Page 23 of The Beauty and the Boxer
“An invitation to the Duke of Mountebank’shome, a week from Thursday,” she said, noting the pause in hisadvancement. “We’re to go for a family event.”
He blinked.
“Oh. I see.” A faint, reddish color appearedin the bridge of his nose and Meredith wondered if he felt allright. “And why would I wish to go?”
“You’re family.”
Jack let out a humorless laugh and faced thepond. Daniel was petting Drachma’s neck as the horse drank the coolwater, while Dash sat behind his master, peering around Daniel’slegs as he watched the horse with suspicion. Meredith found thatshe could stare at his profile without him knowing and did so withpleasure.
She was acutely aware of his size and wassurprised that he was really quite large. Meredith had always heardthat boxers were supposed to be of a smaller stature, so that theycould move quickly, but Jack wasn’t short at all. He had thewell-defined body of a fighter and was finely fitted in his ridingoutfit. Her eyes drifted down to his powerful thighs and when hecrooked back at that very moment, she became flustered, darting hereyes away for fear of being caught.
“Tell Simon no,” he said before frowning.“Are you all right?”
“Quite,” she said, coughing into her fist toclear her throat. “And it wasn’t Simon’s request. It wasSarah’s.”
“Very well, you may tell her no instead.” Hewent to make his way towards the horse, when outside her betterjudgment, Meredith’s hand stopped him. She hadn’t meant to touchhim, only that her body seemed to move on its own. Her fingersbarely touched the bicep of his left arm, but he seemed acutelyaware of her even as she snatched her hand back, holding it to herchest.
The intensity of his eyes as they snapped tohers made her feel both giddy and worrisome.
“Please,” she said quietly, rubbing herhands together. “It would be nice if you came.”
Jack seemed momentarily distracted as heglanced down at the spot on his arm where her hand had been. Aftera moment, he looked up at her.
“To do what?” he asked, his tone soft. “Talkendlessly about weather?”
She was sure he meant to sneer, or becondescending, but he only sounded curious.
“You may dance,” she said. “I believeMountebank is going to have small sort of soirée one evening.”
“I don’t dance.”
“Because you can’t or because youwon’t?”
“Because I don’t,” he said firmly.
“Still. Your company would beappreciated.”
She had said the plainest, least heatedthing in the world, yet Jack’s face changed. He seemed almostannoyed. Had she offended him? She didn’t see how she could havepossibly done so.
“What are you about, Miss Taylor?” he askedsuddenly, his voice irritated. “Searching for some company atMountebank’s? Hoping for a dalliance or something?”
A pail of frozen pond water couldn’t havebeen more bracing to her humiliation at his words. For a moment shewas paralyzed with embarrassment, stunned that he would ask hersuch a thing. What a fool she was for trying to befriend him. Ofcourse, it would seem like she was searching for some sort ofliaison, especially after their kiss. Perhaps her mama had beencorrect in her statements about her being too ‘romanticallyspirited.’ Maybe shewastoo forward.
She should say something, something biting,to put him in his place, but for all her worth, her words escapedher. She had been tempted to trust him, or perhaps she had onlybeen following her instincts, which should have been a warning. Herinstincts had led her to Clyde and that had turned out horribly.Mortified, she glanced away and began to walk towards the pond.
“Daniel!” she called, avoiding Jack. “Let’sreturn home.”
“Must we?” he pleadingly asked.
“Yes.”
“All right,” the boy answered, leading thehorse back.
She had reached the edge when she heard agroan come from behind her. She needed to leave immediately. Sheput her arm around Daniel’s shoulders as he reached her anddirected him towards home.
“Wait,” Jack’s voice sounded from behindthem. She heard his footfall come up swiftly and when he spokeagain, he was right behind her. “I didn’t mean to say that,Meredith—”
“Miss Taylor,” she hissed over her shoulder.Daniel’s brows rose, confused by the exchange. “Daniel, will you,um…”
