“Speaking of velvet… how are you faring after last night?” he asked calmly as though the topic wouldn’t ruin them.
Heat flooded her face again. “We shouldn’t speak of that.”
“I promised no such thing.” He leaned closer. “And to be honest, I’ve been replaying it rather obsessively. The way you gasped my name was like music to my?—”
“Austin,” she hissed, glancing around.
“Yes, exactly like that.”
“Behave!”
“It’s impossible around you.” His voice dropped. “Tell me you haven’t thought about it.”
She pursed her lips, and he knew he was right.
The bell rang, but Austin turned the hourglass again, causing heads to swivel in their direction. Deena was not going to escape him so easily. She remained calm, but her skin betrayed her. Desire was painted clearly on her.
She continued to ignore his question.
“Will you not bring up what happened last night if I agree to consider finding a husband during the hunt?” she asked slowly as if she was forced to.
“Deena, why are you so against marriage?” He was genuinely curious about her answer.
“Austin…” The hurt in her eyes was visible. “I am scarred by the scandal and my exile. I find it difficult to trust anyone because I’m not sure who’s really my friend or who’s really interested in me or just in my story.”
His jaw ticked as he listened to her. A sense of familiarity filled him; he too felt the same, but he would never give that information to anyone. Deena trusted him with this, and he’ll keep it safe.
“I don’t believe any man is interested enough to marry me, so I would rather not try than be rejected.” He noticed how her shoulders sagged, and her head dropped.
This is not the woman she is meant to be.
A moment of understanding passed between them, and Austin fought the urge to reach out for her. He decided not to push her any further.
Dominic will just have to understand.
“I won’t push this on you any further,” he said gently.
“Thank you,” she whispered back.
“Now, then. Did you find me a wife who is good enough?”
Deena smiled weakly and nodded towards quiet Miss Langley, who sat composed and unruffled. “That one is perfect for you. She didn’t join the chorus demanding your presence. She’s rational and composed. And she did not fuss around when you were absent.”
Austin followed her gaze, then looked back into Deena’s green eyes. “I prefer the ones who make a fuss.”
Deena lifted her chin. “Then you’re shopping for a pet, not a wife.”
His laugh was low. “Perhaps. Though tamed pets, like Miss Langley, don’t usually bite back.”
“And you want to be bitten?” Deena raised a brow; her tone laced with challenge.
Austin’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Don’t you?”
Her lashes fluttered involuntarily. “Would that not be… painful?” she asked innocently.
“We could always test the theory,” he murmured, leaning in just enough that he could smell her scent across the table. “I volunteer to conduct this experiment by your side. Though I warn you, my skin is notoriously sensitive. One nip and I might swoon dramatically at your feet. Picture the Velvet Duke, felled by a single bite from the fierce Lady Deena. The scandal sheets would never recover.”
Deena tried to hold a stern expression, but her façade broke, and a bright, unguarded laugh burst from her before she could stop it. Heads turned across the lawn. Even the dowager paused with her bell in hand. Austin’s grin widened, utterly unrepentant ashe watched Deena clap a hand over her mouth, cheeks flaming, but her shoulders still shaking with suppressed laughter.
