She gasped but slid willingly into his arms, her own circling his neck. “Yes. We played here often, whenever the tide or the weather didn’t grant us access to the beach.”
He kissed a spot on her neck, loving the taste of her skin, so fresh and sweet. As he circled her waist with his hands, her chest settled against his and he nearly groaned aloud. There must be magic here in Seabridge Gate that was seeping into his very soul. Because suddenly he wanted all sorts of things he hadn’t wished for in ages. “Juliet,” he said in a strangled groan. “I need to know—”
But he didn’t finish as her lips found his and suddenly they were kissing. It wasn’t soft or slow like the last but a heated press that made the desire in him roar as he pressed her closer. He’d wanted to ask her how she felt about him. Did she think this was more than just attraction? Perhaps she didn’t. She’d sworn to keep their last kiss a secret. And he’d appreciated that so much, but right now, the idea dissatisfied him. He didn’t want to share just a few kisses. He wanted so much more.
The need building inside him muddled his thoughts. Were his desires only physical? Her gloved hands had slipped up into his hair. Or did he want all the emotion that went with such need?
“Juliet,” he groaned, trailing his fingers along her spine until he reached the nape of her neck. “I want…”
She kissed him again and this time, he slanted her mouth open, his tongue lightly touching hers. He felt her shudder and he repeated the touch over and over until they both panted for breath. He slid a hand back down her back, over her behind, and down her leg. His fingers itched to flick the hem of her gown up and slide underneath all the layers of fabric to explore the curves of her legs and, if he were honest, her hot core.
The music ended and clapping broke out. He pulled back, looking up at the woman nestled into his lap. She blinked down at him. “Dane?” she asked. “What’s happening?”
He locked an arm about her tiny waist as he stood them both up, supporting her weight. “Things that we need to discuss,” he murmured against her lips. “But right now, I should return you to your father’s side.”
She gave a tentative nod. “We’ll have to find a time to talk. I—”
He gave her a quick kiss as he started back down the path, supporting more of her weight. “We will. I feel the same.”
“Do you?” she whispered but he just heard her. “Do you really?”
Chapter Ten
Juliet tried to think as her heart beat wildly in her chest. What did he feel the same about? Did he think he was falling in love too?
But then she remembered. She’d said they needed to talk. He was agreeing. Dane wasn’t confessing his undying affection but just affirming that a conversation should take place. Her insides twisted and turned. What if he didn’t care for her the way she did him? With every touch, every kiss, it grew increasingly likely that her heart could be broken.
They stepped back into the crush of the ballroom, weaving back to her father’s side. She’d like to continue to hold on to Dane but he loosened her fingers, whispering in her ear, “I’ll be back.” Then he melted into the crowd.
She blinked. The kiss in the garden seemed like a dream back here in the noise and the crowd. Her father continued to chatter away, seeming oblivious to the fact that she’d disappeared.
“Are you all right?” Cordelia asked. “You’ve gone quite pale.”
She looked at her sister, reaching for her hand. “I’m confused.”
Cordelia nodded. “I understand. You thought you were in love with one man and now you find yourself actually in love with another.”
Juliet furrowed her brow. Was it that simple? “But what if he doesn’t love me back?”
Cordelia gave her fingers a squeeze, her gaze sympathetic as her eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’ve no idea, honestly. I keep asking myself the same question.”
Cordelia’s confession seemed to penetrate the fog that had clouded her mind. “Who might you be in love with?” Her sister had a beau? Juliet really had been distracted. Normally she knew all about these sorts of things where her sisters were concerned and she did something to aid them.
Cordelia shrugged but then her eyes lifted over Juliet’s shoulder. They widened, going pale, as her face lost all color.
Juliet looked back to see Dashlane and Adrianna coming toward them. Suddenly, she understood. Cordelia had feelings for Lord Dashlane. Oh dear.
“Juliet,” Adrianna called, waving a hand. “Juliet.”
Her mouth pressed into a line as she looked back at Cordelia, whose expression had become pained. “Adrianna has surely collected him to dance with you.”
She swallowed a lump. Could she give her dance to Cordelia? She’d never wanted to be around Dashlane less than she did right at this moment. “With me?” She looked back at Cordelia. “I’ll see if he can dance with you.”
Cordelia shook her head but Juliet saw her shoulders slump in relief. “It’s all right. But tell our sisters you’re not interested in him anymore.”
“Are you interested?” she asked, squeezing Cordelia’s fingers once again.
Cordelia’s shoulders lifted and then fell again. “I’m not certain.”
Juliet nodded and leaned over to kiss her sister’s cheek. “I understand completely.”
Someone tugged on her other arm and she turned to see Adrianna. Her youngest sister was just in front of her, wearing a triumphant grin. “You can thank me later,” Adrianna whispered before she stepped aside to make room for Lord Dashlane.
Juliet sucked in her breath. She knew why Adrianna had attempted to help her but she really wished her sister hadn’t. Then her stomach twisted. Perhaps her sisters often felt that way about her attempts to help them.
“Miss Moorish.” Dashlane gave a stiff bow, his eyes sliding to Cordelia before returning to her. “Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
She jerked her chin in acceptance, placing her fingers in his outstretched hand. As if she needed any confirmation he was not the man for her, nothing happened when they touched. Her breath didn’t catch or speed up. Her heart did flop in her chest but that was with some sick dread.
Then she realized, she could use this opportunity to steer Dashlane toward her sister. Briefly, she looked back at Cordelia. Was she meddling again, an annoyance to her family and anyone she wished to love?
With a sigh, she allowed him to pull her onto the dance floor. His hand at her waist felt odd. She’d only ever allowed Dane to touch her in such a way. But she started the steps with Dashlane, looking anywhere but at him.
That’s when her eye caught Dane. Standing just feet away in a line of onlookers, his mouth twisted into a frown. She attempted to tell him, with her eyes, that this dance meant nothing, but his face continued to grow increasingly stern, his brow furrowing over his eyes.
She looked back at Dashlane. “I’d like to apologize.”
“For what?” he asked, spinning her again so she could no longer see Dane.
She drew in a breath. “I expressed some interest in you and my sisters have taken it upon themselves to attempt to match us.” Color rose in her cheeks. “But I just need you to know that I don’t expect anything from you. And that I won’t bother you again.”
He was silent for so long that Juliet finally met his gaze. “I’m sorry too. A woman as beautiful as you should never feel like she needs to apologize to a man for giving him attention.”
His compliment nearly made her smile. “Worry not. I know that my personality can be abrasive. I—” She swallowed, realizing how much she was revealing.
He slowed their steps, holding on to her waist. “Is that what you think?” He cleared his throat. “I’m the one who should be apologizing for ever making you doubt yourself. The truth is…” He looked back through the crowd where Cordelia and Adrianna stood watching them. Juliet realized that Dane was just behind them, watching too. “The truth is that I find myself quite taken with another.”
Juliet sm
iled. “I understand completely. If you need any help, just ask.”
He looked back at her, giving her a large smile. “Thank you so much.”
She nodded, her gaze returning to her sisters. but really, she was attempting to find Dane. Her gaze narrowed as she searched the crowd. He’d disappeared.
Dane stood on the fringe of the dance floor watching Dashlane lead Juliet to an open spot. His insides tightened with jealousy.
Granted, at this moment, he might be irrationally angry with any other man who touched her. This need to claim her as his own was building inside him. Had he scoffed at Chase for getting engaged within a week? If his relationship with Juliet continued to progress this swiftly, he doubted he’d last another day.
Dane watched as they began the dance but his chest felt tight as he saw a blush climb into her cheeks, noted the way she could barely look the other man in the eye. Dashlane was handsome, he’d give the other man that.
But with Dashlane it was more. He sensed a change in Juliet whenever the other man was around. Did she have feelings for him? The thought made bile rise up in his throat. He slipped through the crowd until he stood behind Adrianna and Cordelia. He started to move on but Adrianna’s voice caught his ear and stopped him dead in his tracks. “My scheming tonight was almost as good as Juliet’s.”
Juliet? Scheming? His insides dropped even as his jaw clenched. He must have misheard.
Cordelia replied with something he couldn’t make out. She faced away from him but Adrianna’s reply rang in his ears.
“I thought she was in love with Dashlane? Has she decided to pursue a marquess instead?”
His fists clenched at his sides as he squeezed his eyes shut. She was in love with Dashlane? Had another woman played him? Decided she wanted to be a marchioness? Part of him didn’t want to believe it. He knew Juliet, she wasn’t like that. But he’d wanted to believe that the last time too.
Had this all been an elaborate scheme on her part? It wouldn’t be the first time a woman had used her wiles to trap him.
He spun about, wanting to leave the ball but knowing he couldn’t. His sister was here somewhere and she’d gone too long without a proper chaperone already. He noted that she now stood with Ophelia and Chase and he made his way to his cousin. “Can you keep an eye on Charlie for me tonight?” he ground out between his clenched teeth.
Chase narrowed his gaze as he looked at his cousin. “Of course. Why? Where are you going?”
“Anywhere but here,” he answered, turning away.
Chase grabbed his sleeve and began pulling him toward the garden. “We need to talk.”
He pulled his arms from Chase’s grip. “I don’t want to talk.”
Chase looked back at him. “I’d let you just go but I have a feeling you’re about to make a very big mistake.”
Dane snorted. “You couldn’t possibly know that.”
“Really?” Chase crossed his arms. “I know that Dashlane is dancing with Juliet. And I know that you’ve a tendency to mistrust feelings. And I also know that you’ve kissed—”
“All right,” he said, realizing that a conversation was inevitable. “We’ll talk.”
Chase turned and headed out to the garden. He’d been out here just a bit ago but his feelings couldn’t be any more different.
“You have kissed her, haven’t you?” Chase said, turning.
“Yes,” he answered, not bothering to lie.
“And you plan to marry her.”
It wasn’t a question. His cousin was a duke and he didn’t ask lots of times. He demanded. Five minutes ago, his answer would have been different. But now. His gut churned. “I considered the prospect.”
Chase stood straighter. “Well cease considering. I’m not giving you an option.”
Dane clenched his fists. “I overheard Adrianna say that Juliet was scheming to become my wife. I won’t be manipulated like that, Chase. Never again.”
Chase let out a long breath. “I doubt very much that Juliet is trying to manipulate you into a proposal. Why don’t you tell me exactly what Adrianna said?”
A little doubt niggled in Dane’s stomach. Somehow, he’d had the same doubt. “She called Juliet a schemer.”
Chase’s head bobbed back and forth. “She does tend to concoct little plans. And they do often bring people together. But they’re the most innocent of plans. They involve lost cats and this dance.”
Dane’s stomach dropped. “She planned this dance to try and catch Dashlane.”
Chase winced. “A harmless crush on the wrong man because she had absolutely no experience.”
“You think.” Dane pointed a finger. “You don’t know that for certain.”
Chase stepped closer. “Here’s what I know. When she does make some plan, it couldn’t be any more obvious. She gets theatrical, her voice rises, anyone who knows anything about her can tell she’s devised a plan. It’s the most innocent scheming in the history of deviance.” Then Chase smacked his arm. “And you’d better not allow Tiffany to ruin what could be a wonderful future.”
Those words hurt. He raked his hands through his hair, squeezing his eyes shut. Chase had a point. Was he painting Juliet with Tiffany’s brush? That thought hurt more than he cared to admit.
Chapter Eleven
Juliet tapped her toe as she dropped her arms at her sides, then she lifted them to hug her middle before dropping them again. Where was Dane?
The third set was about to start. The one that Dane had agreed to dance with her. Only he hadn’t arrived.
Couples were pairing as gentlemen came to collect their partners and then return to the dance floor. She waited, shifting again, and craned her neck about. He was a head taller than most men and easy to spot but she didn’t see him anywhere.
The first strains of music started and she looked to her right to see him enter the ballroom from the garden. But rather than come collect her, he skirted the edge and then disappeared out into the entry. Her heart rose into her throat and she placed a hand at the base of her neck, trying to control her emotions. He wasn’t going to dance with her?
Disappointment washed over her. Why?
The single word reverberated in her chest. They’d just kissed for the third time in the garden. What was the matter?
Chase entered the ballroom from the same door Dane had just come through. For a moment she debated going after Dane but she had no idea where he might have gone. Instead, she crossed the room to find Chase.
He stood at Ophelia’s side, Charlie chattering away next to both of them.
His brow was set low and his arms crossed in front of him.
She swallowed. “Your Grace,” she said, looking at her future brother-in-law.
“Juliet?” He took one look at her and placed a hand under her elbow. “Did Dane say something dreadful to you? Do I need to give him a good thrashing?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t say anything at all.” Her breath caught on the word anything. “In fact, he didn’t even collect his dance. This set was supposed to be his.”
Chase’s brow dropped low. “The cad,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’ll make sure he signs up for another.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want you to make him do anything. I thought…” She drew in a steadying breath. “I thought he wanted to dance with me.”
Chase pulled her to the side. “He’s worried that you only want to be a marchioness. That your true feeling is for Dashlane.”
The words hit her like a kick in the stomach. Of course that’s what he was worried about. “Tiffany,” she murmured, her hand covering her face.
Chase’s eyes widened in surprise. “He must really care about you if he told you about her betrayal.”
“I don’t know about that but at least I understand.” She shook her head. “And for whatever it is worth, I don’t feel anything at all for Dashlane. I’m not sure I ever did.”
“I know.” He scratched the back of his head. “And Dane will figure that ou
t too. He’s just very stubborn. And he’s been hurt.”
She nodded. “The problem is I’ve no idea how to make him see that my intentions aren’t to trick him in any way. He doesn’t even need to propose—”
“Yes. He does,” Chase said. “But you let me worry about that.”
She shook her head. “I just want to spend time with him. That’s all.”
He patted her arm. “My guess is he went for a walk on the beach. Ophelia and I will cover for you if you want to talk with him.”
“You’re actually suggesting that I go spend time alone with him. At night?”
Chase’s jaw hardened. “I already told you. I’ll see to the wedding.”
Beside him, Ophelia drew in a sharp breath. And Juliet’s mind whirled with confusion. Was going to Dane really a wise choice? Then again. What was the alternative? To stay here and let him slip away forever? No. If nothing else, Juliet was a woman of action. There might be a great deal she didn’t like about herself but in this one way, she trusted her instincts.
Dane stood on the beach, his mind warring with his desires and deepest needs. He’d left the party, needing space and quiet to think. Down here, the noise faded away and only the ocean could be heard, beating in time with his thoughts.
What Tiffany had done to him had not only broken his heart, it had made him a fool. He prized himself on his level-headed abilities and his use of reason over emotion and she’d demolished his self-image in one nasty swipe. He’d found his fiancée out in the garden, kissing another man.
Then an entirely different thought occurred to him. He was the man that Juliet had been secretly meeting in the garden. A laugh nearly bubbled up from his throat. He was the marquess. It wasn’t possible that she planned to wed Dashlane while loving him.
The very idea of Dashlane touching her, undressing her, made his head buzz again. He’d seen the man hold her in his arms during their dance. And then all at once, it hit him. He had promised her a dance too.
Romancing the Rake: Seven Regency Romances Page 34
