“Did you raid your family orchard?”
“It is there to be raided.” As he reached her, he held out the fruit. “Besides, you said you grew weak when in the orchard for too long, so I brought fruit to you.” He bowed as if she were royalty.
“I thank you, good sir.” She dipped into a curtsey then took the peach that he offered.
“You do not like pears?”
“I do not wish to take all the fruit. If I am going to dine on the sweet juices of a peach, then you should enjoy the crisp pear.”
“Shall we enjoy by the water?” He held out his arm, allowing her to pass.
Nina laughed at his gallantry as she settled upon the stairs leading into the water.
Orion joined her and bit into the pear. A trail of juice ran down his chin and she used her flowing scarf to wipe the corner of his mouth.
Their eyes locked, his darkened as her breath hitched.
What she believed to be a gesture between friends suddenly became intimate.
Nina quickly withdrew her scarf. “I apologize.”
Orion grasped her hand. “Do not.”
Still, she stared into his eyes, not certain what to do while he kept hold of her hand.
Why was it so difficult to breathe?
Nina parted her lips, mouth suddenly dry and quickly licked her upper lip. Orion’s eyes shifted from her eyes to her mouth, then leaned forward.
He was going to kiss her.
That could not happen under any circumstances, so with no option from her position on the stairs and Orion holding her hand, Nina quickly turned her face just as his lips grazed her cheek.
“You should not kiss me,” she whispered.
“Why?” he asked quietly.
“It is not right.”
“Why is it not?” he asked.
Nina pulled her hand from his and scooted away. “We are friends,” she insisted. It wasn’t that she needed to tell him, but she needed to remind herself. Hadn’t she already lectured herself on the dangers of her heart and infatuation. Her desire for him could not grow under any circumstances and she feared that if she allowed a true kiss she would be lost, and her heart destroyed in the end.
“One kiss is harmless,” he insisted.
“Perhaps to you,” Nina countered. “You are a man of the world. You have probably kissed a hundred girls.” Though, she didn’t want to think of him kissing anyone else. The jealousy that burned in her belly was proof that her heart was in danger of being lost, so she must do whatever was necessary to protect herself and still retain the friendship.
He snorted. “Not that many.”
Nina tilted her chin and looked at him from the corner of her eye. “How many women have you kissed?” If he was a rake or a rogue, then it would be easy not to fall in love and might help dispel her infatuation.
His eyes widened as his mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.
It was strange to watch, and she grew concerned. “Have you forgotten how to speak?”
“No…um…it is…just…a gentleman does not answer such a question.”
Nina leaned forward. “If there are so many, perhaps you are not a gentleman.” She may have never left the grove, but she had read plenty of novels, and the gossip sheets had been quite enlightening.
