Clockwork Blue (20 page)

His abrupt command startled her. His tone had turned husky. She realized he was headed for the whitewashed bench overlooking the small lake. He urged his mount toward the secluded area, farther from the frolicking boys at the other end of the park, and she suddenly had the urge to explore dangerous waters as
ye
t undiscovered. Would she, like the moth, be smothered by the flame? Warily she glanced back toward civilization and the world she knew, with plain
Nicola
and her work in the millinery and d
ye
house, always overlooked by men and women alike. Why couldn
'
t the Earl ignore her also?

The lads and pixies had disappeared over the rise. Only she and the Earl existed on earth. With deep trepidation and a simmering anticip
ation, she
drew away from leaning against
the barrelabout and
took a few steps
toward him
. Perhaps in the light of day, he would see her and decide the
Clockwork Blue
wasn
'
t worth the sacrifice.
In fact
, she half-expected him to cry off the whole nasty blackmail scheme, but he stared at her mouth with an intensity that caused her to tingle. Did she have jam on her lips? In a self-conscious gesture, she licked at them but detected none of the strawberry preserves she
'
d eaten earlier.
"
T
here isn
'
t much more
I can
say at this early date.
So I will see you tomorrow.
"

"Not so fast."
His
eyes
darkened as he stared at her for a
nother
suspended moment before he dismounted. He wrappe
d his reins around a tree limb.

"
Don
'
t tell me you are about to renounce our bargain,
"
she said flippantly to ward off the
buzz of tiny motors under her skin
. Nervousness was what caused her
to act so strangely. S
he felt as if she were juggling keeping Ramsey out of the galleys, her father out of the sickbed
,
and herself out of an unwanted marriage.

He made his way toward her.
"
You will have your seven days. But I can use the time to
my
advantage.
"

"
What do you mean? Don
'
t you have enough advantages?
"
she asked crossly.

He trapped her hand with his
and led her to
a wrought-iron bench with wooden slats for the seat
.
"
You can work on softening your father, while I will concentrate on softening you.
"
His callused fingers lightly rasped against her bare wrist above the edge of her glove. He drew her near. With studied slowness, he peeled the glove away. Her skin prickled with the intimacy of the act. Then he turned her palm up and nestled his mouth within. The heat of his breath burned her. The outline of his lips caused tiny
pixies to flutter against her ears and sizzle down
her arm.

Sly and devious,
she mentally added to
his attributes. She screwed the radiator cap against the flow of
the delightful sensations and tugged against his grasp. When he let go, she smoothed the folds of her dress, hoping the action would calm the riotous sensations ripping through her.

With a haughty lift of her chin to banish the flutters near her heart she announced,
"
We won
'
t have to wed so the woo attempt
isn
'
t necessary
.
"

"
If I
'
m to have the
Clockwork
Blue
, it is.
"

"
Have more faith, mi
lord.
"

His knee rubbed her thigh as he turned to drape his arm along the back of the bench.

Alarm shot down her spine.
"
Must you sit so near?
"

He gave her a knowing look.
"
What better manner in which to get acquainted?
"
He
played
with a strand of her hair.

With an effort, she resisted the urge to squirm under his idle play. Instead, she concentrated on their discussion and what she wanted to say.
"I can think of a much better way to get
acquainted." For
instance, what
is your stance on Enlightenment,
and
in educating the masses?
What do you enjoy reading? Have you read Candide, the novella by Voltaire?
"

"Please, no politics.
And, although I enjoy reading, it is not a subject I would like to broach at this time.
Let's move on to a more interesting, pertinent
topic
, and
discuss the details of
what happened this morning. T
ell me, what did your father say about me?
"

Nettles scratched her scalp at his determination to control the conversation. With an inward sigh, s
he concentrated on answering.
"
That you were a cheating
rake
.
"

He threw her a startled glance.
"
That bad, eh?
"

"
Are you?
"

He stroked her neck, sending a riot of tingles along the backs of her arms.
"
Not a rake.
I have never enticed a woman to my bed
.
"

Unexpected relief surged over her. But he had not answered her question of being a cheat.
Evasiveness was
ye
t another quality to add to his character.
"
You purposely mistake my meaning.
"

He stared at
her black
bowler hat decorated with an old watch face, antique lace and thin gears of varying sizes. As she wondered what he was thinking, he suddenly plucked it off her head.

"What are you doing?" Her h
air must be flat to her head. And mussy. Heat flared against her cheeks.
"
Give that back."

"Easy, princess. I just want to try something."

Leaning over, h
e plucked a rose from the nearby bush and broke off the thorns
. He held it against a lo
ck of her hair, one that dangled nearly to her shoulder. The hank of hair had fallen from her coiffure
.
The nearness of his hand caused her to gulp.
She followed his gaze. Her
barley-color
hair
glowed against his tanned skin
. She was conscious of how close his broad, masculine fingers hovered near her
cheek
. Agitation skittered through her.
"
You never answered.
Are you a cheat?
"

He continued to stare.
"
What does it matter?
Just like this flower, I will break the thorns from your prickly nature
.
"
He settled it behind her ear.

"
You had best not make the comparison. I
'
m more like a weed. The harder you chop at me, the more I
'
m apt to grow back in a place you won
'
t want me.
"

"
Ah, but I know where your roots are—at my stables, shoveling horse droppings.
"

She gritted her teeth.
"
So, you aren
'
t going to tell me whether
or not you stole from Mr. Hill?"

He blew gently in her ear and, despite her resistance, a delightful shudder tickled her senses.
"
What would you do if I said
ye
s?
"

His li
ps were dangerously close to hers
. Bay rum tinged with his
musky scent sur
rounded her, causing her head to swirl with the pixies
.
"
Why …
I would
... I would knock you unconscious and bind your hands and feet. Then I would hide you so that no one discovered you for several hours. That would give my family enough time to make a getaway.
"

Falcon threw her a look reserved for an escapee from Bedlam.
"
You have fanciful thoughts.
"

"
Fanciful?
"
If only he knew.
She stared off in the direction Allegro had flown.

"
Knocking me out? Saving your
family from my evil grasp?"
His sensual mouth curved upward.
"
Don
'
t tell me you write novels. You own a very active imagination, although I do not think the heroine would be popular if she
decked
the hero.
"

"
You wouldn
'
t be my hero. You are more of a villain.
"