“Oh, come now. You’ve sparked my curiosity, so you have to confess.”
“The Crusty Jewel.”
“Ah, symbolic of nothing?”
“On the contrary. Chasing down treasure is his passion, and if, no,whenhe finally finds that pot of gold, as it were, he expects the chest to be full of old coins and jewels, all quite crusty from being buried for centuries.”
She was pleased to note his smile was understanding. He could have gotten nasty there about her father, but remarkably, he’d been on his best behavior all day. Teasing, charming, and not a single mention of pirates.
He noticed one of the rowboats heading back toward the dock where they could be rented and mentioned that boat ride again, so they turned to head back. But he’d no sooner said it than the first raindrops hit them.
“So much for that,” he mumbled. “Hurry, it’s going to be pouring in a minute.”
It was less than a minute. The deluge came almost immediately after he mentioned it. Everyone in the park was racing in one direction or another to get out of the rain. But there was simply no way she could run in the constraints of her outing dress and new petticoats, not without hiking up the skirt. She tried, though, to keep up with him, since he’d grabbed her hand to run, but he soon noticed her problem. Rather than just give up and accept the fact that they were going to be drenched before they reached the coach, he surprised her by sweeping her into his arms. He was able to run much faster then, even carrying her.
They were still drenched. As soon as they were inside the coach, they both began to laugh at their sorry state.
“That was quite chivalrous of you, but we’re still soaked!” she said.
He paused in removing his jacket to brush a lock of wet hair off her cheek, making her realize that her coiffure was completely undone, wet locks scattered down her back and chest. Putting a hand to the top of her head, she exclaimed, “Oh, no, I seem to have lost my hat, too! What rotten luck, it was my favorite.”
“Hold on,” Drew said, and ran back outside.
She tried to stop him, but he seemed not to hear her. He wasn’t gone long, though, and he shouted at the driver, “Back to Berkeley Square!” before he reentered the coach and dropped a very bedraggled hat on the seat beside her. “See what I’m willing to do for you!”
That was rather unexpected. “Thank you,” she said as she gave the ruined hat a forlorn look. “I might be able to salvage the feathers, after they dry.”
“I’d buy a new one, but that’s just me.”
She chuckled and glanced up at him, then drew in her breath. He’d finished removing his jacket. His white lawn shirt was plastered to his skin, revealing every sinewy muscle across his wide chest and powerful arms. Her eyes met his and the laughter died abruptly. She barely had time to notice the heat in his gaze before his arms were around her and he was kissing her.
Oh, God, she’d known instinctively that a kiss from him would be more exciting than she could imagine. Again and again, his lips moved softly across hers, drawing her carefully into his sensual web. She couldn’t think, didn’t want to. And then his tongue gently nudged her mouth open and suddenly the kiss was much more intense, infinitely more tantalizing. There was so much passion in his kiss now that she felt a moment’s alarm…
“Drew, I don’t think—”
“Don’t think,” he cut in. “Just let me warm you. You’re freezing.”
Was she? She hadn’t noticed! But his mouth returned to hers and the passion was immediately there again. She wrapped her arms about his neck. He cradled her head with one hand while the other was rubbing up and down her back, but also pushing her toward him so that her breasts were pressed against his chest. If she could have gotten any closer to him, she would have.
When they finally separated, the air felt like steam between them. It’s possible it was, they’d generated so much heat while kissing each other. She didn’t even realize they’d reached the Malory townhouse until Drew took her hand, helped her down from the coach, and led her to the door. He could have done anything he’d wanted with her there in that coach, she’d been so inflamed by what he’d made her feel, but all he’d done was kiss her—and warm her in such an exciting, delightful way. Later, she would be grateful that’s all he’d done. But right then, she was just disappointed that the ride had ended.
“See, I’ve brought you home safe and sound,” he said with a tender smile.
She didn’t get a chance to reply. Someone suddenly hailed her and she turned to find the Honorable Wilbur Carlisle stepping out of his carriage.
What rotten timing for Wilbur to discover he had the courage to enter the lion’s den after all. “Good grief,” she said, glancing down at her bedraggled state. “I need to change first. I don’t want him to see me drenched like this. Can you explain to him what happened, Drew?”
“Deal with one of your suitors?” he said. “Not a chance, sweetheart—unless you’d like me to tell him you’ve taken yourself off the marriage mart?”
“No, I haven’t—unless you’re asking me to marry you?”
He merely laughed and opened the door for her. “Go dry off. I’ll have Artie inform your young swain that you’ll be keeping him waiting for a while.”
Chapter 17
WILBUR DIDN’T MIND WAITING FOR HER AT ALL,or so he claimed when she joined him later. Still annoyed that Drew had laughed when she’d mentioned marriage to him, she wasn’t removing any names from her list just yet. So she was glad to see that Wilbur had come to call. His confession last night, of why he hadn’t come around sooner, had smacked of cowardice which had disturbed her. But that he’d shown up despite his fears indicated he had a good deal of courage after all.
That night Georgina took her to a dinner party, a rather large one. She met a young earl for the first time who would have made a fine addition to her list, but she was quickly warned by several ladies that while he’d been a prime catch, he’d gotten engaged early in the Season. A shame. Arriving at the end of the Season really did have its disadvantages.
