“I do believe that now.”
“You know, I feel the same way you felt. I’m not suited for the life of an earl. I would rather have the carefree life of a gamester than be deciding which of my family needs more allowance, which tenant needs the fees lowered, which party I’ll support in Parliament. I don’t want the responsibility for any of those things and many others. The only difference is that you had a choice. I don’t. I am the earl whether or not I’m suited, so I must learn to be the best I can be. That’s why I need you, Brina.”
His words lifted her heart. She swallowed down the feelings of inadequacy that often rose inside her whenever she thought of the time she wanted to join the sisters. “I suppose you do understand. Your problem is that you don’t like following accepted rules.”
“Rules are enjoyable only if you are breaking them.”
Brina heard laughter in his voice. It rumbled in his chest. She closed her eyes and took pleasure in the sound before turning her face to his again. “Now you have me curious. What rules have you been breaking since I last saw you?”
“None of yours, of course.”
The mischievous light that touched his eyes made her realize how much she liked his sense of humor. “Are you sure? Not even a nip of brandy before you go to bed to settle your nerves?”
“What?” he asked, with a guileless smile. “You doubt me?”
“Spoken like a true rake.”
He brushed his hand along the side of her face. “I’ve not broken any of the rules you set forth.”
She stiffened at his words and pushed out of his arms. That was a problem. She needed him to.
He tried to pull her into his embrace again, but she resisted. “What kind of person neglects the needs of others to go for a ride in the park? We’ve talked far too long. I must get back to my work.”
“All right,” he said and walked over to the table and picked up a piece of the cloth. “Let me see if I can figure this out. You hold it like this.” He laid the white square in the palm of his hand and added a spoonful of the tea leaves to the center. After bringing all the ends together, he picked up a string and tied them in a bow. Holding it up to her, he smiled. “There. With me helping, it will take half the time to finish this, and we’ll still have enough daylight for a short ride through the park.”
Zane knew how to touch her heart to make her feel wonderful. He was an earl! It was almost unbelievable that he wanted to help her do something so menial, but she saw in his eyes he was sincere.
“That looks good,” she praised him before adding in a lighthearted tone, “but you don’t have it quite right.” Taking the little sack from him, she untied the bow. “You must give the fabric a twist like this and then make a very tight reef knot.” She quickly retied it and gave it to him to inspect. “That will secure it so it won’t accidently come untied and the tea be lost to the wind before the person gets home.”
“Understood,” he said, then pulled out the chair in front of the items and sat down. He grabbed another square to make a sack as she had shown. “I’ll keep doing this while you change into riding clothes. If I haven’t filled all of them by the time you return, we will before we leave.”
“What?” She eyed him with teasing annoyance. “You think you might complete these before I can change and return? There are one hundred squares here.”
“Ninety-seven.” He started on another one. “We’ll see. I’m working and you are still standing there. I bet you I’ll have more than half of them finished before you are down and ready to go.”
Brina started for the stairs but stopped short of leaving the room and turned back to the earl. A breathyohpassed her lips as she gave him a knowing smile. She walked closer to him. “Did you just offer me a bet, my lord?”
His hands stilled on the string. His eyes narrowed enough to let her know that he knew immediately what she was referring to.
“No,” he offered casually and finished tying the knot.
“You did,” she insisted with mock seriousness, inching even closer to him. “You are caught. You saidI betyou.”
Zane smiled up at her and placed the bag on the table with the others but she could see a tad of worry around his eyes. Good.
He rose from the chair, slid his hands around her waist, and pulled her close. His gaze locked solidly onto hers. “No,” he insisted with an earnest expression. “I was not offering a wager. It was only a turn of phrase, a figure of speech, a slip of the tongue habit. Not a legitimate call for a bet.”
His hold on her was friendly. She could have easily slipped out of his embrace, but she didn’t want to. They were alone in her dining room and suddenly she wanted his heart-thudding kisses again.
“I’m not so sure about that, my lord,” she answered in a lighthearted tone, their conversation delighting her. Her shoulders swayed lightly from side to side, her hips rocking against the firm hold of his hands. “Perhaps you should try to convince me what you claim is true.”
His arms tightened on her and his face moved closer to hers. “I do believe you are tempting me to behave badly, Mrs. Feld.”
She nodded her confession and asked, “What are you going to do about it?”
For a long moment he stared at her, taking stock of her teasing attitude to assess whether she was serious.
“I may have to kiss you,” he said in a voice that was soft and enticingly husky.
