Page 43 of A Wicked Viscount's Stormy Affair
George paused for a moment, to simply watch her. To soak in her lovely smile and shining eyes. The feelings that he had been trying his hardest not to acknowledge came flooding to the surface once more. Keeping her away from Gregory was hopefully going to be easy, but he was starting to worry that he might not be able to keep her away from himself.
It was only because of her that George wished everything had happened differently. He enjoyed being a self-made man in Sweden. He had loved his life there, but just to make him good enough for Sophie, he wished that he was the one to inherit the lordship.
Sophie must have sensed his eyes upon her, because eventually she lifted her gaze to meet his. As she smiled at him, a pinkness stained her cheeks, making her more beautiful to him than she had ever been before. All he really wanted to do was cross this lawn, to finish what they had almost started on the battleship.
Putting a stop to that kiss before it had even happened was one of the hardest things that George had ever been forced to do in his life, and every time he caught sight of Sophie, he regretted it more.
Perhaps he was not going to be able to kiss her in front of the ton, because of the scandal that would cause, but he was most certainly going to spend as much of the day talking to her as he could. Gregory had taken all her time at Hampstead park, and he had also danced with her at the ball he forced George to miss.
Now it was George’s turn to monopolize her time, and he could not wait.
He decided not to wait. To cross the yard right away so he could speak with her. George could not ignore the way that excited anticipation surged through his veins. His pulse pounded with expectation. Never had he ever found himself so thrilled to speak with anyone.
In Sweden, he had been focused only on his work. He had decided a long time ago that no lady would want a disgraced lord, even with him moving away from London, so he had never sought to court anyway. But even if he had, he already knew that there was no woman who could have made him feel as Sophie did.
“Good afternoon, Lord Harrington,” Sophie said with a sweet curtsy the moment George was in ear shot.
“Good afternoon, Lady Dashwood. Would you like me to give you a tour of the gardens?”
He could not help but notice the look that her friends exchanged behind her. This might have made him nervous if he was worried about the gossip. But the talk of the ton would likely work in his favor, and draw Sophie closer to him.
“Yes, that sounds quite lovely. Thank you very much.”
The gardens had always been kept very well. His father had wanted to make a good impression on anyone who came near their home, so he had been sure to hire the best gardeners to keep the flower beds looking pristine. Thankfully, that was something Gregory had adopted. George could only hope that would continue, and that his brother would not waste all the family money, leaving him with no way to pay the house staff.
“Let me take you to see the orchids. I think you will love them most of all.”
There was a reason George had suggested this, and it was not simply because of the beautiful flowers. But because it would offer a little privacy. A place where they could talk a little more honestly.
“Thank you very much for the post card,” Sophie said once they had created some distance between themselves and everyone else. “I thought that was quite lovely. I have also been reading my book, and finding it thoroughly enjoyable.”
“Does it make you want to be back on the water once more?”
George did not mean anything by this comment, so it confused him when Sophie fell quiet and thoughtful. “I do not think I will be going back on the water,” she finally told him. “I believe we will be staying here in London.”
She turned to face him, so he did the same.
He could not stop his heart from thundering against his rib cage.
There was a nervousness in George that he simply could not control.
“I think you have more friends in London than you realize,” she told him delicately while moving a little closer to him. Thank goodness no one could see them. “It would be such a shame for you to leave.”
“Do you think?” he asked her sweetly, before edging towards her as well. He inhaled deeply, breathing in her beautifully intoxicating scent. “Well, I am not in a hurry to leave.”
Her fingers were so close to his that he could hardly stand it. It was lucky that no one was watching as he laced his hand with hers. They were both clearly very aware that this should not be happening, but neither of them was strong enough to stop it.
“I think you should most certainly consider staying longer.”
“Perhaps I will.” George’s head tilted ever so slightly as he brought his lips close to hers. “Maybe I have a reason to stay now.”
He did not sayyou, but that word hung in the air none the less.
George tried to recall his dream, and all the worries that came floating to the surface as he slept the night that his brother had abandoned him in the bar, but all he could really recall was the sensation of Sophie’s lips as they finally kissed. That was a sensation he needed to experience for real, to know if his fantasies were correct.
Sophie’s eyes had hooded over with desire. It was clear that she ached for this just as intensely as he did, which was what prevented him from holding back any longer. In his father’s garden, right by the orchids, he blurred the line at long last and lightly pressed his lips against hers in the sweetest kiss ever…
At least, that was how it started, as a sweet kiss which made his heart flutter with delight, but soon the passion got the better of them. His tongue invaded her mouth, just as hers did his, and the desire intensified. George pulled Sophie closer to him until her whole body was pressed up against him, setting him on fire.
