Ruin Me Please (44 page)

Peyton snorted
again
, “
Love
is generally not the feeling that one is attempting to ach
ieve during an assignation in a secluded library during a ball
.
”

“Peyton
,” Parker
admonished quickly.

“I cannot believe that these lurid tales are benefiting anyone
,
”
Agnes countered
,
stunned by
Peyton’s
response.  “I also cannot believe that you would be so lackadaisical when rumors are b
e
ing spread about o
ne of your own
friends.”

“Dreadful,” Chloe agreed.
  “I do not wish an unhappy or forced match on anyone.”

“Seymour,
” Parker
huffed,
point
ing
an admonishing finger at Seymour.  “Must ever
y
th
ing you discuss be controversial,
especially when speaking about our friend?
 
Are you not aware of any plea
sant topics to entertain us
?”  He turned towards his brother.
“Peyton, you are aware that there are ladies present
,
”
h
e warned with a stern look.

He grinned
guiltily
.
“Pardon, ladies
,
” Peyton apologized
again
.

“Oh, but the scandalous
tid-bits
are so much more amusing
.
”
Chloe
giggled
behind her gloved hand
.

Placing his head in his hands, Parker groaned
. 
“I give up
.
” 

Lost in her own thoughts, Piper did not hear the rest of the conversation. 
A
s
m
ost were
more
concerned with the gossip
,
they
failed to notice the
misery
in her eyes or the ghostly pa
l
lor of her skin.

Declan soothingly trailed h
is finger
up and down
Poppy’s arm when he
noticed
her
co
n
cerned look.  W
hisper
ing
, “
What has you suddenly upset?”

“Are you acquainte
d
with Rockwell?”
  She glanced up and found him staring at her. 

“Of course
,
h
e was at school with us.” 
He gestured
towards the men.

After blotting her lips with her napkin,
Poppy
whispered conspiratorially, “
Well,
I believe Piper holds some affection for him.” 
She looked
at the dejected slump of her twins shoulders.
“This is definitely unwelcome news.  I believe she harbored secrets hopes…
”
S
he
trai
led off compassionately. 

“
I have kno
wn Rockwell for a quite a while.
”
H
e
paused for a
moment. 
“
And h
e does have a r
akish reputation,
but I do not believe it is
any worse
than
any of
the
other men who are
e
n
joying this
very
luncheon with you today.  Most stories are ex
aggerated beyond recognition.”

“Believe me, I know.”  Poppy frowned
,
remembering some of the gossip she had heard about Parker while she was in Lond
on and she knew for a fact those rumors were
lies.  “I do hope that Piper is not too disappointed.” 
She chewed her bottom lip,
look
ing
towards her si
s
ter.

“Oh Piper
,” Agnes
whispered
gently
.  “Do you believe the
rumor
? 
It is true that many mammas have been trying to bring him to heel for years.
”

She responded
wearily
,
“I pray not, this is all becoming positively tedious.” 
Te
ars shi
m
mer
ed
in her eyes.
“I fear it may be so.  I’ve never known Seymour to be incorrect with his i
n
formation.”  Placing her arm around her friend, Piper laid her head on Agne
s
’
s shoulder for comfort.  “
But
I do pray
he is wrong this time
.”

The summer rain started to roll in with a sudden cool gust of wind
causing P
oppy
to
look up
.  N
oticing the dark gray clouds beginning to cover the sky
,
“Oh dear
, it
looks like the rain is coming mor
e quickly than I had hoped
.”

Taking command, “We should pack up and head t
owards home.”  Parker slanted a look towards the sky and grimaced. 
“I have no desire to be drenched.”

Quickly gathering their belongings, they
had barely begu
n their journey back to the house when fat
raindrops began to fall.

Shrieks of laughter filled the air as they all
doggedly slogged
the half-mile to
the house.  Running quickly up the stairs they
all dispersed to dry off and refresh themselves
.

Declan quickly grabbed Poppy’s hand
stopping her
before she could start up the stairs.  His eyes wandered down her disheveled hair to her damp
gown, which
clung enticingly to her sle
n
der limbs.  
H
er white linen chemisette
proved
sem
i-transparent by the rain and did
little to hide the swell of her bosom or the tight little buds of her puckered nipples.  H
e
could feel hi
m
self hardening,
curs
ing
his swelling
member
.
  “How very fetching you
appear
when you are soaking wet.”

Her heart skipped a
beat;
she was turning into an absolute wanton.  “H
ow
very kind
you are
, Your G
race.
”  Poppy grinned
,
her eyelashes
fluttering
exaggeratedly
.

He watched
as color rose in her cheeks and a
drop of rain
slid
slow
ly down the ridge of her freckled nose.  Declan’s lips curved in a breathtaking smile, his hand moved, c
atching the drop with his finger before it could fall
to the floor all the while d
evour
ing
her with his eyes
.
  “I see you have acquired a few more delightful freckles fro
m our outing this a
f
ternoon.”

Poppy’s dim
ple peeked out with her grin and she crossed her eyes in an attempt
to view the new additions.
  “I was adamantly warned by Miss Harris to stay under my parasol. 
Howe
v
er,
alas, the sun was
eagerly
calling to me. 
Its
warmth
too enticing to avoid
, would you not agree?” 
She pursed
her lips in a pretty pout.
“I have been told that I am completely hopeless.” 
She lightly shrugged
her shoulders.  “I fear it may be true.” 
Her brows rose
in question
.

His eyes fell
to the seductive pucker of h
er lips.  Affectionately, he ran
his finger d
own her nose
again, leaning in to k
iss the tip
. 
In
a
rough whisper he said, “There is nothing hop
e
less about you.
”  Maneuvering closer he
looked around
cautiously when
he whispered, “Once you have changed, can you steal away?  Would you like to
meet me in the conservat
o
ry?”

Leaning even closer, Poppy shamelessly whispered back, “I would have met you back in the ra
in if you had asked.”  S
tretching on her
toes,
she placed a light playful kiss on his lips.  Whispering
, “
I will be waiting
.”
  Then grabbing her skirt in one hand she flew up the stairs.

Her passions are made
of nothing

but the finest part of true love.

Antony
and
Cleopatra

*William Shakespeare

S
he was fascinated
,
and it wasn’t
just because he was so handsome, she was
d
rawn to
ever
y
thing about him.

With one hand on her fluttering stomach, a
n uncontrollable fire heated her veins
when he was near, sh
e could smell his spicy
scent when
ever
she closed her eyes
the
hum of anticip
a
tion rush
ed
down her spine because she knew he was on his way
to her
.

A li
q
uid heat pooled in her womanly plac
e at the thought t
hat she would soon feel the
moist, warm
th
of his mouth covering hers and his tongue tasting her flesh.  Her body felt heavy with
a powerful
need.

She wet her dry lips.

Her heart was beating far too rapidly.

In addition,
she was confused
at the
hot dampness
, clenching her
thighs
in an attempt to ease the ache.

She was aroused.

She had nev
er experienced such a
strong physical reaction to a man.  Even now, just thinking of his strong tanned hands running over her body ca
used her nipples to tighten.

Declan quietly entered the glasshouse. 
Rain pattered on the glass of the heated co
n
servatory providing a cozy setting for their tryst.  The tapping of the raindrops created a soot
h
ing rhythm. 
Bright colorful flowers bloomed strategically throughout the room and the
lovely scent of orange blossoms
assaulted
his senses
, pausing he
i
n
hale
d
deeply.

The click of the lo
ck
seemed
exceedingly loud in the quiet
,
echo
ing
throughout the room.

He found Poppy in a secluded corner sitting on a wide cushioned sofa watching the rain.
 
A visceral tug pulled at h
is heart.  His convictions
only strengthened when he saw her
comfor
t
ably
situated on the sofa hugging her knees close to her chest.  Closing his eyes for a brief m
o
ment
,
forcing himself
to relax before
he sat next to her.