaze to roam over his masculine form. He was leaner than most gentlemen, strong and svelte, but she didn’t mind.
“You look beautiful,” Luke said, “just like the first time I saw you. All I have been able to think of since that day at the coaching inn is kissing you again.”
“Just kissing me?” she managed to eke out.
“Vivian,” he said on a groan and reached for her.