Page 53 of What Desire Demands, My Duke

“No, unfortunately. I do not. I’m afraid you will have to sit there for some time until you feel comfortable.”

“I’m sure there must be a better way to do this.”

“If there is, I certainly cannot think of any.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her, couldn’t stop the questions that were filling the back of his mind even as he spoke as if nothing was amiss. “Think of it like learning how to swim. You were always quite adept at that, were you not?”

“Riding a horse is nothing like swimming, William, and you know it.” Elizabeth was losing the color in her face. Her voice was breathless. He watched her closely, suddenly realizing the very true fear that she might faint again.

He approached the horse, who seemed quite unaware of the distress of its rider. “I’m sure you remember that afternoon in Brighton when our families visited the seaside resort?” he asked. He resisted the urge to lay a hand on her leg, deciding to be content with the fact that she was at least looking at him. “I believe we were growing out of our childhood by then, and you had been quite adamant to go to the beach.”

“I remember,” she murmured. She held his gaze, but her hand was shaking now. Her eyes fluttered and William tensed, preparing to catch her if he needed to. He hoped it wouldn’t have to come to that.

“Lady Gillet told you to be wary, to not venture too far. But you were fourteen at the time and believed that you could do anything you pleased. I quite believed you would have taken on any challenge that came your way if given the opportunity.”

Elizabeth swallowed harshly, not responding. At least she didn’t look away from him. She seemed to be concentrating with all her might to focus on him.

William found himself being lost in her brown eyes, even as he went on, “You didn’t heed her warning, of course, and you ventured too far out into the water. I remember the fear I felt that day when I’d learned that you’d almost drowned.”

“But I didn’t,” she whispered. “I learned how to swim.”

“That you did. Even though it would have been quite normal for you to panic, for you to flail and call for help, you didn’t let yourself give in to it. Just as you did the night we crossed paths again. Even though that man had you pressed against a wall, you didn’t think to scream or to tremble in fear, but you were oddly calm.”

“I was terrified,” Elizabeth murmured. “Both times, I thought I might die.”

“It only goes to show, Beth, that you can do anything you set your mind to.”

For a few moments, they said nothing. Elizabeth stared down into his eyes, and William found he didn’t have the power to look away. He could lose himself in this moment, forget everything else and simply be here with her. The thought scared him.

Forcing himself to break eye contact, he cleared his throat. “That should be enough for today. Do you think you can dismount on your own?”

“I think my legs have turned to jelly.”

William felt far too much pleasure reaching for her waist once more and picking her up off the horse as if she weighed nothing. Just as she’d said, her legs buckled beneath her, forcing William to wrap an arm around her waist to keep her from sinking to the stable floor. Elizabeth laid a hand on his chest, steadying herself.

He made the wrong move. As soon as she was in his arms, as soon as she lifted her head to look up at him, William knew that. He shouldn’t have put himself in such a position, because now he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull away. Even under the layers of her riding habit, he could feel the heat of her body, felt her breath brushing his cheek. The rise and fall of her chest threatened to drive him mad with lust and Elizabeth parted her lips, an invitation.

He was tempted to take it. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her right there, to feel the parts of her body he hadn’t gotten a chance to before. He didn’t care that it was still morning and he had a feeling that neither did she. Similar sparks of heat flashed within her eyes and he had a feeling that if he didn’t lean in, she just might.

Except, there was still one thing keeping him from taking the plunge.

“What happened last night, Beth?” he whispered. Even though he’d told himself he wasn’t going to task, that he was simply going to take the disruption as a sign and send her away without looking back, he couldn’t help himself. “Why did you run away?”

Elizabeth licked her lips. Her lashes lowered as her gaze drifted to his lips. William waited with bated breath for her response.

---