Page 53 of Wicked Rivals
Jonathan was silent a long while, his focus on the whirling couples on the dance floor. There was a prickle of annoyance in his features.
“I’m no green lad. I have had my share of lovers. But the last few months, when I’ve had the opportunity to bed a woman, I’ve let the moment pass because none of them isher. I do not know if it’s mere lust and fascination or a strange inescapable pull, but for now, I cannot see myself with anyone but Audrey. She’s young and so…”
Ashton chuckled. “I’m sure there aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe the girl.”
“No, there aren’t.”
“Just have a care. With that one, if there is a heart that ends up being broken, it might not be hers.”
Jonathan ran a hand through his sandy hair as the music died down and prepared to start up again. He turned to face Ashton. “Last dance. Are you finally going to take your woman for a waltz?” He nodded at Rosalind, who was fanning her face.
She looked positively radiant. Dancing suited her. If there was one thing Ashton knew, a woman who loved to dance often equally enjoyed lovemaking. Rosalind curtseyed to her partner and then raised her dance card, still smiling.
He waited, watching her face as she realized there was only one dance left. One name left. Her face flushed and she glanced around, then found him and froze. Her breasts rose and fell slightly with her breaths, but everything else about her was still. He approached her.
“Rosalind.”
He held out his hand and lost himself in the silver pools of her eyes. Such lovely eyes, so full of emotions. Not the blank, sweet eyes of a young woman who’d never lived, but the eyes of one who had fought for everything she had.
A fellow warrior.
When she placed her hand in his, with anticipation. He led her back onto the floor as the musicians started to play a waltz. If he was to dance, he preferred a slow, measured one designed to seduce a woman. He was in no mood to hop about like a silly fool.
Ashton slid one hand around her waist. “I’ve been watching you. You are an excellent dancer.”
“But you haven’t danced with me yet.” Rosalind’s lips curved into a smile. “What if I tread upon your toes?”
“You won’t,” he assured her. “Because I dance even better.”
“A bit full of oneself, are we?”
“Not at all. It’s merely a fact.” He tugged her a little closer to him, and they began.
For the first time in his life, he was captivated by a simple waltz with a lovely partner. He had not been bragging about his dancing skills. Dance was math and motion combined. It was something that could be studied and perfected. It was an art, but one he was able to execute with an academic’s precision.
But this was different. Rosalind moved with him as though they’d danced together for years. She made the steps effortlessly and followed his lead without any urging. The chandelier light illuminated her alabaster skin, making it glow.
Too damned lovely.
“Have you enjoyed the ball, my lord?” she asked. Her tone was light, but her lips were a thin line as she waited for his answer.
“It has been fairly agreeable.”Aside from watching you dance with every man but me.
“My lord, I—” She stopped short, and he saw her raise her chin and square her shoulders.
“What is it? Please speak. I should hate to think I frighten you into silence.”
A fire sparked in her eyes. “I’m not frightened of you.”
“Then what’s the matter?”
“We need to resolve this…matter between us. Mere discussions have led nowhere, and I grow impatient. What if we instead made a wager? A win would be definitive. We could make a binding contract, of course, to keep it fair.”
“A wager on whether you’ll marry me?” For some reason, his heart beat against his ribs hard enough to make his breath catch. Had this been Rafe’s idea? Could he win Rosalind’s submission this easily?
“Yes. We would both be bound by our mutual sense of honor. If I lose, I marry you. If I win, you return my property as promised by the end of the week, sell my debts to parties of my choosing and allow me to return to London.”
It could not have been any clearer unless she’d said,“And then I’ll be free of you.”
