Chapter 13
“Ithought you might need assistance,” Alexander’s voice came from directly behind her, close enough that the warmth of his breath brushed faintly across the back of her neck as the words settled between them.
Diana froze.
For a second, she remained bent slightly over the hedge, her hand still extended toward the misplaced Pall Mall ball hidden among the grass and tangled branches.
Her pulse, which had already been fluttering from the mild embarrassment of her disastrous swing, suddenly quickened for a completely different reason.
Slowly, she straightened.
“I believe I’m perfectly capable of retrieving a ball on my own,” she said, though the calmness she tried to place into her voice was undermined by the warmth rising unexpectedly through her chest.
Behind her, Alexander chuckled softly. The sound was low and amused, carrying the unmistakable suggestion that he did not entirely believe her.
“I have no doubt of your capability,” he replied, his tone mild. “But I was under the impression that your intention was to retrieve the ball, not disappear entirely into the shrubbery.”
Diana turned then.
He stood only a step away, close enough that she could see the faint glint of sunlight caught in the darker strands of his hair and the subtle curve of his mouth that suggested he was enjoying the situation far more than he ought to.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the ball she had just retrieved.
“I hardly vanished,” she said. “It was only a few steps.”
“A few steps,” Alexander repeated thoughtfully, glancing over her shoulder toward the wide stretch of lawn behind them.
From this part of the garden, the rest of the group was partially hidden by hedges and flowering trees, their laughter drifting faintly across the distance.
“From where I was standing, it appeared rather farther.”
Diana followed his gaze briefly.
He was not entirely wrong. The ball had indeed rolled far enough that they now stood in a quieter corner of the garden, partially secluded from the others.
When she turned back toward him, she realized Alexander had stepped closer.
Not enough that anyone observing from the lawn would think anything of it, but close enough that the space between them had shifted into something far more intimate than the open garden should have allowed.
The sunlight filtering through the branches caught along the sharp lines of his profile, and Diana became suddenly aware of how tall he was, how easily his presence seemed to fill the silence.
She could feel the warmth of him now. If she shifted even slightly forward, the front of her gown would brush against his coat.
She wondered if he knew exactly what he was doing to her. If he could see the way her breath had grown just a touch shallower, or how the simple nearness of him seemed to make every nerve in her body strangely alert.
“I suppose,” she said lightly, forcing a calmness into her voice that did not quite match the restless flutter rising beneath her ribs, “that means I am still winning.”
The words sounded steady enough.
Yet Diana was acutely aware of the warmth climbing slowly up her throat and into her cheeks, and she was at risk of entirely forgetting what they had been arguing about in the first place.
His brows lifted slowly, the faintest spark of amusement lighting in his eyes. “Winning?”
“Yes.” Diana raised the ball between them as though presenting undeniable proof, though she was painfully conscious of how close he stood now. “My shot traveled the farthest.”
Alexander’s gaze followed the small movement of her hand, studying the ball with exaggerated seriousness before his attention drifted back upward. The slow movement of that glance made something tighten inside her chest.
“That,” he said thoughtfully, “is a very interesting interpretation of the rules.”
“It is a perfectly reasonable one.”
He folded his arms loosely across his chest, the movement shifting his coat slightly and drawing Diana’s attention—quite against her will—to the strong line of his shoulders. There was something too relaxed about him in that moment, something too certain in the way he regarded her.
“Remind me,” he said slowly, his voice lowering just enough that the sound of it seemed to linger between them, “was the objective of the game distance… or accuracy?”
Diana narrowed her eyes at him, though it had become difficult for her to breathe.
“Distance requires skill.”
“Accuracy requires greater skill.”
She lifted her chin stubbornly, though her pulse had begun behaving in a most inconvenient fashion.
“My ball is farther away.”
“Yes,” Alexander agreed easily.
The agreement came so quickly that for a moment she suspected victory.
Then he added calmly, “Which suggests you missed.”
Diana let out a small huff of indignation.
“I did not miss,” she said firmly. “I simply chose… a more ambitious path.”
Alexander laughed softly.
The sound was warm and low, and Diana felt it ripple through her chest in a way that made it difficult to remember what they had been arguing about in the first place.
“And I suppose,” he said, his eyes lingering on her face with such interest that made her breath feel slightly uneven, “that makes you the victor.”
“Obviously.”
He stepped forward then.
The movement was slow, almost careless, yet it shortened the space between them until Diana became acutely aware of the warmth of his body only a breath away.
She could feel the heat of him even through the cool air beneath the trees, and the simple awareness of his closeness sent an unsettling current of sensation through her, pooling low in her belly.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the ball.
Alexander noticed.
His gaze dropped briefly to her hand before returning to her face with that same thoughtful calm that somehow made the moment feel far more charged than open flirtation ever could.
“You are remarkably determined,” he murmured.
The warmth of his voice brushed against her senses in a way that made her pulse shift again, faster now, deeper.
Diana forced herself to meet his gaze.
“It is a necessary quality,” she replied carefully.
“For what?”
“For winning.”
Alexander’s mouth curved faintly, the hint of a smile appearing slowly, as though he found far more amusement in her stubbornness than he ought to. “I see.”
But he did not step back. And Diana, despite every sensible instinct urging her otherwise, found she did not move either.
His hand lifted then.
The movement was unhurried, almost thoughtful, and Diana saw it coming from the corner of her eye. Yet the knowledge did nothing to prepare her for the moment his fingers brushed lightly against her wrist.
It was the faintest touch, barely more than the whisper of skin against skin, but the sensation struck her with startling force.
A shiver traveled instantly up her arm, swift and involuntary, the simple warmth of his fingers awakening something deep within her nerves that she had not meant to acknowledge.
The feeling spread through her chest before she could stop it, leaving her breath suddenly uneven.
His gaze dropped to her wrist where his fingers had touched her, then lifted slowly back to her face, and Diana saw the change in his expression immediately. His eyes darkened with unmistakable interest.
“You shivered,” he observed.
The words were soft, almost thoughtful, yet the awareness in them made heat rush through her at once.
Diana withdrew her hand quickly, closing her fingers around the ball she still held, hoping the small object might somehow restore her composure. Her pulse was racing now, far faster than the moment warranted.
“It is cold,” she said.
The excuse sounded weak even to her own ears.
Alexander glanced slowly toward the sunlight spilling through the trees above them.
“Is it?” His voice carried just enough amusement to make her cheeks warm further.
Diana lifted her chin stubbornly, forcing her shoulders back as though sheer determination might steady the restless sensation that had spread through her.
“You will not convince me that you have won through… seduction.”
For a moment, Alexander did not respond. His brows rose slightly, his expression shifting with interest as he studied her.
“Seduction?” he repeated slowly. “I am seducing you?”
Diana felt the warmth climb higher into her face. “That is not what I meant.”
“No?” His voice softened then, the teasing note in it lowering just enough to send a faint tremor through her chest.
There was something knowing in the way he regarded her now, something that made her feel as though he had suddenly begun seeing far more than she wished him to.
“Because,” he continued mildly, “it sounded very much as if you just admitted something rather interesting.”
Diana folded her arms quickly, more to steady herself than to appear defiant. “I admitted nothing.”
Alexander stepped closer. His eyes had grown darker now, the amusement still there but edged with something hotter. The space between them felt suddenly charged, as though the air itself had grown heavier.
“Tell me, Diana,” he murmured, leaning closer as he spoke, the movement slow enough that she saw it happening, and yet could not quite bring herself to step away. “Do you find me seductive?”
Her heart slammed hard against her ribs. She was certain he could hear it.
Every sensible instinct in her mind told her to retreat, to break the strange spell settling over the moment before it carried them somewhere far more dangerous than a simple argument over a game.
Yet she did not move.
The warmth of him seemed to surround her now, the intensity in his gaze holding her attention in a way that made the rest of the garden fade into distant background noise.
Her thoughts betrayed her.
Yes. Very much so.
But the words that finally left her mouth were far less cooperative.
“You are rather self-possessed.”
Alexander smiled slowly. “That,” he said, “was not an answer.”