Chapter 20
What was Unity thinking, putting her in this awkward situation?
Oh, she will pay for this.
Tabitha fumed as she walked along the border of trees. Unity and Lord Habtage were ahead of her, side-by-side, and Sophia was running ahead, having begged to tag along. Unfortunately, that left Tabitha in the company of none other than Lord Morrington.
They were silent as they trailed behind the others, and it was painful. Her mind was a jumble as she tried to determine what to feel toward him. She wanted to be angry for his childish behavior earlier that day, but she was overwhelmed by his nearness. His hair was windswept from his day outdoors, which gave him a more roguish air than when it was neat and styled.
He was so close, his scent assaulted her nostrils. Sweat and sun and a musk that was all his own. She was having a difficult time hanging on to her pique when her body wanted to go soft and pliable for him. Her reaction to him only infuriated her more.
I do not even like him. Why does he have such an effect on me?
“Are we going to remain silent the whole way, Miss Walters?” he asked, startling her.
Keeping her eyes locked ahead, she licked her suddenly dry lips.
“Silence can sometimes be for the best,” she replied. “There can be no arguments if no one speaks.”
“Are we on the verge of an argument?”
She gulped and glanced up at him. His brows were raised, and he stared down at her expectantly.
“For what reason would we argue, My Lord?” she answered in a tight voice. “We do not know each other well enough for such an exchange.”
“Oh? Do arguments require you to know your opponent well?” He appeared intrigued.
She shrugged. “An argument requires a certain level of comfort with the other person, if you wish to maintain a relationship with them, that is. You need to trust that things between the two of you will not simply fall apart were coarse words to be spoken.”
“Ah, so you wish to preserve our budding friendship, is that it?”
She gaped at him, stunned by his arrogance once more.
“I would simply not wish to harm your budding friendship with my father,” she countered. “He appears to enjoy your company well enough, and I would not deprive him of it.”
“I see,” he murmured. His eyes narrowed and he studied her intently, which made her heart race and her nerves skyrocket. “The Baron is your main concern, but if he did not enjoy my company, would you willingly argue with me then?”
He was twisting her own logic around to confuse her. Tabitha released a breath of frustration.
“My Lord, there is no reason for us to have this discussion,” she insisted. “We are not in an argument, and will not be in an argument. The reasons why do not matter.”
“I disagree, Madam,” he murmured. “I believe the reasons matter very much. You have said that arguments should only happen between two people are intimately acquainted and are not afraid that their relationship will be ruined as a result. If you are holding back from expressing your true thoughts, it means that though we are not intimately acquainted, you are concerned with preserving our newfound relationship.”
Tabitha froze in her tracks, irritation overwhelming her. Lord Morrington came to a stop as well and turned to meet her gaze.
“My Lord, let me speak plainly. I do not wish to engage in an argument with you because there is no point to it. We are practically strangers, and the only words that should be exchanged between us are polite greetings and light inquiries into each other’s days. Comments on the weather are also acceptable. There is no reason we should say anything else to each other.”
His nostrils flared and his eyes flashed, and she thought she might have angered him with her words.
“No reason to say anything?” he snapped. “Is that so? So, as a practical stranger, I should not ask you what it was you were doing riding in Lord Burrows barouche the other day, as it is clearly none of my business?”
“Clearly,” she replied sharply.
He is so infuriating! Why is he trying to drag this out?
“Were you to ask me, I would not be obliged to tell you.”
“Ah, and why is that? To keep the details of your more intimate relationship with Lord Burrows secret?”
Now he was talking nonsense. “I do not know what you are speaking of. Lord Burrows and I have no such relationship.”
His eyes narrowed and he looked as though he did not believe her. “If that is not the nature of your acquaintance with the gentleman, then what were you doing with him a few days ago?”
Was Sophia right to think that he is jealous? Is that why he insists on bringing up that encounter over and over again?
The thought eased some of her pique and replaced it with curiosity. She wondered what he would say if she told him the truth. Would he be pleased to know she was coerced into that barouche ride? Was he embarrassed that he had made such a scene about it?
Glancing toward Unity and Lord Habtage, she saw that they had moved quite a way a head of them. They appeared so absorbed in their own conversation, she guessed they had no idea that she and Lord Morrington had fallen so far behind. Sophia was even further ahead, gathering flowers. This was perhaps the only opportunity she would have to speak candidly with Lord Morrington, and Tabitha decided she would not waste it.
Turning back to face him, she said, “My Lord, in truth, it is none of your concern what I was doing with Lord Burrows that day. However, I do not wish for anyone to associate me with him in that way, so I will tell you that I was not a wholly willing passenger in his barouche.”
Relief flashed across his face. “Oh, I see. Well, I…”
“I am not finished, My Lord,” she interrupted him, knowing if she did not speak the words she wished to immediately, she would lose her courage and never say them. “Just because I do not care for Lord Burrows does not mean that I care for you. To be perfectly honest, I find you arrogant and highhanded, and though I recognize that may be an unfair assessment of your character, you have done little to prove me wrong.”
His eyes widened with astonishment. “Miss Walters…that…that is very bold of you to say.”
“Well, you are persistent in misunderstanding me, and so I thought it best, given this opportunity, to set things straight between us once and for all.”
“Opportunity?” He glanced around, and when his eyes fell on the rest of their group well out of earshot, he nodded. “Ah, I see.”
“I’m glad. My Lord?” Tabitha asked, folding her arms.
He met her gaze and appeared thoughtful for a moment. “So, as it stands, you have no interest in me whatsoever?”
Her heart thudded, but she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “None.”
“But you have no interest in Lord Burrows, either?”
“No, My Lord, I do not.”
“You think me arrogant and high-handed?”
She gulped. “Yes, My Lord, I am afraid I do.”
“Well, that is a pity, Miss Walters.”
“I am sure it is, My Lord.”
“As long as we are being candid with each other,” he said, flipping his hand through the air. “May I say that I find you cold and unapproachable? Also, clearly judgmental.”
She let out a gasp, instantly offended. “How dare you!”
“Oh, how dare I?” he growled back. “You are the one that started us on this path of honesty, Miss Walters. You had no issue expressing your brutal opinions of my character, but I am not given the same courtesy?”
“I am not cold and unapproachable!” she insisted, though she could not say the same in regards to his claim at her being judgmental. She had all but come to that conclusion on her own previously.
“Well, whether you truly are or not does not matter,” he shrugged. “That has been my impression of you.”
“Then why do you insist on continuing to pursue me?” she exclaimed. Her anger was boiling, making her skin hot. She c
lenched her hands into fists as she stared him down.
Lord Morrington took a step closer to her, so he towered over her. She had come upon few men in her life able to do so, given her own stature. That fact that he could sent an annoying thrill rushing through her.
“I have only pursued you until this point because you have been a fascinating puzzle to me. One that I felt I must solve, yet now I see that it is not worth it. You refuse to see past your first impression of me, and I cannot make you change your mind.”
“You refuse to show me anything different than my first impression,” Tabitha hissed. “I refuse to change my opinion of you because you simply tell me to.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, that is right.”
“Well, then perhaps I should demonstrate a reason for you to do so.”
She scoffed. “I do not know how you…”
His hand cupped the back of her head and yanked her toward him. She let out a yelp of surprise, but it was swallowed by his lips as they descended to claim hers. Tabitha gasped, heat shooting through her as his tongue swept into her mouth. She had never been kissed before. Had never known it could be so…so…
Intoxicating.
She released a soft moan, her eyes fluttering shut. His other hand came around to grip her waist. Her body tingled where he touched her, and she was overcome with the urge to melt into him. That yearning she had been experiencing when she thought of him slowly uncurled in her belly, and the place between her legs softly pulsed, sending shivers coursing through her.
His fingers tightened, and for a moment, it seemed as though he would pull her closer.
Instead, he surprised her by breaking the kiss and stepping away from her. His hand dropped to his side, and she gazed up at him in bewilderment. Her breathing was heavy, her chest heaving, as she tried to regain her ability to think rationally. His chest also rose and fell as he panted, but he said not a word as he stared down at her.
Silence stretched between them for several long, agonizing moments.
“What…what…?” She could not get the words out. In truth, she did not know what it was she wanted to say.
“We should catch up with the others,” he murmured. Her confusion turned to shock as he turned and began walking away from her.
“Wait…” she murmured. Then, louder, she shouted, “Wait!”
He froze and turned back to her, his eyes wide.
“What is it?” he asked, as though at a loss as to why she may be upset.
She stomped closer to him and poked her finger into his chest.
“You cannot simply steal my first kiss, then think to run away from me,” she snarled.
He arched a brow. “Your first?”
“Of course!” she gasped, outraged. “Do you think me some trollop?”
“Of course not,” he groaned. “I only thought…perhaps, Lord Burrows…”
She gnashed her teeth. “I have told you I am not interested in Lord Burrows. He is intolerable. Besides, even if he had caught my eye, I very much doubt I would have permitted him to kiss me.”
“Yet you permitted me?” His lips slowly curled at the corners, and she flushed, dropping her finger from his chest.
“That…that is not what I meant,” she hurried to say. “And I would not say I permitted you so much as you took me by surprise.”
“Oh, is that it?” He chuckled. His changes in mood were throwing her off-balance, and she had a difficult time focusing on what he was saying. Her eyes kept straying to his lips, marveling at how soft, yet demanding they had been against hers.
“Yes,” she murmured. “That is it.”
“You are looking at me as though you wish me to take you by surprise again, Miss Walters.”
She tore her eyes from his mouth and looked up into his gaze. “I can assure you that…that is not the case.”
Mirth sparkled in the stormy gray depths of his stare.
“Miss Walters, I do believe you are being dishonest with me.”
“Lord Morrington, I do believe you have overstepped your bounds with me quite enough for one day.” Deciding it was best to put distance between them now, she turned from him and began walking after her sisters and Lord Habtage.
She saw Unity pause and gaze around for a moment before looking back toward her. Her sister appeared confused, and waved her on. The fact that any of them could have turned and spotted her and Lord Morrington engaging in such an act had not occurred to her until that moment. He had made her addle-brained with desire and confusion, and she had not recognized the danger of their actions.
Her face burned with embarrassment, though she could not quite summon up the regret she knew she should also feel. She heard him begin to walk after her, but she did not dare look back at him. She was afraid he would see how much of an impact his kiss had on her. Tabitha continued toward her sister at a hurried pace, her feelings toward Lord Morrington more confused than ever.
Chapter 21
“We should really discuss the plans for the ball.”
Edwin looked up from the study desk in surprise, having not heard Habtage enter the room. He had been attempting to read a correspondence from a business associate back in London, but was finding it difficult to concentrate. His thoughts had continued to stray toward Miss Walters, who was haunting his mind more persistently than before.
It had been over a week since his and Habtage’s last visit to her family’s home, and the last time he had seen her. Over a week since he had so boldly kissed her in an open field, with her sisters and his friend not far from them. Looking back, he could hardly believe he had done such a thing. What if they had been caught? Her reputation would have been ruined.
Yet, she had tasted so sweet, and responded so eagerly to me.
He could not forget the soft press of her lips, or the feel of her slim waist beneath his hand when he had nearly pulled her flush against him. The memory alone stirred his manhood to life and made him wonder what other things she would respond well to.
What would she do if I touched her between her legs? Put my tongue there?
He shuddered at the erotic image his words created in his head. The thought of her spread out before him…her skirts bunched at her waist to reveal the treasure trove that lay beneath…
“Morrington? Did you hear me?” Habtage asked in a sharp voice, yanking Edwin from the lustful abyss he was about to tumble over into.
Blinking at his friend, Edwin tried to recall the question he had posed, but he came up short of an answer.
Instead, he stammered, “I…I did not. What were you saying?”
Habtage frowned, his gaze sparking with annoyance. “I said that we should discuss the ball we have decided to throw in early June.”
“That is still months away,” Edwin replied, quickly dismissing the idea. He had more important things to do than plan a bloody ball.
Relieving the pressure in my groin is among my most pressing concerns at present.
Habtage sighed. “We are nearly into May, and the rest of the summer crowd is beginning to trickle in from town. If we want ours to be the first major event of the season, we must send out the invitations within the week.”
“Why on earth do we care if we are the first event?” Edwin was baffled. It was not like Habtage to put much stock into social status, particularly when it came to things such as balls and soirees. He merely saw them as opportunities to make important connections for his enterprises, or to flirt with the pretty young ladies who ogled him.
Habtage arched an incredulous brow. “Do you not think it would be wise to present ourselves formally to Laurelborough before anyone within the horde from London has a chance to spread the rumors they will no doubt bring with them?”
Edwin closed his eyes and groaned. He had nearly forgotten about the scandal, his whole reason for fleeing to the country in the first place. His mind had become so wrapped up in Miss Walters, little else seemed to permeate his thoughts.
She will discover
the scandal. If I do not solidify my good reputation here, she may believe the rumors without question.
Habtage may have a point about ensuring their ball was the first grand event of the summer. It would give him opportunity to secure Miss Walters’s affections before the terrible lies against his character could spread through Laurelborough like a plague. If she knew him better and cared for him, he was confident she would not believe a word of what she would inevitably hear.
I cannot run from this nightmare forever. I have always known that.
No matter how false the scandal was, there would always be those who would question his innocence. The Countess of Pimperton could confess the full truth tomorrow to anyone she came upon, and suspicion would still follow him for the rest of his days.
Improperly Enticed By The Rascal Earl (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 16
