Page 20 of Intolerable
“I’ll walk downstairs with you, but I’ll remain inside.”
Curling her hand around Wexford’s sleeve, Cassandra ignored the flash of heat that spread up her arm and through the rest of her body. “I do apologize for my father.”
“I appreciate that, though I understand you have no control over him. And rest assured, I have made it known—to the best of my ability—that it was a lovely call, and I found the duke to be gruff, but welcoming.”
“Have you? You must be an accomplished liar.”
Something flashed in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “I couldn’t very well say he was all smiles and warm conversation.”
Cassandra laughed as they left the drawing room and descended the staircase. Guests milled about throughout the ground floor as they made their way through the parlor to the doors that were open to the garden. Several people were also outside surveying the statues, a few paintings displayed on easels, and an array of knick-knacks arranged on a table.
“I don’t actually feel a pressing need to look at the artifacts,” Cassandra said. “May we just circuit the garden?”
“Certainly.” He led her to the right around a cluster of people staring at a rather bizarre painting of a gentleman’s grinning face in a bowl of fruit. “What the devil?” He shook his head with a laugh. “I think I’d be terrified if my bowl of fruit looked like that.”
“I would surely lose my appetite.” Cassandra clutched his arm more tightly, drawing his attention. Their eyes connected for a moment and as they moved to a part of the garden where there was less light since they were farther from the house, she was reminded of being in the dark with him and what could happen.
She realized in that moment that she’d been hoping it would happen again.
“Is there a rumor about me?” she blurted without preamble.
His brow knitted. “Not that I’ve heard. Something derogatory, you mean?”
“I don’t know. Glastonbury said there is more to me than one would expect. What would one expect?Isthere an expectation about me?”
Wexford paused and turned toward her. “I suspect you’re overthinking this. Perhaps he was simply trying to say that there is more to you than meets the eye, meaning you are more than a duke’s beautiful daughter.”
She was caught in his gaze, and she didn’t want to be anywhere else. “Do you think that?”
“I do.”
Cassandra edged closer to him, her hand still around his sleeve. His scent enveloped her—fruit and spice, an alluring and pleasing fragrance she recalled from their time in the cupboard at the Phoenix Club.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that.” His voice was low and rough.
“I know. We have an agreement not to discuss it.”
“We aren’t discussing ‘it.’ Clearly, you are thinking about ‘it,’ however.”
“You aren’t?”
He muttered a curse. “Sometimes I think we should just kiss again to get this out of our systems. Perhaps then we can put the incident behind us.”
Oh, yes, she liked that idea very much. Her gaze slid past him before settling on him once more. “There’s a shrubbery perhaps five feet behind you.”
“Cassandra, if there isn’t gossip about you now, are you trying to ensure there will be?”
“I’m merely going along with your suggestion about kissing. It seems a reasonable idea.”
“Reasonable.” He clasped her waist with his free hand. “It’s bloody madness.”
Chapter 6
Madness, and yet here he was contemplating the silken feel of her lips beneath his. He pressed his palm more firmly against her side, his body winning the battle over his brain.
Just kiss her. Once. Then never again.
Hell.Cassandra was so firmly embedded beneath his skin he was going to have to surgically remove her. Nothing time and distance couldn’t fix. He’d done it before.
