Wagering on Christmas

by Sandra Sookoo

  “Perhaps.” Her answer, said in a low voice, infused him with cautious joy. “It is a complicated matter, in any event, and I’m not entirely certain it’s not brought on by an excess of holiday emotion stemming by the nostalgia of seeing you again.”

  “At this point, I’ll take what whatever you’ll give me,” he murmured, and then he scooted his chair closer. Their knees knocked. She uttered a stilted laugh and sighed when he claimed her lips in a gentle kiss.

  In that moment, Colin fell. Down, down, down, the sensation engulfed him as he moved his mouth over hers, exploring as he’d done the night before. The sweet trace of sugar and tea met his palate with a tiny chaser of raspberry from that tempting tart. It worked to fire his hunger and awaken his need for this woman.

  His Lucy.

  “Colin...” What he assumed was a protest from her became something else when she put a hand to his chest and fisted her fingers into his cravat, pulling him closer. Her eyes blinked open and she looked at him with passion-clouded eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

  It was all the encouragement he desired. “Only as much as I’ve missed you,” he whispered, and he stood, bringing her up with him. “Come.”

  “Where are we going?” Her hand in his trembled, and his heart squeezed.

  “Just here.” He sat heavily in one of the leather chairs, and with a smile, he tugged her down until she sat across his lap, her legs dangling off one of the arms. The warmth of her, the scent of her, the weight of her had his mind spinning. “Are you of a mind to continue?”

  “Yes.” She snaked a hand up his chest and then wrapped her fingers about his nape, guiding him ever closer. “Perhaps this is to grasp closure, or mayhap I’m trying to finally remove you from my head and blood, but there’s only one way to find out.”

  Even with such a mixed and confusing message, Colin still wanted her, because he, too, had the same feelings. “Indeed,” he murmured, and he fit his lips to hers once more.

  Over and over he drank from her as if she held the last drop of water and he was dying. Lucy looped her arms around his shoulders, layering herself against him, and she kissed him back, not with the tentative rush they’d shared years ago but with knowledge and determination of a woman who knew her own mind.

  Those seventeen-year-old kisses paled to what he experienced with her now. Colin settled her more comfortably in his arms. He deepened the embrace, nibbled her bottom lip, licked at the seam of her mouth until she opened for him, and he took full advantage by fencing with her tongue. Satin glided along silk. Heat infused every part of his body and still he devoured her, couldn’t have enough of this tempting bundle on his lap.

  She met his every overture, responding with a desire to match his own. Lucy tugged at his cravat, and when it gaped, she pressed hot kisses to his neck, nipped at the skin, moved upward to nibble a path beneath his jaw in the spot that she knew drove him insane with need.

  “Ah, Lucy, you’ve become a vixen since we were last together,” he breathed and then did his own bout of exploring over her fragrant, soft skin. He drew his lips downward to follow the neckline of her gown with kisses, and when she uttered a tiny sigh and shifted slightly to allow him greater access, he hooked a fingertip beneath the material and pulled until a breast popped free. “So lovely.”

  “Remember the night you did much the same while we were hidden away in that broom closet?” she asked, her kiss-swollen lips curved in a darling smile, the dusky tip of her hardened nipple beckoning.

  “We were forced into that ignoble hiding place, for one of my sisters had just come around the corner.” He chuckled and then closed his lips over that tempting bud, much to her obvious delight if her soft cry was any indication. When he released her, he said, “We were rather carried away with carnal foreplay, weren’t we?”

  “Such scandal we executed when our elders didn’t know.” She pulled his head back down until he made love to her beautiful breast and then bared the second and repeated the process. Lucy trembled in his hold. Her breath came in panting gasps.

  Colin wanted so much to burrow a hand beneath her skirts and discover how great her ardor for him was, but he didn’t dare, wouldn’t do anything to spook her. Instead, he claimed her mouth again. Several moments passed in blissful passion as he reacquainted himself with her lips, learned the secrets of her woman’s body, fed her desire with his own.

  A rather poor time for the Christmas spirit to come upon him, but it did indeed, and it clobbered him over the head with such for that he bolted upright, breaking the delicious embrace. I know what I wish to give Lucy for a present. Colin grinned at her as her eyelids fluttered and she mewled a protest like a disturbed kitten.

  Time was of the essence in this matter. It was the least he could do, and it would make up for not forgiving Jacob when he had the chance. In this way, Jacob’s legacy could be preserved and Lucy would be cared for once they parted. His heart stuttered. Was that what she wished after what they just shared? Did he? I need to think. Gently, he loosened his hold on her, ignoring the fetching picture she made in her flushed dishevelment. “Regrettably, I must interrupt this session, for I need to send a courier.”

  “Right at this moment?” Her lips formed a pout and he nearly dismissed his errand for another chance at kissing her senseless.

  “Yes. It’s of the utmost importance.” He encouraged her to slide from his lap, and when he stood, the obvious bulge at the front of his trousers would need to deflate before he could show himself in the public room. “I must send a message.”

  She gawked, and he wished she’d cover her charms before he threw her onto the hearth rug and had his way with her. “To who?”

  “I cannot tell you.” He was hard pressed not to grin with mischief.

  “Why not?” Her eyes flashed blue fire. “The weather is horrible. It’s unlikely a courier, if dispatched, would make his destination.”

  A grin played about his mouth. It was all too delicious. “I understand that but this cannot wait. Not a moment more.”

  “Damn you, Colin.” All the desire drained from her countenance. In its place came disappointment and high annoyance. “Is this about your father’s wager?”

  He hated the fact he’d have to dissemble, but he didn’t wish to spoil the surprise. If it would keep her from guessing, he’d lie. Wasn’t he an expert at that? “Yes. I want to reassure Father that I’ll arrive at the Hall before tomorrow morning, for once I dispatch the courier, you and I will set off.” In fact, he had a need to send two couriers—one to London and one to his father’s solicitor in Derbyshire asking the man to draw up preliminary paperwork on the property in question. That was what he’d give Lucy on Christmas morning. To make certain it happened, he would promise much coin to the man as well as the couriers.

  “Urgh!” Lucy uttered a sound of frustration and as she righted her clothing, she glared. “You haven’t changed at all, not even after everything we’ve shared.” The tendons in her throat worked with a hard swallow. “What the devil is wrong with you, Colin? Have you no compassion, no sympathy, no love at this time of year especially?”

  There was nothing wrong with him, not anymore. A woman didn’t kiss a man like Lucy had just now if she wasn’t interested in a future together, for his Lucy wasn’t angling for a mistress position and neither would she settle for a one-chance tupping. He grinned, and that set off her ire even more. “Oh, my dear, how painful it will be when you have to eat those words.” But he hoped she would understand later.

  She had to, for if fortune was on his side, Christmas would be very merry indeed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  They’d been traveling for four hours following lunch as well as that surprising interlude, and Lucy was still in a bit of a temper with Colin.

  Once he’d dumped her off his lap, he’d left her alone in the private dining room. Without any recourse, she’d resumed her meal and fumed at him. He hadn’t changed from the spoiled, selfish young man he’d been, still living for himself an
d the pleasure he could take. Her heart ached even now as she replayed their last conversation in her mind, for they hadn’t spoken of anything of import since they set out.

  Sunset loomed, but with the low, thick, gray clouds, no one would see it. In fact, as the hours had ticked by, the snow had worsened and it now fell so heavily, when she looked out the window, she couldn’t discern the countryside after a few feet. As the coach struggled over the snow-covered road, the pace had slowed considerably from when they’d first started out. The prospect of reaching Lancaster Hall by midnight seemed an impossible task.

  “It is pointless to continue,” she mentioned, but didn’t take her gaze away from the window. “You know this.”

  He grunted and ruffled the pages of The Times he’d taken from the posting inn. “We’ll keep traveling until we cannot. We have but three or so miles to go.”

  So close but so far away from the moment in time when their paths would no longer run together. “In this weather, even that slight difference could take hours.” Lucy rolled her eyes. Finally, she glanced at him. He wore a mysterious grin that she wished she could smack off his face. Arrogant bastard. “You’d risk everything for a foolish wager.”

  “As a matter of fact, I’m not risking anything. At least not at present.” And he continued that maddening grin while settling behind his paper once more. “I hope to gain much more soon.”

  Of course he did, for he thought of no one except himself. “I cannot believe I let myself appear so vulnerable in front of you.” She narrowed her gaze and concentrated on the furious snowflakes. “I shared the contents of my heart with you, let you kiss me, and now this.” She fluttered a hand to encompass him, the whole situation.

  “Yes. And now this. It is quite a delicious end to what has amounted to a rather long journey. I enjoyed what we shared. It’s a shame to discover you did not.” He lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything further.

  Of course I enjoyed it. Kissing Colin, being back in his arms had felt like coming home, but not to any home she’d ever known. It was easy and right and just what a romance should be. Except... Lucy sighed, crossed her arms at her chest and brooded. How had she been so stupid as to let herself be charmed by him again? Her heart ached. At least she knew that if that organ broke a second time, she’d survive that too.

  Damn you, Colin. This wasn’t the way she’d hoped to spend any portion of Christmas Eve, and she certainly didn’t wish to have more memories of Colin that centered around the holiday, yet here she was, her body fairly throbbing with unfulfilled need from his touch and her heart thrumming with an ache she couldn’t heal.

  Not as long as he was still in her life. This must end before I’m broken apart.

  Another excruciatingly slow ten minutes slid by while tension brewed about them. Then there was the unmistakable snap of a wheel breaking. Followed by the ominous leaning to the left of the coach. With a soft cry, Lucy slid across her bench to crash into the opposite side of the vehicle.

  “Hell’s bells,” Colin muttered. He tossed his paper aside. “This cannot be a good thing.” When he fumbled at the door latch, the panel swung open. Apparently not expecting such swift reaction, the momentum swept him out and he fell from the disabled coach to land into a fluffy snow drift face first.

  Lucy couldn’t contain her laughter, but she did lift a hand to cover her mouth as he struggled to right himself in the knee-deep snow. “Serves you right, you great nodcock.” Perhaps Ellen had been correct those few days ago when she’d ascertained Colin was bent on showing the whole of England what an arse he was.

  “Do shut up, Lucy,” Colin tossed backward over his shoulder as he brushed at the snow that clung to his black clothing. “It’s not funny.”

  “Oh, but it is.” For one second, she forgot her ire and continued to laugh. “Reminds me of that time when your brother chased you over the grounds for some prank you pulled on him. When he shoved you into that snow drift and then proceeded to pelt you with snow balls, the only way we could halt him was to group tackle him.”

  Colin huffed. He shook snow from the brim of his hat before putting it back on. “Rescued by girls. That’s one story I’ll never tell Ellen.” Then he glanced at her, his eyes reflecting concern, his breath clouding about him in the cold. “Stay here. I’m going to attempt to fix the wheel. We need to keep our pace.”

  Her annoyance returned five-fold. “Of course. You must arrive at the Hall before Christmas morning. Otherwise, no payoff for you. Poor Colin.” The snippiness in her voice shocked her, but she didn’t apologize. “Whatever will you do without more material things?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, I do wish to arrive at the Hall as soon as possible.” He opened his mouth to say more but then apparently thought the better of it, for he whipped around and left her sight line, presumably to talk with the driver, who’d hopped down from his precarious perch during their exchange.

  Giving in to the cold that seeped into the coach’s interior, Lucy wrapped her cloak tighter about her person, and when that didn’t help matters, she snagged the fur-lined lap blanket from the floorboards and burrowed beneath it. Such folly to even consider traveling in the weather, and on deeply rutted roads at that, but then Colin had always been obstinate. His father’s wager drove him, and he couldn’t resist such glitter.

  I had higher hopes for him than this.

  Perhaps people didn’t really change. Her chest tightened at the thought. Had he been paying her lip service this whole time and laughing up his sleeve at her concern?

  The two men talked. Then Colin cursed. The driver laughed, which caused Colin to curse again. Finally, he said, “Unhitch the horses. Ride one and tow the other. Once you reach the Hall, either send someone back for us with a sleigh, or if the weather continues to worsen, perhaps first thing in the morning, when the sun comes out, they can make the trip.”

  “My lord, you can’t survive a cold winter’s night in the coach,” the driver protested. “You’ll freeze to death.”

  “The lady and I are made of stern stuff. We’ll manage,” Colin told him, and his tone brooked no argument. He sounded every bit his father’s son in that moment. “The most important thing is for you to reach the Hall and rest the horseflesh.” His tone softened. “You’ve spent more than your fair share in the elements, and I’m heartily sorry I put you in such a bind.”

  From inside the tilting coach, Lucy clutched the blanket to her chin. Was it possible he actually cared about someone or something over and above himself? She gawked out the window but couldn’t see either man clearly due to the snow. Then her thoughts swung in the opposite direction. What was he thinking leaving them out here to succumb to the elements?

  “Think nothing of it. Happy to be of service, Lord Hartsford. I’ll do my best to see you’re retrieved as soon as possible.”

  “I know the area well, my friend. If rescue doesn’t come, I’ll throw myself on the mercy of someone’s doorstep. Surely there’s a cottage nearby. It is Christmas Eve, after all. Bound to be family gatherings and fires burning. Anyone would consider it an honor to put up the duke’s son for the night, right?” But there was a trace of anxiety in his voice.

  Lucy peered out the window as panic clawed at her insides. Nothing but farmland and woods met the eye for miles, even if she couldn’t see it because of the weather. “You’ve gone insane, Colin.” Perhaps that had been his plan all along, to enact revenge on her by seeing her frozen. “No one lives close by.”

  “Right. I wish you the best of luck then, my lord.” The driver cleared his throat. As the horses grew restless and pulled at their harnesses, the coach jerked. “I best be getting on.”

  “Excellent. No doubt my father will reward you handsomely. Godspeed,” Colin said, but worry threaded through his tone. Was he even aware of it? “I’ll give you a hand with the horses.”

  Minutes later, the viscount returned to the leaning coach. He threw himself awkwardly inside and slammed the door closed. “Well, that’s that.”<
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  Lucy shook her head. “This is not acceptable.”

  “What else would you have me do?” He sat in the corner of his bench, leaning against the tilted wall while rubbing his gloved hands together. A wealth of snowflakes dotted the darkness of his greatcoat. “The man’s nearly at the end of his endurance. As are the horses. They can reach the Hall faster without pulling the weight of the coach. We shall be all right for a time.”

  “I understand that part of the dilemma, and I applaud you caring enough about them that you’d have them seek shelter.” She glanced at him and shivered. The cold seeped through the blanket and her cloak. Then her stomach cramped. What if he died due to exposure? How could she live with herself, or never hear his voice again, and all because of some damned wager he wished to win, and the snit she currently had against him due to the same? She stifled the sob rising in her throat. It was petty and she was above such things, but love often was illogical. That made her suck in a tiny breath.

  Was she once more in love with Colin? No. No, no, no. “You’ve put us both into danger for the sake of your ego.” A half-sob half-cry escaped despite her best attempts to stop it. Again, too many emotions besieged her and she didn’t know how to stem the tide. “What will become of my children if I perish? My parents are getting older, and Lydia doesn’t have the means or temperament to take them in. To say nothing of Fegley, for he bounces around the world too much...” Dear God, I cannot take the strain that always attaches to Colin’s presence.

  “Nothing will happen to you.” His eyes had taken on a wicked gleam she didn’t wish to contemplate. “Not while I’m here, of that I can promise.”