Chapter 8 #2
“Where is that?” Alice asked with a frown. “You surely do not mean the house, as that would be much too far in this weather.”
“There is a small gamekeeper's cabin just past the line of trees.
It is unoccupied at present but clean, and most of all, it will be dry," Marco replied.
At Alice's nod, he walked out into the storm and retrieved her ruined hat and dripping boots.
She shoved her feet into them, wincing at the squelch of water.
“Well, I certainly would not object to being somewhere dry,” she said.
She walked over to Dido and swiftly mounted the house, showing more leg than intended, enough for Marco to get a glimpse of her lacy garter. He cursed under his breath at the distracting sight and mounted his own horse.
“Follow me then,” Marco said, setting a rapid pace through the woods. When they arrived and dismounted, he quickly helped Alice inside, closing the door to the small cabin behind them.
The room was not warm, but it was dry. The furniture was dusty, and the windows were a little clouded with dirt, letting in only a dim, watery light. A single cot sat to one side, with blankets neatly folded at the foot of the bed. It was a humble shelter, but it served its purpose.
“This is quite cozy,” she said, smiling.
“It shall do,” Marco said, reaching for one of the blankets. “You are still shivering. You should remove your jacket, it is sodden, and you will never get warm with it on."
Alice gave him a steady look and reached for the buttons running down the front of her riding habit. Slowly, she began to undo them. “Very well. I shall remove my clothes if you wish, Marco,” she said, never taking her eyes off his face.
“I did not mean for you to remove… everything,” Marco sputtered. Alice only smirked and watched how his eyes followed her fingers as they slowly undid her buttons.
“Do you not wish me to be warm?” she asked calmly. The heat in her eyes staggered Marco.
“I do,” he rasped, his eyes full of such intense hunger that Alice felt a curl of desire twist deep in her belly.
“Well then,” Alice said with a grin. She slipped her jacket from her shoulders.
He took a step forward, holding the blanket.
The bodice of her underdress clung to her chest in a way Marco couldn't ignore.
He couldn't help but look down at her cleavage.
When he realized he could see her puckered nipples through the fabric, his breath caught.
He wrapped the blanket around her with the intention of taking a step back, but she moved closer to him, tilting her head up to his.
He swallowed his raging need and rested his hands on her shoulders, preventing her from moving any closer.
“Alice,” he breathed. “You have a reputation to think of.”
“I do, but I also have to look to the future. I no longer want to be tethered,” Alice whispered, pressing her palms against his broad chest. He hadn't bothered to put his coat back on, and she could feel his hardened muscles through the damp material of his waistcoat and shirt.
She would no longer have to worry about getting married if she was ruined. And she imagined Marco knew ways to destroy her that would keep her warm for the rest of her life. She could live on those memories alone for years to come.
“Perhaps I can avoid my future in this way,” she said, moving her hand slightly so she could feel the pounding of her heart.
“I do not understand,” Marco said, frowning down at her.
“I have no desire to be shackled to a man who only wants my money,” Alice said, leaning closer to him and bringing one hand up to rest on his shoulder.
Marco closed his eyes and nearly growled as if he were overcome by desire.
The notion that she was so affecting him made her purr inwardly like a satisfied cat.
“You would allow yourself to be ruined to avoid marriage?” Marco asked, opening his eyes.
The censure in his tone enraged her, and she glared up at him, her desire dissipating for a moment.
How dare he judge her?
“Define ruined, Marco,” she snapped. “Would I not be ruined if I were forever tied to a man I could not respect? Perhaps not in the eyes of society, but it would ruin me all the same. Do you not find it barbarous to compel a woman to marry simply so she could access her own money? It would destroy something inside me if I was forced to do that.”
“It would not be so bad as all that if you found someone you could care for,” Marco said, and his cajoling tone made her feel even angrier as if he were belittling her situation.
“I am not a fool, Marco,” she ground out.
“I know what society says about me. They call me the Ice Queen and say I am nothing but a cold, upstart bastard. They have no respect for me and refuse to even try to see me for who I really am. How could I find someone to care about among people like that?”