A low growl emanated from the back of his throat, and for a moment, he hardly recognized it as his voice. “You are a vixen.”
“Only with you,” she whispered lightly and then brushed past him.
When she was gone, it was as if the air had been sucked out of the alcove. Dominic almost collapsed against the wood, although he did reach out a hand to try to gain control of the raging lust that was coursing through his body. He wondered if Miss Givenwald understood the effect she had upon him and how dangerous her abilities could be to anyone else.
When he imagined her offering the same flirtations to another man, he didn’t like it. At all. In truth, it made him see red, and that was a hazardous reaction to anyone who knew what Avalon was capable of doing.
Dominic left the alcove, but rather than remain for the play, he took his leave, knowing it was best for all involved that he did so.
CHAPTER 7
By the time Lexie had returned to the box, her aunt was at sixes and sevens. “Where have you been?” she demanded in a harsh whisper. “The earl did not seem pleased that you were gone so long.”
“I wasn’t feeling well,” Lexie hedged, although it wasn’t a complete untruth. She had been quite disoriented around the duke. It really was a shame that he was a wastrel as her aunt had claimed and would never be approved as a prospective suitor. The idea that he would actually follow through with finding a wife at all was almost too humorous to take seriously. As a leader for such a well-known underworld organization, she couldn’t picture him in any role other than the one he had mentioned. She could be wrong and he would be a doting father and attentive husband, but it would take someone equally ambitious to tame such a wild soul. She knew she would be the perfect complement to him because her spirit was just as untamed and free, but it would take nothing short of a miracle to convince her aunt that he was a good match.
As Lexie took a seat next to her escort for the evening, she tried to act as apologetic as she could. Although she knew thatshe could never engage with the earl on any level further than a friendly acquaintance, she did not wish to injure his feelings in any way.
Her chagrin was genuine when she said, “I am sorry for my tardiness, my lord.”
He glanced at her with an expression of understanding, but the tight smile on his mouth would suggest he wasn’t as composed as he wanted her to believe. “I hope that you are feeling better?”
“I am, indeed,” she returned with a bright smile, hoping that it would ease some of his annoyance.
“Wonderful.” His smile was almost cunning when he added, “In that regard, I shall allow you to make up the slight by attending a luncheon with me tomorrow.”
Lexie tried not to appear too disappointed. “That sounds lovely.”
“I am glad you think that spending the afternoon with some fellow members from Parliament sounds so appealing,” he returned dryly.
She laughed lightly, but her heart had abruptly jumped into her throat. “Are you sure that it would be acceptable for me to join such an esteemed group of gentlemen?”
“Naturally,” he returned evenly. “Your wit and charm will keep them well entertained and the focus off of me and what I hope to accomplish during my tenure in the House of Lords.”
She glanced at him curiously, momentarily taken off guard by such a cryptic statement. “What is it that you are hoping to accomplish that you think will be met with such resistance?”
He gently patted her hand. “Think no more on the subject of politics. We are here to enjoy an entertaining program. I should regret it if you missed the performance of one of Shakespeare’s most notable works.”
Lexie inclined her head and fell silent, but as the play in front of her unfolded, her focus was far away. Not only was she stillreeling from her encounter with the duke, but now she had to wonder about the man at her side and the strange way he was suddenly acting. It seemed out of character from the usual way he spoke. But perhaps he was merely irritated at her, and combined with an important meeting the following day that could ease his way into the favor of his fellow peers, or see him cast to the sidelines, he was feeling the press of success.
She could certainly understand the desire to be accepted. For years she had attempted to gain her father’s attention, and once she had, she had been overjoyed at the sensation she’d felt when they had begun to converse on a mutual level. She had been reluctant to leave his estate for fear that when she returned the ease with which they had begun to share each other’s company would become strained, but her aunt had been a force to be reckoned with when she’d come for a visit and insisted that Lexie have a proper season and the chance to ensnare a husband.
At first, Lexie thought her father was going to forbid it, and she almost wished that he had except for the restlessness that had suddenly taken hold of her when she pictured the wonders that the city would offer. Although London had not disappointed in the least, Lexie was starting to feel the slight pang of homesickness. Once she accomplished the ruin she had set out to do, she could return home and live in quiet solitude with her father until the end of his days and then continue the same quiet existence with the memories of her youth to sustain her through the remainder of her own.
For now, she pasted a slight smile on her face and cheered with the curtain finally went down, although she had failed to absorb much of what had actually occurred.
As the earl escorted them back to her aunt’s townhouse, he captured her hand while her aunt ascended the steps and disappeared inside. “I hope you know that I think a lot of you, Miss Givenwald.”
Lexie tried not to jerk her hand away. Instead, she inclinedher head, not daring herself to return the compliment and give him the wrong impression, that his feelings were reciprocated when she had already decided that they could not be.
“I will count the hours until we are reunited.”
She nodded. “Good evening, my lord.”
He released her, and she did not tarry as she entered the sanctuary. Releasing a steady breath as she walked into the foyer, she was handing her outerwear over to the footman when her aunt said, “I daresay you shall be a countess before the month is over.”
Lexie blinked at her. “Surely you jest. The earl and I have only encountered each other a handful of times thus far.”
“That may be,” she concurred. “But I can tell he is enamored of you. Well done, my dear.”
