Chapter 7
“Don’t you worry sweetheart. i’m not so stupid as to think you’d ever compliment me. at least, not on purpose.”
Olivia ignored him and continued toward the lane way.
Suddenly, Alexander was there. All six feet of him looming over her.
“You’re not going down there, Olivia,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
So naturally she argued.
“I beg your pardon?”
Alexander crossed his arms looking as intimidating as he was handsome.
“I said, you’re not going down there. There are people out there who are a lot less palatable than me, shocking as that might be to you. And I’m not having you exposed to them.”
“And what if Jane is there with that scoundrel?”
“I suppose you want to chase after her? And what if you find them tupping? What will you do?”
His words brought a scarlet heat to her cheeks, she could feel it. And was grateful for the darkness that would disguise it from him.
She should be offended by his use of such vulgar language. But wanton hussy that she was, she only felt strangely exhilarated.
Olivia took a deep, steadying breath.
She’d never been the type to admit defeat. Never.
But sometimes, one had to recognize that there were things which could not be controlled. And she very much did not want to stumble on – well, that.
She glanced up at Alexander, feeling her heart do its usual gallop in the face of his harsh, masculine beauty.
She would never tire of looking at his face. Which was a problem, admittedly. But at least it was a problem with a nice view.
“You said it was too cold for that,” she mumbled.
“And I still believe it is. But there’s a world of pleasure that one could engage in, unhindered by the cold.”
Olivia’s breath quickened.
“And you’re an expert on such things, no doubt,” she quipped, but her tone lacked its usual bite.
Alexander grinned wolfishly.
“Oh, I hope so.”
Olivia couldn’t seem to form a response, especially when she caught the predatory glint in his eyes.
He dipped his head toward her own.
“Shall I prove it to you?” he whispered close to her lips.
Olivia could think of no way to answer, except to close the final, minuscule distance between them.
She loved him. She knew that now. Perhaps she always had. What she didn’t know was what on earth to do about it.
Alexander made a herculean effort to pull himself away from Olivia.
She was utterly irresistible, but he was conscious of the fact that they were in public and in the cold.
Much as he wanted her, he didn’t relish the idea of making it a spectator sport.
He studied her face for a moment, drinking in her heart-stopping beauty.
The sooner he got her to the carriage and in a semblance of privacy, the better.
“Come,” he said softly, taking her hand and walking toward the vehicle. They walked in silence; Alexander was lost in his own thoughts, and he assumed Olivia was lost in hers.
Still, she didn’t move her hand from his and he was surprised at how happy that simple act made him. It felt right somehow, to be holding her hand, as though she had always belonged right there, walking beside him.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked her quietly, not wanting to speak loudly and ruin the perfect stillness that surrounded them.
Olivia smiled wryly.
“Not really,” she confessed.
He wasn’t surprised.
The sky was bright and cloud free; the stars and full moon gleaming, illuminating the park with a brilliant white light and though it was beautiful to see, it certainly made it chilly.
There was already frost forming on the grass beneath their feet.
All of a sudden, he was filled with a need to protect her, to keep her safe always.
It was a heady feeling but one which was more than a little confusing.
They got to the carriage, and she turned to look up at him, her eyes deep enough to drown in, her body swamped by both his coat and her cloak.
She’d never looked so serene. She’d never looked so beautiful.
It was a moment of perfection, and he was starting to want a lifetime of them.
She was surrounded by his scent, and it was exquisite.
Furtively, Olivia clasped the lapels of the black greatcoat and inhaled. It smelled of soap, sandalwood, and Alexander. It was heavenly.
Alexander wasn’t speaking much and nor was she.
His chivalrous act, his concern for her wellbeing, and of course his kisses, were forces too strong for her to fight.
She might as well embrace the fact that she loved him.
Then, when he rejected her as he had three years ago, she could go away and lick her wounds in peace.
But wouldn’t it be nice to just let herself enjoy his company?
“Let’s get inside and get warm,” Alexander interrupted her thoughts.
She looked guiltily at him.
“Oh, Alexander, you must be freezing,” she said, starting to remove his coat. Here, take—” her words trailed off as she looked at him, really looked at him, since he’d given her his coat.
Now that they were standing directly in the moonlight, away from the cover of the trees, she could see more of him and what she saw was enough to make her mouth dry and her heart gallop.
She could see the muscles of his arms through the material of his navy-blue superfine. They looked so defined, so big.
And his jacket had very obviously not been padded like that of some of the dandies of the ton, given the size of his shoulders and the breadth of his chest.
“Olivia?”
Her eyes snapped up to his, and she was mortified by the light of amusement in them. He knew, the arrogant swine. He knew the effect he was having on her.
“You were saying?” he continued with a smug grin.
“I thought you might be cold. I was g-giving you back your greatcoat,” she murmured, refusing to meet his amused gaze.
“Keep it,” he said, chuckling softly. “I do believe your heated glances are enough to keep my blood warm.”
Olivia gasped in outrage. How dare he embarrass her so?
“I beg your pardon,” she exclaimed. “I was not giving you heated glances you great big oaf.”
He laughed again then bent to give her a swift kiss.
“You are one of a kind, Olivia Darington. Come.”
He leaned around her and opened the door of the carriage before holding out a hand to help her up.
Rather than take his hand, however, she shoved the greatcoat at him and inelegantly scrambled up into the carriage without his help, trying hard to ignore his laughter behind her.
When she’d landed herself in a graceless heap on the bench, she looked up to see he’d already entered the conveyance, smoothly of course, and was sitting opposite her with a heart-stopping smile on his face.
“Olivia, can’t you just ease up and have a little fun?” he cajoled.
“Yes, when I’ve removed my sister from your friend’s dastardly clutches,” she bit rather than acquiesce.
He sighed and shook his head.
“So busy worrying about everyone else,” he whispered reaching out and stroking her cheeks softly. ”But what about you? And your happiness?”
His words were so hypnotising, his touch intoxicating.
“I don’t understand you, Alexander,” she admitted hoarsely. “For my whole life you’ve despised me, and now – now you act as though, well – I just don’t know why you’re doing it.”
“Isn’t it obvious that I’m doing it because I want, quite desperately I might add, to spend time alone with you? That I want to explore this thing that’s growing between us?”
Olivia’s heart was hammering so loudly she was surprised he couldn’t hear it. “I suppose that makes me no better than Elliot,” he suddenly said, a frown of disgust marring his brow.
And Olivia immediately wanted to comfort him. Because even though they were at the notorious Scandal Lane, and even though she very much wanted to do exactly what she was trying to save Jane from, she knew instinctively that Alexander was nothing like his friend.
“That’s different. I mean, he wants to, to bed her, and -” she trailed off in confusion.
“It’s not different,” he said. “Believe me.”
Olivia froze as his words crashed through her mind.
He stared into her eyes. And she knew that if she told him to take her home this second, he would do it. Just as she knew that she should tell him to take her home this second.
Perhaps there was something about this place. This infamous part of Hyde Park.
But suddenly the consequences of her actions seemed unimportant. The price of taking this step with Alexander a pittance compared to the pleasure she knew she would experience at his hands.
Knowing that she was the very epitome of a hypocrite, but in that moment being unable to dredge up any shame for it, Olivia reached up and removed Alexander’s hands from her face.
Wordlessly, she pulled off her gloves, then reached up to untie the ribbons of her bonnet, then her cloak.
He watched her, his eyes glittering in the moonlight streaming through a gap in the curtains.
The only sound was the gentle noise of their breathing, and the unsteady thump of Olivia’s heart in her ears.
When she was free of her garments, she stood and before she could lose her nerve, placed herself firmly in his lap, her knees either side of his thighs.
Alexander’s hiss at the contact was all the encouragement she needed, and she leaned forward to boldly press her lips against his.
For a brief moment it seemed that he froze, and Olivia had a split second of panic.
Had she misread his desires? Did he not want her?
But before her self-doubt could truly catch hold, he muffled an oath against her lips, and he took immediate control of the kiss.
Without hesitation, his tongue plunged into her mouth.
One hand pressed her against him, the movement causing them both to groan with pleasure.
His other hand he buried in her hair, sending her pins flying and her dark curls tumbling down her back.
“Christ, Oliva,” he growled, pulling his lips from her own to trail kisses down her neck, nipping and licking her sensitive flesh. “You drive me wild.”
Olivia had lost the ability to speak coherently, too caught up in the maelstrom of desire he’d awakened in her.