"Why not?"
"Because you're a man. You get to dictate your own fate. Whereas we ladies have to listen to everyone else's ideas of what we're supposed to do."
You have no idea how hard I fought to secure my future.Before he could reply, a waltz began to play. Percy's attention flitted to the stage where other guests had gathered, whirling in pairs about the makeshift dance floor. Her shoulders swayed with subtle eroticism to the music.
Enough talking—here was his opening.
He stood and held out a hand. "Dance with me."
She looked up at him, and his lips quirked at how torn she looked. "I'm not certain I should..."
Not quite foxed enough.Then again, he was familiar with that line. A female whoshouldn'twas one who most oftendid.
"It is up to you, of course," he said. "My own legs want for a stretch after all the sitting. Perhaps you'd care for a stroll down one of the walks instead?"
Her lashes fluttered as she made the calculation he intended. What was more risky—walking with him along one of the notorious lover's walks or sharing a dance in public?
"I suppose one dance wouldn't hurt," she said.
He bowed to hide his look of triumph. Taking her hand, he led her into the thick of the dance floor. The heat of bodies surrounded them as did the mingled scents of heady perfumes. The night sky blazed with stars as he pulled her close. So close that her skirts brushed against his thighs. Her eyes rounded, but it was too late. The mad whirl of the waltz carried them away.
Being a physical man, Gavin enjoyed dancing. For the vigor of the activity and also for the way it forecasted how his partner might be... in bed. If you couldn't find rhythm together on the dance floor, matters weren't likely to improve between the sheets. He'd had his fair share of partners—some of them exceedingly skilled—but he'd never danced with anyone like Percy.
By God, how the saucy baggage could move.
This being Vauxhall, rules of propriety had flown to the wind, and Percy seemed to soak up the air of exuberance. She glowed with a youthful, dazzling energy as she danced; he could not take his eyes from her. Neither could other men, and he used his elbows and threatening glares to warn them off. He swung Percy into another dizzying turn, and her breathless laugh rippled over his senses. The infectious sound warmed his chest... and drove the situation down south to near-disastrous proportions.
He'd never had a partner who could keep up with him this way, step for step. Whose blood—if the delicious flush upon her cheeks was any indication—seemed to burn as hot as his. Her movements matched his in perfect synchrony. To imagine a carnal pairing, that lithe body arching in rhythm to his thrusts... his hand tightened on the supple curve of her spine as he spun her into another turn. Her red silk cape swished against his erection, and he bit back a groan.
Mayhap her dramatic nature was rubbing off on him because he was sure that he would die if he did not have her tonight. This minute. Wager or no wager. The melody slowed; the song was coming to an end. He had to strike while the iron was hot—and, hell's teeth, at this pointhisiron was on bloody fire.
"Thank you for the dance," he said. It required every ounce of willpower he possessed to release her from his grip. It wouldn't do to scare her off now.
"That was so... exhilarating." A needless statement, seeing as she spoke between fragmented breaths. Her eyes were brighter than the stars and thousand garden lights combined. "It was like flying... like fl-fluttering... like a butterfly." For some reason, she dissolved into giggles. "Oh, how I wish Signor Angiolini could have seen me!"
Gavin subtly pulled her along through the throng of dancers. "Who?"
"My dancing master. According to him, I dance with the delicacy of a bull."
"The man must be daft or blind. Both, actually." Scowling, Gavin looked back at her. "Anyone with eyes can see you dance beautifully."
She grinned. "Thank you, but I know I have a depressing tendency to lead."
"You didn't have that problem with me," he said.
"I didn't, did I?" She sounded bemused.
He'd maneuvered her to the edge of the crowd and could see the maze of shadowed paths up ahead. The Lovers' Walks. There, the thick canopy of giant elms and dense foliage of bushes provided ample opportunity for trysts. Through the haze of lust clouding his brain, he tried to recall his plan for convincing her to plunge into unknown territory with him.
"Do you like fireworks, Miss Farnham?" he said.
"I do not like them. Iadorethem," she said.
"They will be set off soon, and I know a place to view them at their most spectacular."
A little crease appeared between her brows. "And where is that?"
Tread with care."Up ahead," he said casually. "There is a clearing with fewer lights. That way we can see the fireworks in their full splendor."
