Page 30 of A Very Roguish Boxing Day
“What?”she protested.
He swiped a thumb beneath his eyes.“That’s the biggest load of shit I’ve ever heard.”Gwen was reminded that this was not a normal ball, but a wicked one, because nobody batted an eye at his coarse language.
“Gwen, bun,” Tom continued, “do you think I’m going to show off my elegant bearing?”
“Er…” Gwen glanced up and down his burly frame.“Perhapselegantis not the first word that comes to mind.”
She started as the lead couple began performing the figures with the pair next to her and Tom.The dance had almost reached them.
Tom winked at her.“You’re damn right, it’s not.”Then, he grabbed her hand and swung her into the dance.
Indeed, Tom was not what you would call an elegant dancer.But he was light on his feet, astonishingly so for such a large man.He was also a considerate partner.When Gwen’s feet couldn’t keep up and she started to fall behind, he swept her forward with a firm hand to her waist.When she lost her balance during a turn, he steadied her.He made her ten times better at dancing than she usually was.
But more than that, he danced with real enthusiasm.His face didn’t take on a pained look when Gwen stepped the wrong way as if he were horrified to be dancing with someone so inept.Instead, he laughed, and thenshelaughed, and the next thing she knew, she was havingfun.Which was unheard of!She didn’t enjoy dancing.She enjoyed curling up in a quiet corner with a book or tending to her bees.
The thought flashed across her mind that maybe the thing she enjoyed was being with Tom.
Each time he found an excuse to touch her, she shuddered, her body clearly hoping these little caresses were a prelude to something more.By the time the dance ended and he ushered her to the refreshment table, Gwen felt slick between her thighs, and the flush on her cheeks was not merely from the exertion of the dance.
Whoever had prepared the spiced negus had had a heavy hand with the sherry—unsurprising for the Wicked Widows’ ball.Gwen drank down her cup thirstily, not that she needed the warm beverage to heat her.
She wondered if Tom would excuse himself to find his next partner.
She glanced up and found him smiling, his gaze fixed on her, giving no sign that he was looking for an opening to make his escape.“So, tell me more about these bees of yours.”
Maybe it was the sherry starting to swirl through her veins, giving her a touch of liquid courage.Maybe it was knowing that Tom Talbot, the most attractive man in attendance tonight, wanted to spend the evening inhercompany, that buoyed her confidence.
Or maybe the last six months, in which she had defeated her brother at his own game and claimed the life she wanted, had changed how she saw herself.She could be reserved without being timid.She could be kind without being weak.
And if there was something she wanted, she could reach for it.
Straightening her spine, Gwen looped her arm through Tom’s.“Actually, I feel a touch overheated after such a lively dance.Could we continue our conversation in the garden?”
Perhaps it was her imagination, but she fancied his smile turned a touch wicked.“By all means,” he replied in a deep voice.
Heart tripping over itself, Gwen led him out the French doors and into the night.
Chapter14
The gust of air that greeted Tom as he and Gwen stepped outside was decidedly brisk, but it felt nice after the heat of the cramped ballroom.
Someone must’ve cleared the path that afternoon, but another two inches of snow had fallen since then.He peered at Gwen out of the corner of his eye as she tiptoed along, trying not to soak her dancing slippers.God, but she looked a treat in that red gown.If there was anything better than a woman with a proper apple dumpling shop displaying her wares in red velvet… well, he certainly couldn’t think of it at the moment.What he wouldn’t give to peel that dress down and fill his hands with those glorious bubbies, which he’d been dreaming about for the last six months…
He shook himself.She was a lady, which meant she wasn’t for him.Well… that might not be strictly true.She was a Wicked Widow, after all, and the whole reason he had been invited to this ball was because the Wicked Widows were a daring bunch.Some of them would be looking for a strapping fellow to warm their bed on this cold winter night.
But Tom wasn’t sure if that’s what Gwendolyn was after, or if she was just being friendly.Their night together had been a one-time thing, extenuating circumstances and all that.Mustn’t go making assumptions.
They found a stone bench in the corner of the garden.Tom brushed the snow off so they could sit.“So,” Tom began, “you were going to tell me about your bees.”
“In her last few years, Aunt Agatha wasn’t able to spend much time tending her hives,” Gwen explained.“Out of the ten hives she kept in the backyard, only three of them are thriving.I’ll therefore be looking to establish some new queens in the spring.”
“Ah.”Tom didn’t know much when it came to bees, so he asked, “There’s just one queen per hive, right?”
“Correct.”
She shivered, so Tom wrapped an arm around her shoulders.He was gratified when she leaned into him.“So, the rest are all males, and it’s their job to wait on her hand and foot.”
“Not quite.Most of the hive consists of what are called worker bees, which are female bees who are not capable of reproduction.If you see a bee on a flower, it is almost certainly one of these worker bees.”
