“Why do you ask?”
“Because I’d like to know if I have a night of misery ahead, or if there is to be at least one small smile tonight.” She lifted her fingers and put a short gap between them, emphasizing her reference tosmall.
“Ah, can I usually make you smile? How lucky. There was a time when you clearly thought I would never be able to make you smile. Hmm, come to think of it, you then did kiss me, so who knows?” He uttered the latter words by moving his lips to whisper in her ear, just as he had done in the carriage.
The jolt of excitement that shot through him angered him further.
This is not the way it is supposed to feel! She has used me to escape marriage. I cannot begin to like her now. She would never come to my bed!
“I see you are to be argumentative all night after all.” She huffed with the words. “Perhaps I should fake a headache?”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’d sooner return home then stay all night here, pretending to be in love with a man who has no interest in making good conversation all night.” Her words were a challenge to him, making him stand tall. “Have you realized how hard this ruse is, Your Grace? Is that the problem?”
“I asked you to call me Edward,” he whispered as he brought the two of them to a stop, facing one another.
“I find it hard to call a man by his Christian name when he plainly has no wish to stand at my side. I am beginning to think you are regretting our deal.”
For all the wrong reasons!
The thought tore through Edward, bringing a sharp realization. He couldn’t stop thinking of Julia and the touches they had shared, especially that kiss. It kept him awake at night in ways that it should not.
“Do you wish to call it off, Your Grace?”
“Not a chance.” He took hold of her hand once again. “Come on, I can make this ruse work, even when my mind is plagued with other thoughts.”
“What other thoughts? Wait, where are we going?” she asked, hurrying after him. Despite the gloves covering her hands, her palm was warm beneath his touch. He was finding it hard not to think about.
“To dance.” He only answered her second question. She pulled on his hand, jerking him to a stop. “We are not at the dancefloor yet, Julia.”
“You forget, you have notaskedme to dance yet,” she said in challenge, with something of a mischievous smirk at her lips. That smile wrongfooted him, tempting him to smile through their argument, momentarily.
“We are betrothed, are we not?”
“And I will have my betrothed remember his manners.”
“Ha! So I should do.” He turned to face her fully, still trapped somewhere between laughing at her playfulness and wanting to continue their argument. “Julia, would you dance with me?”
“Must we?” she said with a sigh.
“May I remind you thatyouare the one who got us into this.” His statement clearly worked, for she frowned instantly.
“Very well, I will dance.”
“Excellent. Though you may want to try a smile too, otherwise onlookers will think we do not want to dance together at all.” He drew her toward the dancefloor yet again.
“How perceptive of them,” she whispered, urging him to glance back at her once.
I never said I didn’t want to, Julia.
With one piece of music ending and another beginning, he led her onto the floor and took a place in the middle. To his surprise, it was a waltz. He had rather wanted a cotillion, or something equally upbeat, so he could distract himself from their argument. Instead, he took Julia gently into his arms, his thoughts spiraling somewhere he knew they shouldn’t.
Her waist beneath his palm revealed the curves of her body, making his mouth dry. The way her hand reached for his shoulder was firm, prompting him to imagine other ways she could cling to him. The connection of their hands though was the most powerful thing to him. Her gloved fingers rested on the curve between his finger and thumb. It was as if he could keep her safe within that grasp.
As the music began a slow three time, he started their dance, gently leading her around the floor and looking into her eyes, never once glancing away.
“You are unnervingly good at this sometimes, you know that?” she whispered, blinking as he continued to stare at her.