Meredith turned in her seat to face her friend. “Oh, Clare, darling, I meant no offense, of course. I only mean that he has hispickof debutantes, and yet he spends his time with you and me and Gemma, all of whom he can see any time he likes.Meanwhile, he’s squandering his chance with the debutantes. Lady Julia Fairbanks is considered thediamondof the Season, for heaven’s sake.”
Clare shuddered, remembering how Lady Julia had given her a particularly condemning glare last night after she’d finished her dance with Ash. If looks could kill, Clare would have dropped dead on the spot. It was obvious Lady Julia had her sights set on him.
Clare forced herself to respond, though her voice felt far away. “Perhaps none of the debutantes are to his liking.”
Meredith scoffed. “Nonsense. I cast a wide net. There’s a type for everyone. Some men prefer delicate and demure, others clever and confident, others bold and vivacious—he has options.”
Clare swallowed against the sudden heat that coiled low in her belly.Bold and vivacious.
Hadn’t Ash told her that she wasn’t the sort of woman to suffer from megrims? That she was different? That she didn’t strike him as a woman who needed to be handled gently?
He was right.
Her breath hitched.
Meredith let out another exasperated sigh, adjusting the heavy diamond bracelet on her wrist. “I don’t suppose you have any insight into this mystery?”
Clare blinked. “What?”
“My brother.” Meredith turned to look at her. “If none of these ladies are catching his eye, whodoyou think he should pick?”
Clare’s mouth went dry.
Ashpinning her against the deskin the study, his fingers clutching her elbows.
Ash breathing against her ear, whispering,Do you want me to kiss you, or do you want to kiss me?
Ash’s lips on hers, burning away every trace of the past, every bitter memory of Marsden, replacing them with something hot and consuming and utterly unforgettable.
Clare shook her head. This was madness. She wasnotgoing to have an affair with Ashford Drake. That was unacceptable. Unbelievable. Untenable. No. In addition to being wrong, it could cause her to ruin her carefully laid plans. She was so close now. Another scandal would ruin everything. And of all the men to court scandal with, Ash was the most egregious. It would not only risk her friendship with Meredith, it would also risk Clare’s very existence.
But even knowing all of that, she couldn’t help the fact that her pulse raced at the memory of Ash’s touch. She already knew…if he tried to kiss her again, she would participate. Eagerly. The room still felt stiflingly warm.
Meredith raised a brow. “Clare?”
Clare forced a slow inhale, praying her voice wouldn’t betray her. Something sharp and sinful twisted inside her as she met her friend’s gaze, the words slipping from her lips before she could stop them. “I wouldn’t worry about Ash,” she murmured, her voice just a little too smooth. “Something tells me your brother knowspreciselywhat he’s doing.”
Meredith groaned, rubbing a hand atop her belly. “Well, I wish he would get on with it then.”
Clare only just managed to hold back her smile.
CHAPTER TEN
Ash had never been a man to obsess over a woman. He had spent years cultivating a reputation as the devil-may-care rakehell, the man who enjoyed a flirtation, a brief indulgence, a short-lived affair before moving on.
It wasn’t that he was incapable of attachment—he just never saw the point. Plus, there was the added delight that remaining a bachelor indefinitely would ensure that his bastard of a father—God rest the horrid man’s soul—would never have another heir.
Women were lovely, of course. Amusing, charming, sometimes even interesting. But never more than temporary distractions. And even though he’d lost a bet with Southbury last year and promised to look for a wife as a result, Meredith and Griffin had to be reasonable. Some men just weren’t meant to marry…and Ash was clearly one of them.
Yet here he wasburningfor Clare Handleton.
And it was utterly unlike him.
He had kissed her once. Only once.
It should not have been enough to unsettle him. It should not have been enough to consume him. And yet he couldn’t stop thinking about her. It was a damned nuisance, really.
He had spent the entire day restless and on edge, pacing the grounds, attempting conversation, drinking more than was necessary just to numb the ache of wanting her.
