Chapter Twenty-Two

He half wondered if Maddy was just cozying up to Blakely to annoy him, Jamie thought, swigging the rest of his punch and nearly slamming his glass down. They had spent ages talking and laughing, and now Blakely wouldn’t let her rest until he’d danced her feet right off her legs.

And still she smiled prettily at him.

Jamie was jealous, pure and simple.

Because he was too embarrassed to ask Maddy to dance himself, and instead let Blakely have the honors.

Well, to hell with that.

Squaring his shoulders, Jamie marched across the room, where Maddy had just slumped against a wall, her cheeks flushed and her smile wide.

“My Lady Madeline, you look stunning this evening,” Jamie said softly, bending at the waist to kiss her hand.
Madeline heard the “my” in his address, but daren’t hope it was an intentional slip of the tongue.

“Lord Carrington,” she said demurely, willing herself not to tug her gown just an inch lower on her bodice. “You have quite a house full this evening.”

“I’m known for not only my lavish buffet, but for my exquisite dancing skills. They come from miles around just to watch me take a turn about the floor,” he said, and she bit back a laugh, knowing he was teasing her, remembering her teasing of him during their walk in Bath so many weeks ago.

“I look forward to seeing that, my lord,” Madeline replied with a grin.

“And I have enjoyed watching you, Lady Madeline,” Carrington replied. “You seem to be enjoying Blakely’s dancing skills.”

“Yes, he’s quite an able partner, and as I’ve had no other invitations…” she let the words trail off, not daring to meet his eyes, hoping he would take the hint.

He did.

“Perhaps we might even… take a turn together.”

“A dance?”

“Of a sort,” he replied smoothly, and she raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Perhaps a… private dance,” he added, and she blushed slightly at his insinuation.

“But my lord, ladies and gentlemen who are not married are never to be alone unescorted. It wouldn’t be proper,” she demurred, and he smiled at her, a wicked, knowing smile, making her heart twist at the sudden change in his expression, and in the low tones in which he was speaking.

“And yet, you haven’t stopped thinking about it,” he whispered, standing beside her and giving everyone the pretense of propriety. “Nor have I. Not since yesterday.”

“I’ve done nothing of the sort,” she replied tartly, and he laughed aloud.

“No?”

“No,” she said firmly, lying easily.

“Well, then, I’ve been fantasizing enough for the both of us. I’ve been fantasizing about—Lord Pribourne, welcome to my home,” he said smoothly, bowing to a gentleman who had just walked through the open doorway.

Madeline bit back a growl of frustration, even as she felt her belly twist at his seemingly innocuous yet loaded words words.

Her belly, and lower.

After polite introductions, Madeline excused herself to find a glass of punch and a quiet corner.

If she stayed close to Jamie for even another minute, she feared she might spontaneously combust.

As she turned away, he reached out and touched her arm, drawing her back beside him. “Lady Madeline, you look as though you could use from fresh air. Perhaps I should take you out of doors for a few minutes?”

She knew fresh air was the last thing she needed, but his heated gaze pulled her in, and she followed obediently, praying that Jamie was finally opening up to her, trusting her.

A few more steps and they were outside in the cool darkness of the veranda, and Maddy turned, hoping this moment of privacy would yield more than a polite conversation.

 “Shall we dance, my lord?” Maddy asked coquettishly as Jamie shut the heavy door behind them, sealing off the rumble of music and conversation from inside the house, leaving them in blissful quiet. “You requested a private dance, did you not?”

Jamie didn’t move a muscle, instead watching her through hooded eyes, the play of moonlight on her shoulders, the way her hair seemed even blonder in the low lit night.

God, but she was beautiful.

“Or,” Maddy said, taking a step closer, suddenly feeling emboldened, remembering her resolve to throw caution to the wind and act on her feelings. “Perhaps you would like to tell me of that fantasy you were about to explain before being interrupted?”

Jamie took a step back from her advance, a small smile on his lips. “I don’t wish to offend your delicate sensitivities, my lady.”

“Aren’t we past that?” Maddy asked, suddenly exasperated. “Truly, my lord?”

Quick as a flash, Jamie took her shoulders, and, spinning her quickly, pinned her against the stone wall of the house, out of sight of any dancers or attendees inside. “Do you really want to hear those fantasies, Madeline? Do you?”

Maddy’s breath hitched at his lustful tone, and she willed herself to be still, not to press her body against his as she wanted to do. “Yes,” she said simply. “I do.”

“I’ve been fantasizing about lifting up the skirts of that silky gown of yours, and laving my tongue across your skin. I’ve been fantasizing about suckling your nipples, about pressing you into the sheets of my bed and having my way with you,” Jamie said, his voice a bare whisper. “I’ve been fantasizing about having you in the bathtub, on the bed, on the floor…”

“What else?” she asked softly, shaking in his arms despite her resolve.

“About…” he broke off, conflicted. “About you on top of me, pinning me down with those tiny hands. Of tying me to the bed. Of us remaining naked together for days, if not weeks at a time.”

She blinked, impressed with his honesty. “So what’s stopping you?”

Abruptly, Jamie stepped back, and Maddy stumbled slightly at the loss of his touch, bracing her against the wall. “How about your sudden attentions for Lord Blakely?”

“You can’t be serious,” Maddy shot back immediately, abruptly incensed. “He’s a pleasant man, and as you can’t seem to bring yourself to be in my presence except in total secret, I decided to take part in a bit of dancing and lively conversation. Something which right now, my lord, you are sorely lacking.”

“Perhaps you and Blakely should be together instead,” Jamie rasped out and Maddy barked out a laugh.

“You think I’d be out here in the darkness with you, hearing of your fantasies, if I was truly interested in Lord Blakely?”

“I don’t know, would you?” Jamie shot back.

Maddy tilted up her chin, meeting his eyes as she set her hands on her hips. “You are the most infuriating, incomprehensible man. You want me, you don’t. You trust me, you don’t. You want me to yourself, you want me with Lord Blakely. How can someone so indecisive have ever been effective in the war?”

Jamie stared at her silently, sensing she wasn’t done.

“I belong to no man, sir. True, there is a man I favor above others, but until that man can be honest with me, can trust me, and can possess me – heart, soul and body – and let me return the favor, I’d rather be an old maid to the end of my days.”

“Lord Blakely is a fine match for you,” Jamie tried again and Maddy huffed in frustration, staring at him, fire burning in her eyes. “You should try for him.”

“I should,” Maddy agreed evenly, her tone brittle. “He would be a fine match for a woman in my circumstances. But there is only one problem.”

“And that is?”

“I want you, you dolt!” Maddy said, stomping her foot in frustration.

“Are you sure about that?” Jamie asked, challenge in his voice. “Because believe me, Maddy, I don’t share well. If you are sure, then you. are. mine.”

Something in Maddy snapped. “Right now, I belong to no one. My lord,” she added with a hitch in her voice. “And until you decide your own affections, I intend to continue belonging to no one. So I challenge you to first decide your feelings for me, and then clue me in, because I’m done with trying to figure you out. And now if you’ll excuse me, my lord, I beg to return to the dance. I find the air out here more stifling than in the ballroom.”

And with that, she twitched her skirts and sailed back into the house, leaving Jamie gaping open mouthed behind her.

He wasn’t sure if that was a threat – or a challenge.

And Jamie loved challenges.


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