He reached behind his head and pulled at the strings to the mask. In one smooth motion, the mask fell from his face. Although Ashton Lee was still mainly in the shadows, she could tell he was strikingly handsome. Just as she had imagined.
She was tempted to tease him a little more, but in truth, she couldn’t wait to remove her mask as well. She would definitely feel a little cooler.
“You are correct, Mr. Lee.” She found the strings holding her mask together and untied them. She stood more in the light of the full moon, and when she removed her mask, his eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. His response made her want to laugh, but she refrained. Not very often did men look at her in this manner, and she quite enjoyed his look of amazement.
He sighed heavily. “Forgive me, my lovely, but you are more exquisite than I could possibly imagine.” He lifted his hand as if to touch the side of her face but then quickly dropped it to his side. “Will you tell me your name now?”
“I’m Miss Nicole Bastian.” She curtseyed. “My uncle is Mr. Michael Thornock, who owns a small shipping line.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know your uncle, but Miss Bastian”—he took her gloved hand, lifted her knuckles to his mouth, and continued—“it is certainly a pleasure to know you.”
His lips brushed the top of her hand briefly. Excitement shot through her and made her heart skip a beat—several beats—before he finally pulled away. “Tell me, Mr. Lee, are you always this charming, or is tonight so special because you are dressed as a prince?”
He laughed. “I would hope that I’m like this all the time, but I fear I have not had much time to court a woman, so I’m not certain if I am always so charming.”
From up the walkway, loud voices boomed through the calm night. She jumped and turned toward the sound. Several men, most of them holding a bottle of whiskey, were making a lot of ruckus. By the way they stumbled about, she was certain they were very drunk. She definitely didn’t want them to notice her, or Ashton Lee, for that matter.
What if one of them knew her uncle and said something to her relative? She would definitely be in trouble. Uncle Michael would never trust her again. She couldn’t allow that, especially when she relied on her relatives so much.
Chapter Three
Panic swept through Ashton. He didn’t want those fools to see Miss Bastian without her mask. She was a very stunning woman, and Ashton worried that the drunks might try to take liberties with her. If they attempted to do that in any way, Ashton wouldn’t be able to stop himself from fighting them off, and in doing that, he would ruin her reputation.
“Quick,” he said, taking hold of her elbow, “let us go this way as not to be seen. I know a few of those men, and they aren’t in control of themselves when intoxicated. I would hate to have them bother us tonight.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.”
She hurried beside him as he led them farther into the trees. The more distance he could put between them and the foxed crowd of men, the better.
Ashton brought them to a halt on the other side of a wide tree. They peeked around the trunk, searching for the drunkards.
“I think we lost them,” she said breathlessly.
“I believe you’re right.” He sighed and turned to look at her. It surprised him to see a wide grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Shouldn’t she be worried that they were alone and in the shadows? Instead, she almost acted as if this was entertaining for her. “Tell me, Miss Bastian, why are you grinning?”
She shrugged. “Well, as hard as it is for me to admit, I was thinking the same thing as you—about getting away from them. I find it quite humorous that you read my mind.”
The way her stare locked with his made him wonder what else was going through her mind at the moment. He stepped closer and dared do what he had wanted to do a few minutes ago when she removed her mask. He ran the back of his knuckles over her cheek. Her skin was just as smooth as he had imagined.
“I would like to read your mind now,” he said huskily.
Suddenly, the laughter left her expression, and in its place was desire. He liked seeing that. Liked it too much.
“No,” she said in a soft voice. “Reading my mind now would not be a good thing.”
“And why not?”
The side of her mouth pulled up into a half-grin. “What would you say if I admitted that you are no longer my Prince Charming?”
“I’m not?” His heartbeat stalled, not knowing if that was a good thing—or bad.
“No. You have swiftly become my knight in shining armor, instead.”
Peace settled inside his chest. “Why, may I ask?”
“For rescuing me.”
Strange emotions surrounded his heart and crawled up his neck, making it hard to swallow. It had been some time since he felt this way, and although he didn’t trust her, he wanted this feeling to last a little longer.
