Page 44 of A Rogue's Rules for Seduction
“We’d need brooms in every room.”
They were quiet for a moment as acceptance settled, a kind of truce brought about by mutual understanding. He’d been so certain back when he’d offered for her that they were perfect for each other, but he’d been too blind to see what she had needed.
“Don’t think that you’re forgiven, though,” she added pertly.
“Never,” he answered.
They went silent again as they watched her brothers and their wives taking delight in each other, an openness between the married couples that had always been absent with Dom and Willa. At least, ithadbeen absent. The space between them now was easier, looser, each moment unlocking doors that he hadn’t known were shut. Now that they opened, the hard-knotted tension in his body released.
He wasn’tcomfortablearound her, though. Not when he was aware of every part of her, from the curve of her wind-pink cheeks to the long line of her neck and the small swell of her breasts beneath her jacket. Her lips, soft and the color of petals.
In the past, they’d only kissed briefly, but damn him if he didn’t want a longer, deeper taste of her now. She might have the flavor of the tannic tea they had drunk minutes earlier. Or maybe she had a sweetness, like berries. She might have a savor all her own, one he’d want to drink down and swallow whole.
God, how he ached to learnallof her.
He never would. But that didn’t stop him from wanting.
She shook her head as she looked at the kite in her hands. “Maybe this can’t happen.”
“We don’t need to give up yet.” To his right, Finn and Tabitha were successfully flying, and even reserved Finn’s face was bright with happiness. “They’ve got the hang of it. We’ll try what they’re doing.”
For a moment, it seemed like Willa would refuse, but then, “No one started by running.”
“That made it crash.”
They regarded each other for a long moment as the wind swirled around them.
“Can I?” He reached for the kite. “I’ll keep my back to the breeze. That should get the wind where it needs to be.”
She plucked at the string in her hands. “I’ll hold this and you hold the kite. Move out a bit. No—farther,” she added when he took a few steps away. “Keep going.”
“You sure?”
Her expression was dry. “I assure you that in this instance, I don’t mind you backing away.”
“Fair enough.” He paced a distance from her, the string stretching between them, until several yards separated them. As he walked, the wind tugged more and more at the kite, and it seemed a living thing in his hands, eager to be free. “Now what?”
“Let it go,” she called across the expanse.
He hesitated. The kite could simply fall to the ground, all energy exhausted before it even got started. But what was the harm in trying? Especially because what had been tried before hadn’t worked.
After taking a breath, Dom let go of the kite. A laugh broke from him as it soared into the air, rising high and even dancing on the breeze.
“We did it!” Willa’s laugh carried to him on thewind. She held the string, her eyes fixed skyward, glittering with pleasure to see the kite wheel and spin, free of earthly rules and limits.
His heart also wheeled and spun in his chest, seeing the happiness in her face. He might not be able to take away the pain of her past, including the hurt he’d caused her, but at least for now, he could give her this. It wasn’t everything, yet for this moment, it could be enough.
Chapter 14
A drizzle set in after an hour, forcing the guests inside. Restless, unsettled, Willa paced through the house, finding nothing that could hold her interest for long. Her body felt taut, as if in readiness for something that loomed close, yet frustratingly out of reach.
She’d no idea where Dom had disappeared to, but shewasn’tlooking for him. He could do what he pleased with himself—they’d no obligation to each other.
Yet still... wherewashe?
When she entered one of the house’s innumerable parlors, it was no surprise to find Finn, Kieran, Celeste, and Tabitha playing cards. Well, her brothers and Celeste played cards. Tabitha’s attention kept wandering to a book in her lap.
“It’s all right, sweet,” Finn said affectionately when Tabitha had to be reminded that it was herturn. “You needn’t stay and play. Go and read, if that’s what you desire.”
