Sweet Summer Kisses

by Erin Knightley

  “I’m confident I’ll find them. When I’m determined to do something, there’s nothing that will stop me.” He winked.

  “Splendid.”

  Alexandria smiled, but it still wasn’t the full smile he wouldn’t mind seeing on her face. Then he remembered he was her captor. Because he’d made the mistake of stealing the wrong sister—and then threatening her when she held a knife to him—he needed to figure out a way to make her feel he was no threat to her any longer. In fact, from this point forward, he’ll think of her as someone who would assist him in his plight for justice.

  “Tell me, Alexandria, has Walter ever threatened you or treated you unkindly?”

  She frowned. “How do you mean?”

  “Has he ever struck you or acted as if he was about to?”

  “Oh, Heavens no! I haven’t ever seen him act that way with Joanna, either.”

  “Does he talk unkindly to you? Yell or snap at you for doing something wrong?”

  Her stare wandered away again as she scratched her cheek. Slowly, sadness etched in her expression, and surprisingly, his gut twisted. He mentally shook off the feeling, knowing he had no right to experience this with her.

  “Actually, yes,” she said softly. “We don’t converse much, but when he talks to me, he’s not polite at all. He makes me feel like an imbecile and that I don’t have a brain…or at least that I don’t know how to use it. I realize now that I’m just a thorn in his foot, but I have never understood why he is this way around me.” She released a deep sigh. “Perhaps he is correct in assuming I’m worthless because I’m a wallflower and I don’t enjoy mingling.”

  Anger shot through Julian, hotter than he’d expected. If Walter had been standing in front of him now, he’d throttle the imp within an inch of his life. Then Walter would know what worthless felt like.

  “Alexandria, you cannot be more wrong.” He scooted next to her on the couch until his leg brushed against her gown, and he took her hands in his. Her eyes widened and her body stiffened, but that didn’t make him pull away. He needed to get his point across and sitting close to her on the couch was the only way he knew how to do it. “You are a very lovely and intelligent woman. From what I’ve noticed, you are extremely level-headed, as well. I have never known anyone like you.”

  Shaking her head, her face reddened. “No, I’m nothing like you have described.”

  “Indeed, you are, my blossom. Here you are, a woman who has been wrongly kidnapped, and yet so far, you have pointed out my mistakes, dared to threaten me with a knife, and then you have softened your heart and offered to help me with my goal. How many women do you know who would have been so brave in a situation like this?”

  “Brave, sir?”

  He grinned. “Very brave, Alexandria.” He squeezed her hands gently. “On top of that, you write stories. Walter would love to have a gift like yours, considering the fool doesn’t have a creative bone in his body.”

  Immediately, her face lit up and she laughed out loud. Her amber eyes darkened and twinkled like stars in a night sky. He hadn’t realized how utterly amazing she was until now…and how mesmerizingly lovely. His heart leapt, knowing he had made her feel such happiness.

  “You are too kind,” she said, her voice slightly stronger this time.

  He shook his head and tried to stop his heart from beating so fast, and his smile from widening further. “Anyhow…” He cleared his throat, getting his mind back on the matter at hand. “The reason I wanted to know how Walter treated you was because I need to know how he is going to react when I take you back home.”

  The enthusiasm in her expression quickly disappeared. “Oh, no. If you return me home, he will find me a husband, and well…I can’t have him do that. I cannot let him marry me off to the highest bidder.”

  “And it will be that way, for sure. However, I need to get you back home so you can spy for me. Come to think of it, you could snoop through his study or his room when he is not there.”

  Panic filled her gaze as color faded from her face. “I couldn’t possibly do that.”

  Still holding her hand, he brought it to his chest and pressed her palm against his heart. Her attention moved to his chest and her expression softened. Even the rhythm of her breathing quickened.

  “If you help me with this Alexandria, I promise you here and now that I will not let Walter marry you to someone you don’t know or love.”

  After a few seconds, her gaze lifted to his face. “I…I, um…believe you.”

  “That’s a relief.” He winked. “Now, let’s start making plans. We have to return you home before nightfall so that Walter doesn’t suspect a thing.”

  ~*~

  The more Alexandria was with Grey, the more she enjoyed his company. It was also hard to believe, but it became much easier to talk with him…and she rarely blushed anymore. So far she’d been doing as her sister encouraged her to do—become the women in her novels. At first it was hard, but the more she conversed with Grey, the more confidence she gained. Perhaps she could do this after all.

  Another thing she noticed was his attitude toward her now that he realized she was not the duchess. No longer did she feel threatened by his presence, nor was she worried he would hurt her. But she still didn’t know if she could trust him. He definitely wanted to see Walter put behind bars, but could she trust Grey at all? Men who were out for revenge were not in their right minds—so she’d been told.

  Nevertheless, she found herself gazing into his green eyes, and enjoying it. His intense stare didn’t make her as uncomfortable as they had before. But now her breath quickened and her heart fluttered whenever he smiled. Whenever she felt this way, she quickly stopped her feelings. He had to prove to her she could trust him, and he hadn’t done that yet. She had shown him that she trusted him, but that was all a performance. This was the only way she knew how to convince him to take her back home.

  For the past two hours, Grey had explained what he wanted her to do in helping him spy on Walter. A churning pain started in the pit of her stomach, slowly at first, and then heightened. Could a meek woman such as herself accomplish what Grey had instructed? Yet his voice encouraged her and gave her confidence. He assured that he would watch her from afar to make certain Walter didn’t try to hurt her. She wanted to believe him, but she just couldn’t. Not yet.

  A half hour ago, they started back to the estate, riding on his horse. He sat behind her, and the position was so immodest and yet, so incredibly cozy. His arms and legs braced her body intimately. There wasn’t any other place she’d rather be at this moment. Never had she felt this rush of emotions, and since she was tired of questioning them, she decided she would just enjoy them for now.

  “Remember,” he said after a while of traveling in silence, “make certain to be in rooms that have windows so I’ll be able to keep an eye on you the best way I can. If Walter tries to corner you in the hallway, casually lead him into the nearest room with a window.”

  She swallowed hard, praying she’ll be able to accomplish this. She needed to do this. How else could she become the women she writes about in her stories? “Where will you be?”

  “Mainly, I’ll be hiding in the group of trees on the east side of the stable. There is also a small hillside directly opposite to the west wing that has trees and tall bushes that will keep me hidden.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and looked into his eyes. When he met her stare, her heart skipped. She very much enjoyed his smoldering gaze. He was entirely too close, and curse her insane emotions, but she did like the newfound feeling. “Grey, I get the impression by the way you’ve talked about the estate and the house that you know the place quite well. Did you use to visit there as a lad—or perhaps you live nearby?”

  He blinked and moved his focus back to the road. His jaw tightened and she got the distinct impression that he was hiding something. Of course he wouldn’t be completely honest with her yet. Perhaps he waited for her to prove to him that he could trust her. Funny, since
that was the game she played with him.

  “Yes, I have spent a lot of time at the estate. That’s why I know where everything is located.”

  She dared not push him to tell her more. She must believe he would in due time. Yet, she’d shared information about her life, and it seemed almost unfair that she didn’t know that much about him. Hesitantly, she asked, “Is Grey your real name?”

  His eyes locked with hers again, but this time they widened. “Why do you ask?”

  “I just want to get to know you a little better.” She shrugged. “Is it wrong of me to want to know the man I’m helping?”

  His face relaxed and he smiled. Her breath caught in her throat again. This had been happening too much to her, already. Yet, when he looked so incredibly handsome, how could she not react? Nevertheless, she must find a way to stop herself from feeling this way.

  “No, I suppose it’s not wrong.”

  “So…is Grey your real name?”

  “It’s my middle name.”

  “Do your friends call you that?”

  “Actually, no. I hold a title, and they call me by my title.”

  She gasped and sat up straighter—not realizing she’d been resting against his chest. She must have heard him wrong. Noblemen didn’t go around kidnapping innocent women…or doing all they could to see someone hanged. Or did they? “You are a noble?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s your title?”

  Chuckling, he shook his head. “I don’t want you to worry about it right now, my blossom. I give you permission to call me Grey.”

  Oh! His secrets were going to drive her insane, she just knew it. But why he kept referring to her as my blossom didn’t make sense, but it sure made funny and strange things happen to her stomach. “Do you plan on ever telling me?”

  He glanced at her and winked before returning his attention to the road. “Yes, I shall tell you when the time is right.”

  She faced the road and once more, relaxed against his chest. Really, she shouldn’t enjoy this closeness. Obviously, Grey was not the kind of nobleman she wanted him to be. He had strayed from his upbringing, which meant he would not be a gentleman to her at all. And if that be the case, it was utterly ridiculous of her to even conjure up such fantasies about the kind of man she wished him to be. Being a wallflower all of her life, she was used to daydreaming about men giving her some attention like they did to her sister. And just as all of the daydreams she’d had before…this one would eventually come to an end.

  The steady rhythm of the horse lulled and relaxed her until she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. She closed them, but tried to remain alert. All she could hear was the horse’s hooves and Grey’s breathing, and of course, his occasional sigh, which she found herself sighing along with him.

  Her eyes hadn’t been closed for very long before the horse came to a sudden stop. As she blinked herself awake, the heaviness consuming her body let her know she’d been asleep much longer than she’d realized. “Where are we?”

  “Home,” he whispered.

  Her chest tightened with emotion as she glanced down the grove at the estate—Linden Hall was how Walter referred to it. It had only been a few hours since Grey had taken her away from here, and she knew the place would be the same when she returned, yet studying the grand house made her realize how lonely she’d been at this place. Strange to think she’d enjoyed herself with Grey—even when she was frightened to death and couldn’t trust him—more than she had since moving in with her sister.

  Grey maneuvered the animal into a cluster of trees and stopped. He dismounted and then carefully hooked his hands around her waist and lifted her down. She held onto his shoulders, and kept her stare on his eyes as she was lowered to the ground. Her body brushed against him, but he didn’t seem to mind…and remarkably, she didn’t mind, either. Silently, she cursed the fact that she’d been a wallflower all of her life and had never enjoyed such luxuries.

  He licked his lips and his Adam’s apple jumped. “I’ll let you go here. We don’t need Walter or the servants to see us together,” he said softly.

  “No, we don’t.”

  “Remember, you shall be fine. I won’t take my eyes off you.”

  He said the last part so very tender, and the color of his gaze darkened slightly. It was hard not to trust him at this moment, but she couldn’t get rid of the nagging thought in the back of her mind reminding her that he hadn’t proved to her that he was a man who could be trusted.

  She realized he still held onto her—and she held onto him. Suddenly, her throat turned dry, and she didn’t want to move away. “I’ll remember.”

  “I think we should meet later tonight,” he said.

  “You do?”

  “Yes. I want to know everything that’s happened and what hasn’t. Then we can plan for tomorrow’s day.”

  She nodded. “Yes, that’s a good idea.”

  “Where should we meet?”

  Her mind froze, and for the life of her, she couldn’t think of anywhere on the estate that would be private. Of course, it didn’t help her un-functioning mind because she was in his arms and she couldn’t stop gazing into his handsome face.

  The longer he watched her, his mouth slowly stretched into a grin. “There is a grove of trees by the pond. I’m sure you’ve ridden by that place many times since you’ve been here.”

  “Uh…yes.”

  “In the evening, the grove of trees is very private. Not even the moon can lighten inside of them. I think we should meet there.”

  “All right.” She licked her dried lips. “What time?”

  “What time do you have supper?”

  “Eight o’clock.”

  “Then meet me there after supper.”

  “Should I bring you something to eat?”

  His smile widened, if that were possible, and his green eyes glimmered with happiness.

  “I thank you for thinking of me. But yes, that would be wonderful if you could bring me something to eat.”

  “I will.”

  She didn’t know how long she stood standing in his arms, but he acted as if he didn’t want to move, either. Finally, he cleared his throat and dropped his arms. She quickly folded her arms to keep them occupied, because suddenly, they felt empty. A strange hollow feeling encased her, as sadness crept upon her.

  “I’ll see you later.” His voice came out low.

  “Yes, you will.”

  He didn’t move except for his gaze, and it dropped to her mouth. Urgency swept through her, and she wanted him to yank her back in his arms and cover her mouth with his for her very first kiss…the kind of kiss she’d dreamed about since she’d discovered boys were not as disgusting as she’d thought. She scolded herself for thinking this way. He was not the kind of man she should share her first kiss with, but since he’d discovered she was the wrong sister, he’d been so gentle. He’d listened to her and believed in her, which was something men had never done to her before.

  His body swayed toward her, and she held her breath. But he took a step back and she released the pent-up air in a rush between her lips.

  “Don’t forget, I’ll be watching you.” He winked, turned and mounted his horse. He glanced at her one last time before riding toward his hiding spot.

  Disappointment washed over her. She’d been rejected many times in her twenty-one years, but never before had she felt this lonesome before.

  Chapter 4

  Alexandria made it to the stable before anyone noticed her. She figured nobody would know she’d been missing for a few hours, only because she wasn’t important around here, anyway. The sun had begun to set, creating red, yellow, and orange colors to blanket the sky on the horizon. One of the stable boys gave her a nod before returning to his work of moving the hay around the animal’s stalls. Immediately, she noticed Buttercup had returned. She was grateful her horse knew the way back.

  Sighing heavily, she pushed weary fingers through her hair. She’d styled her wave
s into a bun this morning, but over the course of her adventure, they had all come out. She could imagine that she looked like a horrid mess. And to think this was what Grey saw the whole time he held her captive. How embarrassing!

  Well, for certain, tonight she would show him what a proper lady looked like. With any luck, she would be able to help him become the respectable nobleman she knew he could be. Excitement grew inside of her and pushed her toward the house. She even had a bounce in her step that made her want to laugh with giddiness.

  “There you are.”

  The grating voice from her brother-in-law brought her thoughts to a complete stop. The happiness inside her deflated quickly. She ceased from moving any further and stiffened, waiting for him to come into her view. There was no way she would make the first move to look at him. At least they were outside for Grey to watch her, and she didn’t have to worry about trying to find a window to stand by.

  When he finally walked beside her, his gaze skimmed over her frame in disgust, from the top of her messy hair, to the bottom of her mud-encrusted riding habit. His lip curled and he glared at her with beady, hateful eyes.

  “So the wanderer returns,” he snipped in sarcasm.

  “Wanderer?” she questioned, keeping her voice steady, refusing to look directly at him.

  “I figured that after I told you the news earlier today, you had run off. When your horse returned without you, I thought you were gone far away from here for sure.”

  “No, Your Grace. I was just…just…walking. I needed the time and privacy to think.”

  He cocked his head. “And pray tell, what were you thinking about all those hours?”

  Wouldn’t you like to know? “A lot of things, actually.”

  He shrugged. “I see you’ve come home for something to eat, as usual.”

  What had he meant by that remark? That she was fat? Augh! Never before had she wanted to clobber a man like she wanted to with this one. “No, not really. I shall be fine.”

  “So tell me, have you come to terms with what I told you earlier?”

  This time, she couldn’t stop from looking at his. He circled around her, hooking behind his back as he glared her way. She arched an eyebrow. “About finding me a husband?”