by Joanna Shupe
“Absolutely not,” he snapped, his body jerking. “Sneak off together it is. When and where?”
“Half an hour and we’ll meet in the gardens. The key is to be noticed as we each leave the ballroom.”
“That shouldn’t prove difficult. Who leaves first?”
“I suppose it should be you. Then I’ll venture outside, stroll about for fifteen minutes, and return to the ballroom.”
“No.” His hand tightened on her waist. “I do not like the idea of you wandering the gardens by yourself. I’ll leave first and wait for you just beyond the circle of torchlight.”
“I am certain it’s perfectly safe out there.”
“Spoken like a woman raised in the English countryside. This is New York, Nora. Do not argue—and do not go off by yourself, even at a fancy society party.”
She huffed and waited for a nearby couple to dance out of earshot before she murmured, “I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in London. We have a fair number of criminals there, too. And you are surprisingly bossy for a fake fiancé.”
He leaned in, his mouth close to her ear. “While we are engaged, fake as it may be, you are my responsibility, one I take quite seriously.”
A shiver worked its way along her nerve endings, though she couldn’t say why. The sensation resembled attraction, which was insane considering the circumstances. Attraction . . . for Julius? Utterly laughable. Yes, he was handsome and intelligent. Reasonably charming when he wanted to be. But the two of them were partners, nothing more. Nora’s only goal was to return to Robert.
She stepped back and put distance between them. “I appreciate your concern, but I am shockingly self-sufficient.”
“And young.” His bright blue gaze narrowed on her. “Do you argue with everyone, or is it just with me you insist on disagreeing?”
She couldn’t remember any argument with Robert since they’d become acquainted, but she wasn’t about to let Julius believe himself special in some way. “A pity you find me so objectionable. Which is indeed interesting coming from a man I saw drunkenly fall off a horse a few days ago.”
He deftly guided her toward the far end of the room, his steps sure and quick on the dance floor. “A neat way of avoiding the question. Besides, I already told you that was my birthday celebration.”
“I see,” she said, though she really did not. Did every wealthy American man throw a bacchanal on his birthday? More horrifyingly, there was a hint of defensiveness in his tone, as if he only acted so outrageously one day a year. That would be a disaster, she thought. One day a year would not shock her father. She needed Julius hosting parties on horseback every week.
At that moment, the song ended and Julius led her to the edge of the parquet dance floor. He kissed her gloved hand but did not relinquish his hold after he straightened. Instead, his lips curved into a devious half smile. “Twenty-five minutes, my lady.”
A strange warmth seeped into her belly, so she snatched her hand back. When they met outside she would need to tell him no more flirting. No more whispering in her ear or holding her hand too long. And absolutely no roguish smiles, either. She did not want to like him, for heaven’s sake.
They were temporary partners to accomplish a common goal. That was all it ever would be.
After managing a brisk nod, she spun and hurried away. There was no reason to run, but she had a sudden desire to flee. To get away from this house, this city. To put as much distance between herself and Julius Hatcher as possible.
Chapter Five
“I cannot make up my mind.”
Julius spun to find Beatrice Cortland directly behind him in the dining room. He’d been circulating through the crowds, trying to patiently wait out the twenty-five minutes before venturing outside. Nora’s aunt frowned up at him, though he had no idea what he’d done to displease her. “Ma’am?”
“About you. I cannot decide if you are exactly who people say you are, or if you are the complete opposite.”
His reputation had been greatly exaggerated in the press, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. “Perhaps it’s a bit of both?”
“I certainly hope not.” She plucked two glasses of champagne off the dining table and handed one to him. “For Nora’s sake, I hope you are far more serious than the newspapers make you out to be.”
“Why?” he had to ask.
“Because my niece has unfortunately inherited my rebellious streak and the young man waiting for her back in England no doubt encourages it. Some fortune hunter, I’d wager. What she needs is a levelheaded man to keep her grounded.” She took a sip from the crystal glass, her eyes never leaving Julius’s face. “And it would be nice if said man were American.”
“Oh.” His mouth dried up as questions flooded his brain. Did Mrs. Cortland suspect the engagement to be a lie? How had she learned of Nora’s young man back in England, something Julius had merely suspected? Was she seriously hoping Julius and Nora developed a fondness for one another?
“You’re white as a sheet.” Nora’s aunt chuckled. “You young people, thinking we’re stupid merely because we’re older. Do not worry, I shan’t say anything to Nora about this.”
“How did you learn of the man back in England?”
“The letters. He writes her one nearly every day. Same masculine hand and cheap paper. I haven’t read any, if that is what you’re thinking. I would never invade her privacy in such a disrespectful manner.”
“I didn’t assume you had. Is this man why her father sent her off to America, then?”
Mrs. Cortland took a long sip of champagne and studied him over the rim. “The honest answer is that I don’t know. However, even if I did, I’m not certain you have her best interests at heart. Until I feel you are trustworthy, you’ll get nothing out of me.”
“I do not wish her harm, if that’s your concern.”
“Yes, but you have your own reasons for agreeing to this scheme, one I suspect was her idea. Interesting that she disappeared for so long during our dinner at Sherry’s, where you happened to be hosting a raucous party. You see, I looked for her after a few minutes, just to check on her, but she was not to be found.”
Obviously, Nora could not fool her aunt. Part of him wanted to warn his fiancée; the other part wanted to enlist her aunt’s help in curtailing Nora’s outrageousness. He decided to go with honesty. “Yes, that is where she first approached me. Do you plan on revealing us?”
“No. As I said, I have purely selfish motives for encouraging the two of you. And, based on what I have observed, I am quite hopeful.”
He blinked a few times. “Hopeful? I don’t understand.”
She stepped in closer, lowering her voice. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. She is unlike any woman you’ll find here in America, Mr. Hatcher. Girls here are raised as if they are made of sugar, treated like precious objects. Coddled. Nora is steel and spice, with centuries of British female resourcefulness in her genes.”
Yes, that summed up what he knew of Nora thus far.
But he had to ensure this woman harbored no false hope. “I have no intention of actually marrying her, Mrs. Cortland. Or any woman, for that matter. Just so we are clear on where matters stand.”
Her lips twisted into a sly smile, mirth dancing in eyes that closely resembled her niece’s brown gaze. “Powerful men like to cling to their bachelorhood as long as possible, Mr. Hatcher. But you all fall eventually. All it takes is the right woman.” On that, she swirled away in a cloud of silk skirts, leaving him rooted in place.
Julius watched as drops slid down the large ice sculpture, Poseidon’s crown now more like a tiny tiara. For the first time since agreeing to Nora’s scheme, he wondered if he might be in over his head.
No, he would remain firm. This was a business arrangement. Yes, he was attracted to Nora. What red-blooded American man wouldn’t be? She was challenging, intelligent, and fearless—not to mention distractingly beautiful with full pouty lips and a healthy bosom.
But this was
only a short-term solution to a problem that had long plagued him: finding the men responsible for his father’s demise.
That was all.
Lifting the champagne glass to his mouth, he threw back the contents and swallowed. He wished for something stronger but had no time to seek that out now. He needed to make his way outside to meet Nora.
It was not easy. Most of the doors were in full view of the crowd, and Julius had no intention of being seen departing for an illicit rendezvous. He’d been serious when he told Nora he would not cause a scene. Getting himself thrown out of society so soon served absolutely no purpose. The men who cheated his father would never be found then.
He located a window in one of the empty sitting rooms that would lead to the edge of the terrace. Throwing up the sash, he climbed over the sill. The night was unusually warm for February in New York. Surprising, then, to find the terrace empty. He’d thought more guests would long to escape the heat of the ballroom.
Taking the stairs at the edge, he soon ended up on the ground near the gardens. He leaned against the stone wall and checked his pocket watch by the torchlight above. Exactly twenty-eight minutes. Had she beaten him outside?
After another few moments he pushed away from the wall and started into the gardens. Perhaps she’d wandered down the path to find him. The tall hedges would come up over her head, which meant he couldn’t easily spot her. “Nora,” he called in a stage whisper.
Another turn on the stone path led him deeper into the foliage with only the light of the moon to guide his way. He hadn’t seen a garden quite like this outside of Central Park. Trees and bushes lined the walk, with trellised archways on the corners. Julius needed to have a serious discussion with his gardeners.
He wound around a corner and still did not see her. “Nora,” he said louder. “Are you here?”
She popped out from the side of the bushes directly ahead, nearly scaring him. “Julius!”
He blew out a breath and stopped by a large oak tree. “Thank God. I worried I’d have to send a search party after you.”
“I came out and didn’t see you,” she said, drawing closer. “So I assumed you’d already walked into the gardens.”
Never mind that he’d expressly said he would wait for her, that she shouldn’t wander the gardens alone. He got the sense Nora did not take orders well. He thrust his hands in his pockets. “Well, what do we do now?”
She came to stand in front of him and lifted one shoulder. “Wait a few moments and then go back inside.”
“Separately or together?”
“We wait here together and then enter the ballroom separately. Have you never carried out an illicit rendezvous before?”
“I’ve never had a reason to be secretive before.” He flashed her a grin and waggled his brows. “All of my illicitness is quite public.”
“This coming from the man who did not want to hold me improperly on the dance floor.”
His grin faded. “Is that truly what you’d like, a man to defile you in front of a room full of matrons and gentlemen?”
She sniffed and rubbed her upper arms with gloved hands. “I never said defile. Grope, yes. Defile, no.”
“It’s the same thing in their eyes, and you know it. You must have given your father fits.”
“Why do you say so?” Her gaze narrowed on him.
“I can only imagine him as a very proper aristocrat who continually tried to stop his daughter from calamity.”
“You would be wrong. I’ll have you know I was a model daughter and young woman of society. There were no calamities—well, except for one.”
“Oh, this I must hear.”
“Absolutely not. Forget I mentioned it.”
He opened his mouth to push her on it but a crunch of gravel nearby caught him off guard. He locked eyes with Nora, who seemed to be holding her breath.
“Say, who’s there?” a voice called from behind them, the footsteps coming closer.
His only thought was to protect Nora. No one could discover her here, alone with him.
Without blinking, he grabbed her waist and lifted her, putting her back to the tree trunk and covering her with his body. The only thing left to do was to keep her quiet.
He quickly angled his head and started kissing her.
Julius’s lips pressed to hers and Nora froze, her mind trying to understand what was happening. One minute she’d been standing in the path talking to Julius, and the next moment he had her pressed against a tree, kissing the daylights out of her.
Kissing her. Julius was kissing her. On the mouth.
Confusion became quickly overshadowed by the pull and drag of his lips as they molded to hers, confident and sure, as if they had done this a thousand times. Warmth spread through her veins, a slow rush of unexpected heat. Bark dug into her back but she hardly felt it, not with Julius’s fingers digging into her hips as he teased a response from her, coaxing, guiding her toward wickedness. She knew this was wrong, knew she should put a stop to it . . . but found herself kissing him back instead.
His large body jolted and he growled in the back of his throat. “Yes,” he breathed before tilting his head and deepening the kiss, attacking her mouth with a determination that weakened her knees. Her lids fluttered closed and she relaxed, melted, and acquiesced into a sea of sensation, her pulse an erratic rhythm in her chest. She forgot about the cold, the strange surroundings, that most of New York society was just steps away. It took all her concentration just to hold on to him and keep breathing.
Large hands traveled up her rib cage while his tongue teased the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth to allow him inside and he took immediate advantage, his tongue sliding past her lips to twine with hers. Slick and rough, his tongue tasted her with slow, deliberate thoroughness, as if savoring the experience. Exploring. Learning. He surrounded her, inside and out, a safe haven where she could be this new bold, carefree woman enjoying an illicit kiss with a near stranger. No plotting and scheming, no worrying about her future. There was only now. Only Julius.
“Say, who’s there?” the strange voice said again.
Julius’s mouth broke off from hers and he pressed her face directly into the warm skin of his neck. She heard him snap, “Leave us.”
“Oh, Hatcher. Apologies. Thought you were someone else.”
Panting, she tried to clear her mind. Julius had kissed her. Outside. In the gardens. Of the Billingses’ ball. Her nose was buried in his throat and she took a deep inhale. He smelled heavenly, like dark woods and spice. Why were they here? Right, she’d asked him to meet her to start a scandal. And someone else had just caught them. Therefore, she should be calling attention to her presence. Why was she so dashed light-headed? Heavens, that kiss had scrambled her brain.
Drawing in a deep breath, she lifted her head and opened her mouth. “Wait, sir,” she rasped.
Hands abruptly left her waist. Julius stepped away, dragging fingers through his rumpled hair. “Don’t bother. He’s gone.”
She put her palms on the trunk behind her to steady herself. “Gone? But he was right here a second ago.”
“A little longer than that, princess. Regardless, he cannot hear you any longer.”
Shame and anger began coiling in her chest, a hot ball of regret to replace the tingles from moments earlier. Dear heavens, she’d just kissed a man who wasn’t Robert. Sweet Robert, who pined for her back in London. This was not how the evening was supposed to turn out.
She latched on to the outrage, a much safer feeling that required no examination or explanation of any kind. There would be time enough for recriminations later, once she had reflected on all that had happened. “How dare you kiss me! The only reason I came out here was to be discovered—and you just prevented that!”
His head snapped toward her, blue eyes narrowed. “No, you wanted to be seen leaving the ballroom. Not cavorting alone with a man in the gardens.”
“I was hardly cavorting—and nothing untoward would’ve even occurre
d if you hadn’t kissed me.”
“It was the only thing I could think to do to save your reputation.”
“Oh, save my reputation by kissing me? Really, Julius.” She rolled her eyes. “That is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Nevertheless, it’s true. I knew whoever caught us would recognize me, assume the worst, and leave. Which is precisely what happened. And you are welcome.” He straightened his waistcoat and then his tie, which had become askew. Had she done that? Knowing she’d pawed at him caused her fury to grow hotter.
“I am not thanking you!” she said. “You are the most aggravating man. Your plan to save me from ruin was to ruin me yourself?”
“Kissing is hardly ruining you, Nora. Unless you are truly that innocent?”
“I know what it means to be ruined—and you are missing the point. I want to be ruined!”
“No, you don’t. Trust me. Scandal is one thing. Ruin is another matter entirely.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I had no idea you were such an expert on society’s rules, seeing how this is your first foray into society. Anything else you should care to explain?”
He exhaled harshly. “I’ll not allow your reputation to be dragged through the mud. I’m certainly no expert, but I do know that society frowns on this sort of thing between unmarried couples.”
“You should not be kissing me.”
“Why not? You wanted me to grope you on the dance floor.” His voice crept up in volume, a flush creeping over the edge of his collar. “Why is kissing worse?”
“Because we were alone. The groping was for the benefit of the ballroom.”
“And that kiss was for the benefit of the man who almost discovered you out here.” When she just glared at him, too furious to speak, his expression cleared. “I understand what is happening here. You enjoyed our kiss. That’s why you’re so upset.”
“I did not enjoy that kiss. You caught me by surprise and took advantage.”
