“You know, Emiline, I get the impression that you are actually enjoying looking so lovely today. Am I correct?”
She laughed lightly. “What I enjoy is the way you look at me. You look at me as if I were a real princess, and that makes me giddy.”
He chuckled. “I suppose it’s fun to be treated differently, is it not?”
“Indeed. Would you like me to treat you differently, also?”
“Pray tell, how would you treat me?”
She leaned toward him and touched his arm again. “I would treat you like a king.”
“A king?” He laughed. “Not if I’m treating you like a princess. That would mean you would be my daughter.” He scrunched his face, making her laugh. “Why not treat me like I’m a… marquess?”
She shrugged. “That will work, I suppose. You are truly a gentleman.”
“Such kind words, princess.”
“You know, I have changed my mind. You are more like a king, and you can treat me like a queen instead of a princess.”
“If I do that, then instead of being a daughter, you would be…” Laughter quickly disappeared when he realized where his thoughts were leading. He swallowed hard and stared deeply into her eyes. “My wife,” he ended softly.
She, too, became serious. Her body remained so close to his, and the heat between them grew more powerful by the second. Why did he like the idea of her becoming his wife? Although she was a mere lady’s companion, Emiline came from a fine family—apparent by the wonderful and kind grandmother they had met. Besides that, she could pass for a real lady, as she was today.
He continued to stare, not caring that the horses had stopped. He couldn’t look away. Her eyes were so illuminated with desire that he was mesmerized. His heart pounded a quick rhythm, and he loved the way happiness flowed through his blood.
He shouldn’t have made that bet with her yesterday. If she had remained in those ugly, plain dresses, perhaps he wouldn’t feel as dumbfounded right now. Then again, she took his breath away no matter what she wore.
He dropped his gaze to her mouth. She ran her tongue across her sultry, wine-colored lips, and he wanted nothing more than to taste the sweetness he had found this morning.
“Broderick?” she whispered.
“What?”
“We have stopped.”
It took all of his effort, but he snapped out of his dreamlike state of confusion. “I suppose we have.”
He still didn’t move as they stared at each other. Soon, her smile lifted. “We aren’t going anywhere yet.”
“No, not yet. I must do something first.” He cupped her face, pulled her in, and captured her mouth.
A sigh gurgled from deep in her throat as she leaned against him, opening up for his torrid kiss. He moved his hand down her neck to the tie holding her cloak together. In one quick motion, he opened her cloak and moved his hand over her shoulder and lower, brushing the tips of his fingers over the edge of her bodice.
If only they weren’t in the buggy…
Catching her breath, she withdrew, folding her arms across her chest. Slowly, she shook her head. “No, Broderick. It’s too soon.”
He closed his eyes and silently groaned. She was correct. She wasn’t that kind of woman, and he didn’t want to turn her into that kind, either.
Exhaling deeply, he sat up straighter and looked to the road, flicking the reins to urge the horses to move forward again. Heaviness settled in his chest. He wanted her so much it hurt. Why did his feelings confuse him so?
They didn’t talk much more during the ride back, and if they did, nothing personal was brought up. Broderick talked a little about his life, without mentioning his true identity. She talked about growing up without a mother, and with a father whowas always too busy with politics to spend much time with his daughter.
They stayed on neutral ground.
Dusk sprinkled across the sky when they arrived at his uncle’s house. Instead of taking the buggy around to the stables, as he would have done with theoldEmiline, he stopped in front of the house. He jumped down first, then turned and helped her out. He wanted to pull her against him, wrap his arms around her, and never let her go. Once she walked in through that doorway, his fantasy would end.
She stepped away and broke the contact. “Broderick, I had a wonderful two days with you. The best two days of my life, in fact. I thank you so much.”
