CHAPTER 4
All night long, Dominic had been waiting for his chance to catch Miss Givenwald alone, but that crone she called a relation seldom left her side. She was taking her chaperone duties entirely too seriously, in his opinion. Of course, when word of the king’s arrival had begun to spread, most of the assemblage quickly went to catch a glimpse of the monarch.
That was when he’d found his chance to move up behind his Aphrodite.
His. She was nothing of the sort, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t dreamed about making that a reality.
The entire time he’d been in the East End attempting to find the scoundrel who had ripped the pages from his journal with the intent to use his own information against him, he’d been wondering about the lady and if she had yet to have any suitors. It wasn’t a pleasant thought to be sure and one that had his brow darkening more than once, until the point Amos had glared at him and told him to bed the wench that had caused so much distraction so that he might be able to converse on a normal level again.
The idea of bedding Miss Givenwald certainly had merit, butconsidering she was here to ensnare a husband, he was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of her innocence for his own amusement without the promise of something more. Until he could be assured the threat toAvalonhad been neutralized, he had to keep his distance from not just Miss Givenwald, but from any lady he set out to seduce or court.
Thus far, he’d been unsuccessful in gaining any potential brides, but then, he hadn’t put a lot of effort into his charm. He realized it would take more than usual to get past the dragon matrons who eyed him with distrust, Miss Givenwald’s chaperone included. She was barely civil to him as he had attempted to converse with politeness. But then, she was as convinced of his foul deeds as the rest of society, so until he could prove he was willing to put all his rowdy days to the wayside, he might have a bit of trouble convincing anyone to trust in him.
Except for one.
He still couldn’t shake the feeling that Miss Givenwald preferred the prospect of his wicked ways and would be bored with someone who was straitlaced and staid.
With her light hair pulled back away from her neck, he was excited to see the pulse beating at the base flutter madly, giving further proof that she wasn’t as proper as she would like for society to believe either.
“Your Grace.” He loved the way her mouth moved, and he imagined it wrapped around his cock. “You have been absent from the city for some time. I wondered if you had retired to the country for the rest of the year.”
His gaze traveled down to the shadowed valley between her breasts. “I would not dare deprive myself of the pleasures to be found in London. I have found them to be quite numerous of late.”
“Have you?” The breathless quality of her voice made him envision her saying his name in the heat of passion in the samemanner. He nearly groaned, his cock throbbing with the urge to sink himself into her wet heat.
“Indeed, I have.” He bent down and spoke next to her ear, his lips inches from that tantalizing, perfumed skin. “I find you rather pleasing, Miss Givenwald.”
“Oh?”
“I suppose that was too bold of me to say…” he murmured huskily.
“Not… at all.” She swallowed, and he could tell she was not unaffected by his presence, nor his words. This was a very promising start, indeed.
“What would you say if I suggested a walk about the grounds?”
She turned to him, and her blue eyes had darkened to the color of a turbulent sea. “I should like that very much.”
He straightened and held out his hand to her. Her bare palm slid into his and they both seemed affected by the intimate touch.
As Dominic led her away from the fireworks that had started to brighten the night sky, he told himself that he wasn’t going to do anything but continue engaging in this heated flirtation, that he wouldn’t take it further than that, even a kiss.
But the moment he spied a tree that carefully hid them from view, he pulled her against his chest. She gasped, and he reveled in the sound. Raising his hand, he lightly caressed her cheek. “What do you want, Lexie?”
“Out of life?”
Her lips were parted and he was having a difficult time not claiming her mouth with his. “From me.”
She inhaled sharply. “What makes you think I want anything?”
He moved his hips slightly but enough where she could feel his engorged manhood pressing against her center. “Because I know what I want from you.”
Her breathing instantly turned shallower, and the color ran higher on her cheeks. He loved it. “I?—”
“Have I shocked you now, my sweet? Perhaps I was mistaken when I thought our paths were aligned…” He started to pull back from her, but she reached out and grasped his robe. Dragging him back to her, she said nothing, but pressed her lips against his.
Dominic could feel a predatory growl rising within the center of his chest.
Mine.
