Chapter Eight
A MAJESTIC ARCHWAY greeted them overhead, with the words Welcome to Foxtown written in an Old English script. And beyond it laid the theme park, and everything about the place filled Tassy with awe.
The last week of January in Jackson Hole was still the height of winter, but how was it that there were real flowers everywhere, and they were of every shade of the rainbow?
Her gaze drifted to the park visitors, and just watching everyone go about their business was like seeing the Regency period come to life. All the gentlemen were dressed in tailored coats and breeches while the ladies sparkled with their jewels and gowns. Instead of four-wheeled vehicles, the lantern-lit roads were filled with an assortment of horse-drawn carriages: a lady held the reins of a pink-colored phaeton while a gentleman had just climbed up into his all-black curricle. A fancy-looking chaise was parked next to a landau, and was that a town coach bearing a ducal coat of arms?
"If we go in, we can do more than look."
Tassy realized belatedly she had been gaping the entire time and looked at Lucius sheepishly. "I'm sorry. Everything's just so...breathtaking. But you're right. It should get better once we're inside, and...um..."
Her voice drifted off when she realized the billionaire was leading her away from the admission gates for visitors. Weren't they supposed to line up—- huh?
Men dressed like palace guards opened a pair of gates upon seeing Lucius, and Tassy was startled when they immediately bowed in greeting.
"Welcome to Foxtown, Your Grace, milady."
Your...Grace?
She turned to him, asking in surprise, "You're a duke here?"
"The Duke of Windtowne, to be specific. It's included in the compensation package if you're one of the park's first investors."
Riiight.
Lucius made it sound so simple when she was pretty sure being one of the park's "first" investors also meant that he had bought stocks worth a hundred mil, at least.
Lucius smiled down at her, and she managed to smile back, albeit weakly. Millionaires, she was used to dealing with because of her work. But billionaires? And most especially, gorgeous billionaires who could also be moody and frighteningly unpredictable like Lucius?
His really, really bad case of cold feet was just a taste of how he could so easily hurt her. It could only get worse from here, but since she did remember more easily now that Lucius was the sign she had asked from God—-
It's all going to be okay.
Lucius and I might not be perfect, but God is...
And He never breaks His promises.
LUCIUS HAD BEEN PREPARED to wait for an hour or so for his Tassina to get changed. But when he came out of the changing hall for men, it was to see her already dressed in a pale blue gown, her hair swept up in a chignon, and presently doing her best to ignore the attention she had attracted from the opposite sex.
The women he dated in the past reveled in being noticed. His Tassina clearly wasn't the same, and when Lucius stepped into her line of sight, the look of joy and relief on her beautiful face was one of the most precious things he had ever seen. It was the kind of look that a woman could only give to the man she belonged to, and even though the thought still had his chest tightening—-
Lucius knew it was the same for him.
He was hers, too.
Tassy and Lucius met halfway, and her heart fluttered at the way he immediately took hold of her hand.
"So..." He smiled down at her, and she smiled up at him as her heart fluttered some more. Lucius in a suit was already gorgeous beyond words, but Lucius dressed like a duke? Her heart seemed likely to flutter for the rest of the day.
"Have you thought about what you want us to try first?" While the park offered several new attractions for Valentines, Lucius had a feeling his Tassina would opt for the ones that were more romantically inclined, such as the Love Compatibility Test offered by the fictional Madame Amour or maybe a swan boat ride on the park's version of the Serpentine.
"If you're really okay with me choosing, I'd like to give this one a try."
Lucius glanced down at what she had pointed to in the brochure.
Foxtown Detective Agency?
"What do you think?" Tassy asked eagerly.
I think you're unpredictable, Lucius thought, and I hope you'll never change.
But since he was still adjusting to the fact that he had actual feelings for a woman—-
"Shall we see which of us makes the better Holmes?"
Her eyes sparkled as she laughed, and his chest clenched anew.
"Challenge accepted, Your Grace."
Tassy couldn't remember being this excited. And even though she knew she should really stop comparing the past to the present—-
Was this why things had been doomed to fail between her and Xylan?
She had always been the quietly competitive sort, but she had also sensed early on that there was nothing Xylan hated more than losing to her. In all the years they had been together, Xylan had made her feel one of them had to fade into the background for the other to shine. Not once had she thought to question this...until Lucius made her realize there shouldn't have to be a choice in the first place.
When two people were truly in love, they counted each other as one, and it was through this that they could experience twice the pleasure from shared successes while the pain was halved during times of trouble.
They would always be each other's helpmates...except of course when there was a murder mystery to be solved, and only one of them could earn the title of Foxtown's best detective.
Lucius had a hard time keeping his face expressionless. While Tassina had been properly awed and appreciative when flying class for the first time, it was only upon stepping inside one of Foxtown's newest attractions that Tassina looked as if she had suddenly won the lottery.
No expense had been spared to turn the two-story structure into a fancy detective agency in the 19th century. High ceilings and glossy wood panelings. Gas lamps in sconces and the faint scent of tobacco. High-backed velvet chairs and thick Persian rugs. A fully stocked wine bar in one corner and a grandfather clock in another. Shelves stocked with old leather-bound books, antique-looking globes, and a selection of magnifying glasses.
A bell chime on the reception counter caught Tassy's attention, and she glanced at Lucius in askance. The billionaire nodded, and her heart pounded against her chest as she rang the bell.
A secret door behind the counter opened, and an older man with a well-trimmed mustache emerged. "Good evening." He looked at them inquiringly. "I'm Constable Dill. May I have your names, please?"
Since Lucius looked as if he would rather starve than introduce himself as a duke, Tassy decided it was up to her to show him how fun it was to play make-believe as adults.
"Good evening, sir. I'm, um, Miss Bautista—-" As much as she wished she could introduce herself as a lady, Tassy had a feeling such titles were not dispensed freely in Foxtown. "—-while this gentleman is um, Lord Lucius, the Duke of Windtowne."
"Ah." Constable Dill nodded understandingly. "I was told to expect you."
Tassy was finding it more and more difficult to contain her excitement as the older man placed three folders on the counter. "Here are the cases you may choose to solve."
Tassy looked at Lucius encouragingly. "You be the one to choose this time." She was hoping to get the billionaire more involved and invested, but she was also praying that he would choose something gory and hardcore.
The Case of the Hungry Ghost had Edgar Allan Poe written all over it while The Case of the Bloody Key was very—-
"Let's go with this one then."
Aaargh!
Lucius hadn't even glanced at the folders when he picked one out, and of course they just had to end up with the one case that looked like it was designed for Junior Detectives...Preschool Version .
"The Case of the Time Traveling Thief." Tassy managed to smile brightly after reading the case title out loud. "This is so, um, unique!" She flipped the folder open and went on reading.
Greetings, detectives, and thank you for visiting us from the future!
Her eyes widened. Did this mean she and Lucius were also time travelers? She didn't see that coming at all, and her curiosity was definitely piqued.
Last night, Lord and Lady Cabbage held a party in their townhome. One of their guests, Lady Pumpkin, had fallen asleep in their library. Upon waking, she realized her pearl necklace was missing, and authorities were immediately informed.
Our preliminary investigation has narrowed the list of suspects to these three individuals who were seen entering and leaving the library within the period of time the theft was likely to have taken place.
We have reason to believe that one of them is also from the future and that the stolen necklace will be used to disrupt the time continuum.
Lucius could no longer keep his lips from twitching. Tassy was shifting restlessly from one foot to another by the time she finished reading the case file, and she was practically skipping in glee as they followed Constable Dill down a hallway lined with framed old maps and various illustrated charts of the human body.
Constable Dill opened one of the doors to their right. "Please have a seat, Your Grace, Miss Bautista. I'll have the first suspect with you shortly."
Lucius shook his head at how his Tassina was unable to sit still while they waited for the constable to return.
"Nervous about handling your first case, Ms. Bautista?"
"Oh, please. Speak for yourself, Your Grace," Tassy said airily. "I can solve this case even with my eyes closed."
Never had he encountered a woman so eager to defeat him, and the fact that she believed she truly stood a chance was rather...cute.
Foolish, too, of course, but incredibly cute.
Tassy offered her hand. "May the best detective win."
He took hold of her hand, but just when she thought he would give it a shake—-
"I think what you mean is congratulations."
Tassy had no chance of replying, with Lucius suddenly sucking on her fingers.
Aaah!
Her stomach tightened with desire even as she fought to yank her hand out of his hold. But just as she was able to free herself, she realized too late it was only because he had something more nefarious in mind.
"Y-You—-"
Tassy forgot what she had to say as he started kissing her hungrily, and her whole body shuddered when he started palming and squeezing her breasts, harder and harder until—-
H-Huh?
Lucius' kiss came to an abrupt end when he suddenly sprung back, and all she could do was blink. Why had they—-
The sound of footsteps outside the room brought Tassy back to her senses, and she could only gasp in outrage when she saw his lips curve into a smirk.
Grrr!
Did he kiss her just to throw her off her game?
Lucius barely managed not to wince as Tassina kicked her under the table just as their first suspect entered the room.
"My name is Sir Forsythe," the elderly knight huffed as he took his seat. "It is beneath me to be investigated in this manner. I own properties all over England. Why would I bother stealing so paltry a thing?"
A thin pale gentleman was next to speak, and he nervously wiped his spectacles clean as he gave his alibi. "Good day, Detective. My name is Walt Cranberry. I'm but a lowly writer who was overjoyed when Lord Cabbage invited me to their home. I've always wanted to see their collection of books in their library, which many describe as one of the best in London. The whole time I was in the library, I was so focused on the books—-Monet, Shakespeare, and I believe there was a book about the Fall of the Roman Empire on the right. I even remember they were arranged in that manner, from left to right. Books were the only reason why I was there. I didn't even know someone else was inside."
The last suspect was a woman in her late twenties, and she introduced herself as Mrs. Cowper. "I know what everyone's saying about me," the woman sniffed. "I may be one of Lady Pumpkin's poor relations, and yes, we do have our differences from time to time, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. It doesn't mean I'd steal from her."
The three suspects filed out after giving their statements, and the billionaire raised a brow at Tassy. "Thoughts?"
Tassy gnawed on her lip as she reached for the dossier they were handed earlier. "The first one sounded very defensive." She flipped to the page about Sir Forsythe's background. "It's true that he has a lot of properties, but all of them have been mortgaged to the hilt."
"And the second one?"
Tassy flipped to the next page. "He's exactly as he says he is. An impoverished writer who could certainly benefit from stealing Lady Pumpkin's necklace. And as for Mrs. Cowper..." Tassy flipped to the last section of the dossier. "It says here she has a gambling problem."
Lucius already knew who the culprit was, but he also wanted to see whether his Tassina would arrive at the same conclusions.
"We have three suspects all with possible financial motives for committing theft," Tassy thought out loud, "but one of them is from the future. I think that's what we should focus on, and mm... now that I think of it. Walt was so keen to describe the books he saw in the library, but... oh!"
"What is it?"
"He mentioned Monet," Tassy blurted out. "Monet wasn't even born during the Regency period."
Lucius smiled. Walt was also his primary suspect, but just when he was about to press the Call button for the constable to come back, Lucius noticed her studying the photos of the three suspects. "Have you thought of something else?"
"What if I'm wrong? Walt was just so nice while the other two were so defensive. What if I'm missing something..."
Lucius could only think of one thing as Tassina's sentimental heart ended up overriding her common sense. He had always thought that people who were "too" nice for their own good were a myth, but his Tassina was the real deal, and when he thought about how all these years she could have so easily been taken advantage of...
Tassy was startled when a frowning Lucius suddenly cupped her face.
"I want you to promise me one thing."
"O-Okay..." Why did he sound so serious? Did this have anything to do with Walt being her primary suspect?
"People will say anything just to get out of trouble."
"But—-"
"So trust your brain, not your heart. Can you promise me that?"
"I...um..." Tassy saw his frown darken and hastily came up with a compromise. "Trust brain, not heart," she parroted instead. "Got it."
"Good."
Lucius' frown was gone, and he was smiling again.
Okaaay.
Tassy's confusion only grew when Lucius handed her a pen and paper from the selection available and took a set for himself. "What's this for?"
"You didn't think I'd let our game end without a winner, did you?"
Tassy's competitive spirit came back to the fore. "You wish." She stood up and surveyed the shelves. She remembered seeing something earlier... aha!
Lucius' lips twitched when Tassina returned to her seat with a tiny sand timer in hand.
"Ready?" Tassy challenged.
"Any time you are."
Tassy flipped the timer, and Lucius reached for his pen. It took only a second or so to write down his guess, but when he glanced at Tassy, it was to see her gnawing on her lip as she seemed to cross something out with her pen.
Tassy frantically started scribbling when she realized her time was running out. Aaargh. Of all times for her to be indecisive, why did it have to be when her pride as an amateur detective was on the line?
"Time's up," Lucius murmured.
They flipped their papers to reveal their answers at the same time.
'Walt' was written in bold block latters on Lucius' paper.
But on Tassy's paper, on the other hand...were a lot of crossed-out names until finally, she had written down... INNOCENT.
Tassy's words burst out in a defensive rush as soon as she saw Lucius start to smirk. "I'm just being true to my principles! Suspects must be presumed innocent until—-"
The billionaire cut her off, saying in a pained voice, "I never thought someone could be so smart—-"
Tassy didn't know how to react to this. If his words were a compliment, why didn't it sound like it?
"—-and unbelievably na?ve at that same time."
Oh, so that's why.
Because it was really an insult disguised as a compliment...or was it the other way around and he was complimenting her by way of—-
Aaargh!
Who knew she could be so darn indecisive...that she ended up annoying herself?
"You had it right the first time," Lucius was telling her with a dark look on his handsome face. "And aside from erroneously citing Monet, Walt also took pains to describe the arrangement of the books in hopes of bolstering his alibi. Unfortunately for him, the arrangement he had described was based on the Dewey Decimal System, and that - like Monet - had only existed years after the Regency period."
Tassy only had two words after listening to Lucius' deductive reasoning.
Oh dear.
She had never taken the time to think about what turned her on...until now.
Lucius frowned when he saw the way Tassy was staring at him. "What is it? Do you disagree?"
She quickly shook her head.
"Then..."
Tassy bit her lip. She didn't want to lie, but she was too shy to tell him the truth.
"It's alright," Lucius said gently.
"It's just..."
"You can tell me anything." A wolf in sheep's clothing he once again was, and the disguise was starting to feel like second skin to him.
"It's when you talk like that," she finally said. "It reminds me of the first time I listened to you speak..."
Lucius remained bemused...until he saw her cheeks start turning pink, and that was when it finally hit him.
Unpredictable as always.
Tassy finding smart talk a turn-on was something he didn't see coming yet again, but he definitely wasn't complaining. Where Tassy was concerned, he was beginning to realize he wasn't keen on leaving anything to chance. He wanted her obsessed with him...as much as he was already obsessed with her.
And that was why—-
"Can I test it out?" Lucius asked.
Tassy blinked. "Test what out?"
"I want to perform a controlled experiment based on a stimuli-response matrix. I'd like to see if any patterns emerge in order to establish baseline thresholds, calibrate variables, and of course, achieve maximum results in terms of neurochemical excitation."
Tassy had no idea what the billionaire just said, but—-
"Yup." Whatever it was he wanted to test, it already had her toes curling and her heart pounding, and she wanted to hear more of it.
Lucius couldn't remember being with a woman who made him want to laugh and kiss her at the same time.
His Tassina was everything he hadn't even known he wanted.
She was it for him.
And to make sure that he was also everything to her—-
Tassy could only gasp when Lucius suddenly grabbed her hand, and it was all she could do to keep up with his brisk pace as he led her out of the room and back to where Constable Dill was waiting for them.
"Constable, please have Mr. Walt Cranberry arrested."
Since Lucius was still on the move, this time leading them up a set of stairs, it was now both Tassy and the constable doing their best to match his long-legged stride.
"He's definitely from the future since he's made references that have yet to exist during the Regency period, namely, Monet and the Dewey Decimal System."
"Uh, you have correctly identified the culprit, Your Grace. Congratulations." Constable Dill was starting to feel nervous. It was protocol for all park employees like him to know who all of Foxtown VIPs were, but...nothing in the rule book had prepared him for this. Why was Lucius Young heading up the second floor?
Constable Dill cleared his throat. "The, um, prize—-"
"It's all yours."
Lucius' statement had the other man nearly losing his footing. "S-Sir? I mean, Y-Your Grace?" The prizes for this weekend had been upgraded for the park's media campaign. Did the billionaire really mean—-
"All I need is a room my girlfriend and I can use in private." Lucius began opening doors to see which of the yet-to-be-launched mystery rooms would best serve his purpose. "We have something to talk about, and we don't want to be disturbed at all costs."
Mm.
Nope.
Mm.
Perfect.
By the time Lucius had found his room of choice, understanding had also dawned on both the constable and Tassy, who was now blushing from head to toe but unable to utter a single protest...since honestly?
She so, so badly yearned for Lucius' kisses as well.
"Do we have an understanding, Constable?"
Constable Dill clicked his heels and gave the billionaire a hearty salute. "Yes, sir—-I mean, Your Grace!"
"Then that will be all."
The door slammed shut on his face, but Constable Dill was all smiles as he made his way back to the lounge. Who knew it would be this easy to win a thousand bucks?
Tassy could only whimper as Lucius threw her on the four-poster bed as soon as they were inside. Her legs were still dangling over the edge, but this turned out to be exactly what he wanted, with his head suddenly disappearing under the skirts of her gown, and oh!
Had he really just ripped her lace panties just like tha—- ah!
Her eyes squeezed shut, and her head fell back as Lucius started tracing her moist swollen folds with his tongue. She couldn't remember burning this much her entire life. Couldn't remember feeling this wet and sensitive. And when she felt him slowly but firmly part her folds—-
Aaaah.
It was like having her most secret part completely exposed, and when she thought about Lucius staring at her most intimate flesh—-
Embarrassment flooded her whole being, and Tassy instinctively tried pulling away. This was too much, too fast, too soon. This was—- aaaah.
A violent shudder of pleasure rocked Tassy's body at the first thrust of his tongue. All thoughts of resistance melted in an instant, and the only thing she felt this time was a throbbing, restless need to feel more.
"P-Please."
To the point that she actually couldn't stop herself from begging—-
"L-Lucius."
Every thrust of his tongue ravaged her world, and Tassy could only claw helplessly on the sheets since there was nothing else for her to hold on to.
She had never thought one could be devoured like this.
And yet that was exactly what he was doing.
He was tasting her so deeply, every forceful stab of his tongue marking her for life.
And when he reached up to pinch that tiny swollen nub of pleasure—-
Tassy shattered anew, her mind completely blanking out at the sheer force of her orgasm.
Lucius lapped every drop of her release and waited until Tassy's body had stopped buckling before slowly easing up. When he straightened to his full height, he was not surprised to see her eyes closed, her breathing gradually slowing down.
As he watched her sleep, he found himself thinking of things he had once thought would never apply to him. And by the time her eyes fluttered open, Lucius had made up his mind.
Tassy's mind was hazy as she rubbed her eyes. Where was she again? And why was she in bed? What had she been doing before—-
OH!
Tassy could feel her cheeks turning fiery red as she scrambled up to a sitting position. She knew it was ridiculous to still feel embarrassed at this point . It was like crying over spilled milk, or in this case, moaning and turning red over spilled, um-—
Okay, just stop, Tassy, since you're only making things worse for yourself!
"Penny for your thoughts?"
The very idea of Lucius learning her thoughts was horrifying, and she quickly shook her head.
"Not for sale—-" Tassy's words ended in a little gasp when the billionaire scooped her off the bed without warning, and she found herself back on his lap... for the nth time.
"Why not?"
Tassy considered trying to pull away ever so briefly, but when her more sensible inner voice reminded her that was another ridiculous thing to do after what had happened between them—-
"Just because," she settled on saying instead, albeit lamely.
Copper eyes narrowed at her. "Are you hiding something from me?"
"Yes."
The way his Tassina admitted to this with zero hesitation had Lucius laughing despite himself. She truly was the most unpredictable little thing, and it was this, more than anything else, that had him deciding not to delay things any longer.
He cupped her chin and waited until he had all of her attention before saying quite simply, "Marry me."
Tassy was about to laugh until she saw the brooding intensity in Lucius' coppery gaze.
"Marry me," he repeated, and this time, she started having difficulty breathing.
"I think you must've missed a memo or something," she joked weakly. "You'll be tired of me in 48 hours—-"
"I won't."
Her heart pounded at how swiftly and firmly Lucius answered, but Tassy reminded herself just as firmly (and frantically) not to get carried away.
"I don't know what game you're playing—-"
Tassy stopped speaking when Lucius suddenly grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, where she could feel how hard his heart was pounding.
"Does that feel real enough for you?"
Tassy was finding it harder and harder to breathe. "We barely know each other—-"
"And yet people who have known each other for decades still end up divorced."
He had her there, darn it, but—-
"I'm not really the kind of woman you'd want to marry," Tassy heard herself say shakily. "I already warned you, didn't I? I'm extremely demanding—-"
"So am I."
"And unreasonably possessive—-"
"Peas from the same pod then."
She looked at him in frustration. Why was he still here? Shouldn't he have run away by now?
"If that's all you're concerned about—-"
"I'm clingy, too," Tassy declared in a rush. "In the most annoying way possible!" That should make the billionaire think twice—-
"Perfect," Lucius said smoothly.
—-or double down on his decision to marry her simply because he hated being said 'no' to?
"I'm not lying," Tassy warned desperately. "I'm clingy to the point that you'll find yourself cringing—-"
"Prove it then."
Er...what?
Lucius took a step back and raised a challenging brow. "You can start clinging anytime now."
Tassy suddenly felt as if she had backed herself into a corner, and—-
Buuuuzzzzzzzz.
The sound of her phone's alarm going off was a welcomed interruption, and Tassy was more than a little relieved to have a legitimate excuse not to drive herself crazy over Lucius' invitation to, well, cling.
"I'm sorry about this, but that's my alarm for work—-"
Tassy was already walking backward to the door as she gave the billionaire her apology.
"Can we, um, continue this conversation next time?"
Lucius waited for relief to hit him as he watched her walk away, but instead, he found himself fighting off the urge to haul her back and demand that she accept his proposal.
He could see that a part of her wanted him to stop her from leaving...while the other half of her dreaded the same thing. He knew he could bully and seduce her into marrying him if he wanted to, and perhaps that was exactly what he would have done in the past...with any other woman.
But because this was his Tassina, and every fiber of his being now recognized that she was the only one for him—-
"I'll, um, see you around?"
Tassy could still sense Lucius' gaze on her back as she dashed out of the room. She should be glad he was letting her go and respecting her wishes...so why did she have this burning fear that she was the one who had let something go instead?
What if by leaving...she had given him time to change his mind?
What if he realized he didn't want to marry her after all?
Great! Not great! Great! Not great!
Oh God, help.