Page 16 of Impeccable
He offered her his arm. Taking a deep breath, she tentatively grasped his sleeve. As they began to walk toward the trees where Ash was now running around, she felt him press gently against her side. Oh dear, that felt lovely.
“I must tell you how grateful I am for your expert tutelage,” he said smoothly. “You are rather brilliant at this.”
He didn’t know of her past, how she was quite literally an expert. What would he think of her then? She didn’t want to know. Nor did she ever need to find out—she preferred to leave that part of her life behind, even if it meant hiding her true self and lying about her relationship to her own sister.
His gaze caught hers, and she noticed a faint tawny ring around the pupils. As the darker brown graded to a lighter color, it was as if his eyes were…smoldering. She couldn’t look away.
“Is this right?” he asked softly. “Or should there be more?” He arched one brow and leaned slightly toward her, his gaze becoming so intense as to be…comical.
Evie burst into laughter. “Too much.” She put her hand over her mouth to stifle the guffaws.
He grinned and then laughed with her. Ash barked, seeming to join in their joyful noise, and ran toward them.
“What you did when you helped me from the gig was perfect,” she said.
He inclined his head as they continued walking. “Noted.”
As they progressed, Ash ran right into Evie. Trying to avoid stepping on him, she lost her balance and pitched toward Lord Gregory.
He caught her, but the momentum was too much for them to stay on their feet. He cushioned her fall, holding her against his chest as they lay in the grass. “Ash!” Lord Gregory admonished. He looked up at Evie with concern cooling the heat that had been in his eyes. “All right?”
“Yes. How about you? You’ve taken the brunt of this fall.”
“I’ve had worse.”
Evie was overwhelmingly aware of Lord Gregory’s arms around her, of his hands clasping her back and…lower. Indeed, he was clutching her backside, and she wondered if he knew it. Consequently, her pelvis was pressed into his, igniting a sharp, encompassing desire. Everywhere they touched was a point of arousal—her hands on his shoulders, her breasts against his chest, her legs between his so she was nestled into his thighs. He was doing extremely well at the touching part of their lesson.
Without even trying, she would wager. He thought he needed help attracting a wife when the reality was that any woman with a brain between her ears and even the slightest sense of sexual desire would be drawn to him. Perhaps he’d already disappointed an army of women without even knowing it.
“I think you’ve accomplished the bit about touching someone a moment longer than necessary,” she murmured.
Alarm flashed over his features. “My apologies. I’m trying to determine how to help you up.”
Ash decided this was a good time to lick Lord Gregory’s chin. Which led the dog to lick Evie’s cheek next. They started to laugh again.
Evie was grateful for the break in whatever had transpired between them. Unless it had been a single-sided connection. It was best she endeavor not to think about it in any case.
Sliding to the ground on her side, she worked to stand. Lord Gregory moved quickly, helping her up so they both stood, facing each other.
This time, he let her go rather quickly. She buried her disappointment.
“I suppose we should return.” She turned toward the gig without waiting for his response.
He walked beside her, but didn’t offer his arm. That was for the best, she decided. Her body was practically singing with desire—a sensation she generally had to coax into fruition. But even then, it had been different. She’d been employed by those men. With Lord Gregory, there was absolutely no reason for her to feign interest. Quite simply, she wanted him. Not because of a paid arrangement, but because she couldn’t help herself.
How was she going to make it through the next few weeks as his neighbor without succumbing to her own passion? She’d no idea, but it had to be done.
“You have been an excellent student, Lord Gregory. I think you are probably better at flirting and have left an impression on more ladies than you realize.”
“I appreciate you saying that. But then, I’ve had a good teacher. Perhaps tomorrow night at the dinner, we can practice more. A social occasion will lend itself to honing my skills.”
Oh no.She wanted to say it was unnecessary, because truly it was. However, the thought of having his attention, even if it was manufactured, for just one night, was too enticing to refuse. Furthermore, it would be something to look forward to while enduring the presence of his abhorrent brother and sister-in-law.
“I daresay you don’t require much more practice, but yes, you are welcome to finesse your flirtation.” She stopped walking as they’d arrived back at the gig.
He helped her onto the seat, then bent to pick up Ash, who’d trotted along beside them, and deposited him in her lap. Glancing at the sky as he climbed in beside her, he noted, “It may rain. I shall quicken our pace on the return.”
Evie looked at the roof of the gig that arched over the seat. “We’ll stay fairly dry in here, won’t we?”
