Whitney’s lips turned up in an evil smile as she took hold of his arm and dragged him toward the stage. The two children were jumping up and down in their excitement.
“I wanted to just blend in,” Liam said in a loud voice.
“Now, don’t be shy, Liam. All these eligible women in the audience want to hear you play,” the performer said, and the crowd went crazy again.
Liam was locked in now, and he couldn’t back out of it without inciting a riot.
“I’ll return the favor, Whitney,” he murmured before jumping up on the stage. “I don’t know why you want to hear me play,” he said in a loud voice over the microphone. “These guys have been doing an amazing job tonight.” When the crowd cried out for him to perform, he smiled broadly. “Okay, okay, I’ll do it.”
He was handed a fiddle, and the band started playing.
As the music soared, even as he drew the bow over the strings, he looked down, his eyes connecting with Whitney’s, and his heart leapt. Liam was in trouble because of this woman. Serious trouble.
Chapter Seventeen
He wasn’t the guy she’d thought he was.
Liam grinned at the audience and played his fiddle like a pro Heck, Whitney had seen Charlie Daniels in concert, but he had nothing on Liam.
She found herself clapping along with the crowd and falling a bit more head over heels for this man. And she had no business doing that. After a few more songs, the crowd allowed him to leave. But he couldn’t stay there at the concert any longer — there was no way the people would give him any peace. So he, she, and the children headed away.
But Liam surprised her by saying this: “Let’s get some ice cream before we head home.”
“Yeah!,” Ally squealed. “I want ice cream!”
Whitney couldn’t possibly tell her niece no. And, if she had to tell the truth, she herself didn’t actually want the night to end.
Still, it all ended too quickly. Soon, young Ally’s eyes were drooping, and they had no choice but to head back to the mansion.
When they started up the winding staircase, Brayden gave them a smile and entered his room. She loved to see the boy smiling so much more since their arrival to his grandfather’s home.
Liam and Whitney walked Ally to her room, and together they tucked her into bed. And the man stayed there while Whitney read the girl a story. Ally had insisted that her uncle stay there during the bedtime ritual; she was growing attached to him, and after such a short time.
A little later, as Liam walked Whitney to her bedroom door, the two adults were silent. Would he kiss her again? She was focused on stopping it. She didn’t think she’d have the willpower to resist him two nights in a row.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” Liam told her there outside her door.
She was afraid even to make eye contact with him. Her body was humming with desire, and she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms.
“It was so kind of you to bring the children to the concert,” she said without looking up. “And to ask me to join you when Sam became sick.” She was counting the specks she saw on the marble floor.
He grasped her chin gently, and she fought not to panic.
Looking into her eyes, he bent his head forward. He brushed his lips lightly against hers, and her heart thundered. Then, before she knew it, he let go and backed away. He smiled at her, then turned and left her leaning against the solid oak door.
She stood there looking at the empty hallway for a long while, but she couldn’t seem to move. Her knees had turned to rubber and her back felt as if her spine had up and dissolved. And all that from a simple brush of Liam’s lips.
When she finally felt a little bit of confidence that her legs could keep her upright, she went inside. But she had a restless night, tossing and turning and dreaming all sorts of erotic dreams. In her fevered imagination, she and Liam were doing a hell of a lot more than kissing.
And when she awoke in the morning, she knew this couldn’t continue.
Chapter Eighteen
Whitney sat terrified in her room. She knew nothing about fancy fundraisers and just didn’t want to go. The outcome was obvious — she knew she’d make a complete fool of herself.
She drank her tea, trying to compose herself but without any success. How could she help but feel sorry for herself? And then she heard a knock on her door. She wasn’t up for visitors, but maybe one of the children needed her for something.
“Come in,” she reluctantly called. Darcy walked into the room with a rare smile on her face.
“We have a surprise for you, Ms. Steele,” she said.
Whitney almost didn’t recognize the maid as the stern woman she’d met when she first arrived.
“I can’t imagine what you have up your sleeve, Darcy” Whitney replied. The maid’s happiness had pulled her from her depressing thoughts.
“We have a full day of what some people call ‘pampering’ scheduled for you,” the woman said.
Whitney stared at her in confusion for a few moments.
“I don’t need that,” she finally managed to stutter. She’d never even had a pedicure, let alone a full day of freaking “pampering.” How was it pampering when you went through hours of torture? What if there was a bikini wax?
“You’re a beauty, as you must know, but all young women need a day of this once in a while,” the maid said. She came over, grabbed Whitney by the hand and led her from the room, ignoring her protests.
The next several hours were a whirlwind of activity, though Whitney wasn’t doing much but sitting in a chair. Masks — was that the word for it? — were put on her face, feet, and hands. She was thrown in a vat of mud, and if that wasn’t enough, her body was plucked and waxed — yep, it was torture — until she felt she had nothing left of her original skin.
When she finally climbed from the shower, she looked in amazement in the mirror at her now silken body. She actually felt beautiful for the first time in her life. Before she had time to think, she was rushed off to another room, where she was dressed in the most beautiful gown she’d ever seen. She didn’t have time to even look at herself in the mirror before she found herself in a chair to have her hair and makeup done up properly.
As she finally looked in the mirror, her eyes filled with tears. They hadn’t overpowered her with heavy layers of makeup, but highlighted her eyes and lips, simply enhancing her natural glow. Her hair was piled up gracefully on top of her head, but with several tendrils curling around her face and shoulders. She wanted to stand up and twirl around in her gown. It hugged her curves from the bodice to past the waist, and then it flared out into a full skirt that was perfect for swirling around a dance floor.
“Thank you so much,” she managed to tell the attendants despite her tight throat.
“Don’t you start crying and ruin all their hard work,” Darcy said, sounding suspiciously close to tears herself. “You have a man to impress tonight.”
“A man? What man?” Whitney had no escort for this occasion.
“There will be a room full of eligible men tonight, but I have a feeling you only have eyes for one,” the woman said with a knowing smile.
She had to protest. “Oh, that’s so not true. I’m not interested in Liam.”
“Then how did you know he was the man I was talking about?” After that remark, the maid disappeared.
For the millionth time in two weeks, Whitney was filled with panic, but she brushed it aside. She was feeling good about herself right now. Did that mean she’d feel the same tonight? She was soon to find out.
Chapter Nineteen
Whitney entered the ballroom and Liam forgot how to breathe.
He had no words to describe how beautiful she was. He’d spent his whole life surrounded by the rich and famous, but she outshone them all. And she had such a pureness about her…
She’d glided into the room wearing a shimmering silver gown that cascaded over her perfect body. She was unadorned by jewels, but she didn’t
need them. Her hair the only accessory she needed. Even the nervous smile resting on her lips captivated him. She was biting gently into her bottom lip. He so wanted to brush her pouting mouth with his tongue.
He started moving toward her before he even knew what he was doing. He couldn’t stand the idea of being away from her for even a moment longer.
“May I have this dance?” he said huskily.
Whitney looked at him with a deep blush on her cheeks.
“Everyone is looking at us, Liam. I don’t know if I can take that kind of pressure.”
“It’s just the two of us” was his only response before he took her hand and led her to the floor.
The moment they stepped into the center of the room, the musicians began to play a waltz. The sigh escaping her beautiful mouth nearly dropped him to his knees.
“You’ve been practicing,” he whispered as they twirled around the room.
“I didn’t want to look like a fool in front of all these people,” she said.
“You dance like a princess,” he told her.
He would have been happy to hold her in his arms for the rest of the night.
But of course in every fairy tale you had to encounter a few obstacles along the way. Their perfect moment was about to be interrupted.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Miss Steele?” Alexandra said. “Your hands are all over a man who is promised to be, I hope you understand.”
Whitney immediately stiffened and gave Liam an accusatory stare.
“Promised? In what way?” Liam asked the woman, not allowing Whitney to free herself from his embrace. His affair with the intruder had ended six months ago.
“How can you ask me that?” Alexandra said with a rising voice.
None of the people in the room could take their eyes off the fabulous drama unfolding before them.
“If you can’t act in a civilized manner, I’ll have to ask you to leave,” Liam said tightly. Alexandra was embarrassing Whitney, and he wasn’t about to put up with that.
Alexandra gave Whitney a high-bred sneer. “Don’t think you won’t be discarded just as easily. He grows bored easily, and you’re not in his class.” The woman turned on her heel and glided from the room.
“Please, Whitney,” Liam said. “Don’t let her ruin your night.”
“What she says is true, though. I’m nothing special. I’m just a girl from a small town with nothing to offer. We both know this is all a fantasy for someone like me.”
As he saw tears welling up in her eyes, he instantly wanted to kiss them away and make her happy somehow. That was definitely a first for him. He’d never fallen prey to women’s tears.
“You can’t imagine how valuable you are.”
“Please don’t say such ridiculous things to me. I really should go.”
She tried pulling away, but he cupped her cheek with his long fingers and ran his thumb along her satin skin. He then bent down and brushed his lips across hers.
“You’re beautiful, Whitney, beautiful inside and out, and I’m completely yours.”
“None of this could possibly be true,” she told him.
“I know how you feel. Let’s just continue dancing,” he said, and he pulled her close once more.
Once Alexandra departed and the drama of the evening dissipated, the people quickly forgot. They’d simply await the next big scandal.
As Liam spun her around the room again, he felt more at peace than he ever had.
There was no possible way he could allow this woman to get away from him.
Chapter Twenty
Whitney couldn’t sleep. She was more attached to Christmas than even the children, and this year was worse than most. The last few days had been magical. Liam had paid her every attention but the one she most wanted in the days after the ball. His goodnight kisses just weren’t enough.
Her nerves weren’t helped when she heard the grandfather clock out in the hall start to chime midnight. She was never going to get any rest. She decided to climb from bed and sneak into the kitchen for a cup of herbal tea. Chamomile sounded about right.
When she cracked her door open and started to tiptoe down the hall, she heard another sound, and she saw Ally standing there.
“What are you still doing awake?”
“I can’t sleep, Auntie. I’m so afraid Santa won’t find us here.” The poor little girl seemed to be on the verge of tears.
“Oh, baby, of course he’ll find us. Why don’t you come to the kitchen with me? I’ll get us something to drink that will help us get back to sleep.”
They thought they were being so sneaky as they crept downstairs, but it looked as if the rest of the household was awake too. Brayden looked up with a guilty grin, as did Liam, who with just one glance made Whitney’s toes curl.
“It looks like we’ve all had the same idea,” Whitney said as she joined them at the large table in the corner. Even Darcy was there, bustling about.
“I haven’t been this excited about Christmas since I was a young boy,” Liam said with a laugh, a laugh that Whitney felt she’d be happy to hear every day for the rest of her life.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” Mr. Smotter said. “I never stay up so late.”
When they were finishing their tea, Frederick came down. “I’ve been looking for you. Come quickly,” he said.
Whitney was concerned by the urgency in his voice. She hoped nothing was wrong, not on this day of days. They all followed Frederick down the hallway and piled in behind him when he disappeared inside a door.
Whitney gasped at the sight of Santa stacking presents beneath an impressive tree. She couldn’t believe how real the fellow looked, or how Frederick had managed to arrange this visit on such short notice. She turned to look at Ally, who was beaming.
“Oh, my goodness, it looks as if you’ve caught me,” Santa said with a loud chuckle.
Ally immediately ran across the room and launched herself into his arms.
“I knew you were real, Santa,” she said as a tear fell down her face.
He returned her hug. “Of course I’m real, beautiful Ally,” he told her.
“I’m sorry, Ally. I guess I was wrong,” Brayden said to his sister.
Whitney was so happy with the way her nephew had changed and grown during the time they’d spent at the Felton mansion. The boy was going to make a fine young man.
Ally beamed at her brother, but she wouldn’t let Santa go.
“I have a special gift for you because you’ve been such a good girl,” Santa said to her. She gasped as he handed her a present wrapped in shiny paper and looked at it reverently before opening it carefully. Inside the box was a heart-shaped locket with a picture of her mom and dad inside. Santa placed it around her neck and said, “Your parents love you very much, little girl, and they’re always watching out for you.”
Whitney was overcome with emotion, and she turned toward Frederick with gratitude shining in her eyes. He’d truly given the best gift he could to her niece — the gift of love from her parents.
“Thank you so much,” she said as she threw her arms around him.
“This is all because of you, Whitney,” he replied.
She wiped a tear from her own cheek, and after giving Frederick an affection kiss, went to sit next to Ally. Santa passed out the rest of his gifts and then quickly slipped away. The room was filled with laughter as everyone took their time with the pretty paper and bows.
“How about some Christmas songs before we turn in for the night?” Frederick asked.
Liam sat at the piano and started playing, and the room erupted in a beautiful version of “Silent Night.” Whitney got up and joined Liam on the bench. It made no sense, but she had this desperate a need to be near him.
After a few rounds of Christmas carols, though, she noticed that her niece was nodding off. It was time for bed. The early morning light was starting to slip through the curtains, and they’d all be lucky to get a few hours sleep before excitement got
them out of bed again for a holiday breakfast.
“I think we’ll get you tucked in now,” she told Ally. “When you wake up, it will officially be Christmas morning and we’ll have a lot more to do.”
“But I’m not tired, Auntie,” Ally said through a loud yawn.
“I know you’re not, but we’ll try to get some sleep anyway. I’ll read you another bedtime story.”
Ally rubbed her eyes and reluctantly agreed. Liam walked with them to Ally’s room and Whitney tucked her in. Before the story was even halfway finished, the girl was sound asleep.
“You’ve done an amazing job with these two children,” Liam told her as they walked toward her room.
“I love them more than anything. I wish my sister and Vincent could be here to watch them grow, but I am so grateful that I get to be here since their parents can’t be.”
“Don’t you see that they are here?” Liam told her. They’re here each time the children laugh. I know my brother would want no one to raise them but you. You’re incredible.”
“Thank you for giving us this healing Christmas,” Whitney said.
Liam reached down to brush his lips against hers.
“Please come inside with me, Liam.”
She whispered those words, but there was no doubt that he’d heard them. He opened her door without ever releasing his grip on her, and they backed toward her bed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Whitney knew they were moving too quickly, but it had felt like an eternity since she’d last felt his touch. She couldn’t stop what was happening, but even if she could have, she wouldn’t want to.
He backed her up until her legs hit the edge of her bed and then he pressed against her. She felt his arousal pushed into her stomach, and she wanted to reach out and grip him there, but she was unsure of herself. Would that be too bold of her?
But she moved her hands from his well-defined shoulders and brought them slowly down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt along the way. She was desperate to feel the contours of his solid chest. While she was working on removing his clothes, he was slowly stripping hers off too. She could feel the cool air as it whispered along her skin. Excitement surged through her.
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