Page 46 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
“There you are.” She was breathing heavily as she reached him, her entire body flushed red.
“Ah, Lady Alison, this must be!” The woman with Lord Grayhill was elderly and kindly. Shorter than Alison, rounder than themayor, and with green eyes the size of dinner plates that were knowing and playful.
“I am she,” Alison said.
“Lady Alison…” Lord Grayhill straightened. “This is Mrs. Hollingberry, an old friend of my mother’s.”
“Also known as the town gossip,” Mrs. Hollingberry laughed. “But do not fear…” She looked between them both. “I know when to keep a secret.” There was a smile behind her eyes, a secret she knew which was obvious to any paying attention.
“Oh, lovely to meet you,” Alison said, growing slightly nervous because of the way Mrs. Hollingberry eyed them both.
“Do not mind me,” she said with cheer. “I just wished to deliver my greetings and good tidings. It has been an age since I last saw Lord Grayhill. You were this big –” She held her hand to her waist. “And infinitely more joyful.”
“I was a child.”
“Does not make it any less true,” she grinned. “Oh! And there is one more thing, before I go. If the two of you will humor me and stand over here…” She took Alison by the hand and led her a few feet to the right. “Lord Grayhill…” She raised an eyebrow, which had the Earl groaning but following her. “Wonderful. Just wonderful.”
“What is this?” Lord Grayhill sighed.
“Nothing,” she winked. “Only, I just now noticed where you are standing…” She raised an eyebrow and then glanced at the ceiling.
Alison frowned and followed her eyeline, only for her face to drop with realization when she saw it: a mistletoe hanging directly over their head.
Alison felt her stomach flip. Eyes widening, she looked everywhere but at the Earl. She rubbed her arm nervously. She laughed awkwardly. She ignored the way Mrs. Hollingberry giggled as she watched them. And then, finally, she dared to look at Lord Grayhill.
He was nowhere near as put out as she was.
He stood over her. Stared down at her. Eyes for her and her alone. She lost herself in those eyes, the ball and its people vanishing as if nobody else in the world existed. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as her whole body quaked. Alison caught her breath as she matched the Earl’s stare, not daring to make a move… while praying that he would.
“Well?” Mrs. Hollingberry prompted. “In the spirit of Christmas!”
Lord Grayhill rolled his eyes, but it looked forced. Then his hand moved to her waist gently, he turned to face her, and he leaned in…
Alison gasped as the Earl’s lips brushed her cheek. She stood frozen, unable to breathe, unwilling to blink or so much as move a milimeter. His lips were warm and wet, and their touch sent a ripple through her body that allowed a soft moan to escape her lips. And, as the Earl moved away, he was sure to whisper in her ear.
“For being so well behaved for a change…”
Mrs. Hollingberry was saying something else, but Alison did not hear what. She stared ahead, her heart racing, the spot where the Earl had kissed her burning red hot. The kiss ended, but his hand stayed on the small of her back, and she dared to look up at him.
He wore a knowing smirk. Nowhere near as affected as she was, it looked almost as if he was glad for the chance to kiss her. As if he had planned it. That was unlikely, she knew, but what if…
What if this night is only just beginning…
Alison did not know what she expected from Lord Grayhill, but she knew what she wanted. And now, it seemed to her, that he wanted the same thing. Or so she hoped…
Chapter Fifteen
The ride back to the estate was short in distance but long in how tense the inside of the carriage felt. It sat heavy between Alison and Lord Grayhill. It was suffocating and suggestive. Alison could hardly breathe through it. The spot on her cheek where the Earl kissed her burned like fire. Her legs trembled so she was certain that it could be felt by Lord Grayhill. And despite her best efforts, she could not stop looking at him.
“Did you…” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Did you end up enjoying yourself?”
“I did, as surprised by that as I am.”
“Good.” Another lump formed in her throat that she was forced to swallow. “I knew you would.”
“I should not have doubted you.”
“What…” She tried for a smile. “What did you enjoy most?”
