Chapter 2 #3
Nicole was startled to see genuine anguish in his eyes.
She tried to urge him back to his seat, but he held her hands in his and continued, "But you know me. The real me. You don’t care if I’m clumsy or silent or completely hopeless at everything that matters.
You simply smiled and continued to encourage me to be me. "
Nicole's throat tightened. "You are living in the past. That was a long time ago. I’m no longer the girl who dances; in fact, I am now a resident wallflower."
"Are you really?" Felix tugged her down next to him, and Nicole's breath caught as he stared at her.
"Because when I look at you, I still see the girl who told me I simply needed the right partner in order to dance.
I see the one person in the world who makes me feel like I can do anything.
I see the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. "
His head tilted slightly to the right. He was mere inches away. Was he going to kiss her?
Nicole panicked and jumped to her feet and resumed pacing in front of the grandfather clock. This can’t be happening. She might have dreamed of such fancifulness countless times, but she was fully awake, and Felix was no figment of her imagination. Nicole pinched her arm. This was no daydream.
Felix stepped up in front of her, and her forehead bumped into his hard chest. Of course, his frame was as solid as she’d imagined.
He caught her from falling backward. "I know I've given you no reason to trust me. And my reputation is in tatters, but I’ve never once lied to you. Never.” He released her, took a step back, and raked his fingers through his hair.
“What I did last night was unforgivable.
But I'm asking you—begging you—to give me a chance to prove to you that I'm not the man everyone thinks I am. "
She stared at him, her heart pounding so hard she was certain he could hear it. This close, she could see the gold flecks in his brown eyes, the faint scar above his left eyebrow that she had given him, and the way his hands trembled slightly as he waited for her answer.
He was terrified. His words were filled with sincerity.
She saw the boy she'd once known, hidden beneath layers of ducal polish and his rakish reputation. "One month," she heard herself say. What was she thinking? Hadn’t she promised herself not to go easy on the man?
Felix's eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?"
The thin white line above his brow reminded her of how they used to settle matters when they were young.
"Let’s place a wager, like we used to." Nicole's voice came out steadier than she expected.
"Court me properly. No games, no pretense, no switching identities with your brother.
Just... be yourself. If, at the end of a month, I believe you're sincere, then we'll discuss what happens next. "
"And if you don't believe me?"
"Then you'll leave me alone and find some other poor woman to torment with your declarations of love." She hoped her empty threat didn’t sound as shallow to Felix as it did to her own ears. The idea of Felix marrying another made her stomach cramp.
For a moment, Felix simply stared at her. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face—not the practiced, charming smile he and his twin had mastered, but one that was genuine, boyish, and utterly disarming.
"A wager for one month," he repeated as if he was mulling over his options.
“If you would rather not lose another bet to me then we can simply end our discussion here and now.” Nicole cocked her head to the side and planted her hands firmly on her hips.
Felix never backed down from a dare, even if it meant falling from a tree.
She would never have climbed up so see the sunset if she knew Felix might have lost an eye or gashed his forehead on a limb.
The memory of blood gushing out and Felix fainting had a gurgle of laughter bubbling up in her chest.
“A penny for your thoughts.” Felix said, yet she had the distinct inkling he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Well, what do you say? Do you dare to place a wager with a wallflower?” She was playing with fire, and when his eyes lit with desire, Nicole knew she was in trouble.
“Are you certain you want to place a wager with me?”
She couldn’t speak, her gaze was trained on his lips, which were lowering closer and closer.
Nicole nodded and, as she expected, Felix sealed their wager with a kiss.
His firm lips pressed against hers, and just when she was about to lean into him, he pulled back but only far enough to whisper, “You're mine for a month.”
What did he mean? Would he leave her like he had every other woman?
She pushed him away, but he didn’t budge. Nicole glared up at him, “I have one condition.”
“Just one?”
"No lies. No hiding the truth. If you're going to court me properly, then I want honesty. Complete, unflinching honesty, even if it's uncomfortable."
Felix's expression sobered. "I can do that."
"Can you?" Nicole narrowed her eyes and studied him. "Honesty requires vulnerability, my lord.”
He interrupted her with a quick kiss and said, “Felix, please…”
She leaned back and continued as if he’d not interrupted her, “Honesty requires letting someone see all of you—the good, the bad, the parts you'd rather keep hidden. Are you prepared to do that for an entire month?"
"Are you?" he countered.
The question caught her off guard. Nicole opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again.
Was she prepared to be completely honest with a rake?
She was no longer a naive girl, believing in the best in others.
No, she'd spent the past three years building walls, hiding behind a mask of quiet reserve, convincing herself that invisibility was safer than risk. But safety was lonely.
Jutting out her chin like she once did, she declared, "I suppose we shall find out."
Felix's sober features softened. "I look forward to it. That is… seeing the real Miss Nicole Alison Caldwell again."
He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. The touch was brief, proper, entirely appropriate for a gentleman courting a lady.
It also sent heat racing up Nicole's arm and straight to her chest.
"Until tomorrow, my love," Felix said, his voice low and intimate.
"Tomorrow?" Nicole repeated, ignoring his endearment.
"I'm taking you for a ride in Hyde Park. Two o'clock.” He looked her over from head-to-toe and added, “Wear something comfortable."
"You're very presumptuous, my lord."
"Felix.” This time, his name came out as a command. Apparently, he had learned to bark orders like a duke after all.
She wasn’t ready to resume calling him by his given name. It was too intimate. Too familiar. His name was wound in memories that made her happy, not sad. She pasted on a smile, “A ride in the park sounds wonderful.”
"Nicole…” He let her name hang between them until she met his gaze. “Our wager is for one month, and I intend to make the most of every moment. I’ll ensure you won’t want to leave me ever again."
“Need I remind you, it wasn’t I who left. That was you.”
“Wager or no wager, let me be clear. I have no intentions of ever letting go of you again.” He bowed and left the drawing room, leaving Nicole standing alone with her racing heart and the lingering warmth of his kiss upon her lips.
Nicole sank onto the settee, her legs suddenly unsteady.
She’d lost her marbles. Who in their right mind risks their reputation with a rake?