Page 45 of An Unlikely Debutante

‘How could they not be enchanted by your smile? Bewitched by that sparkle in your eyes?’

Still Lina did not say anything, but Alex could feel her chest heaving against his body and knew more than anything she wanted to be kissed. Surely if he wanted it and she wanted it, there could be nothing wrong with one quick kiss?

Before his conscience could rear its head, Alex lowered his lips on to hers, kissing her gently at first until he felt her rise to meet him. As her body pressed against his, he could no longer hold back and kissed her as he’d wanted to for so long. Unable to stop himself, he laced his hands around her back, pulling her even closer, until he wasn’t sure where his body ended and hers began.

‘Alex,’ she moaned as he pulled away slightly so he could kiss the angle of her jaw and her thrown-back neck. The sound of his name from her lips stoked the fire that was burning inside him and it took all of Alex’s self-control to stop the encounter going any further. He would not seduce her, not here, not now. He respected her too much for that. But maybe just one more kiss...

As her lips met his, Alex felt a jolt all through his body. It was as though he’d been asleep these last few years and kissing Lina, touching Lina, was finally waking him up.

Her lips were velvety, soft and warm despite the coolness of her skin and Alex knew he could lose himself in her kiss if he wasn’t careful. Reluctantly he pulled away, loving the desire he could see burning in Lina’s eyes and the way her body was still pressed against his.

They stood, still submerged up to their shoulders in the middle of the lake, and for a few seconds neither of them could string together a coherent sentence.

‘You’re shivering,’ Alex said, noticing the goosebumps on her skin for the first time. Quickly, before Lina could protest or before he could think his actions through, Alex scooped her into his arms and began to wade through the water. As their bodies rose out of the water, there was an initial chill, despite the high temperatures. Alex knew once they were dry they would be warm, but he increased his pace a little so Lina would not suffer. As they reached the water’s edge, he made the mistake of glancing down. Lina’s cotton chemise, normally white, was now almost entirely transparent, revealing the olive skin below. He could see every curve, every swell and undulation, and he felt his resolve not to seduce her falter.

The water had pushed her chemise up to the top of her thighs and with one finger Alex was able to trace the simple bird she had tattooed in blue ink on her perfect skin. He heard her gasp as his fingers lingered over the outline.

For a second their eyes met and Alex could see the battle between desire and sensibility in Lina’s mind. He knew one kiss, one stroke with a solitary finger, and she would be his, completely, entirely, just as he had imagined a thousand times these last few days.

Reluctantly Lina wriggled free from his arms and quickly gathered up her clothes, holding them in front of her as a shield.

‘We should dress,’ she said, valiantly trying to keep her eyes from wandering over his body.

‘We should.’

Neither moved.

‘We might catch a chill.’

‘We might.’

Still they both stood, a few paces apart, but unable to pull their eyes from one another.

‘You should turn around,’ Lina said eventually.

With great effort Alex managed to comply and turned to look out over the lake. After a few seconds, he heard Lina turn, too, and begin the process of shedding her soaked chemise and donning her dress and petticoats. Trying to distract himself from the knowledge Lina was standing completely naked just a few feet away, Alex shed his own soaked layer and pulled on his breeches.

Far from slaking his desire for Lina, their kiss had just heightened it. Now his mind was filled with images and memories and fantasies. He desperately wanted to kiss her again, to taste her sweet mouth, to run his lips over her jaw, her neck, down on to her breasts. He yearned to feel her body underneath him, writhing in pleasure as he entered her, see her face as she climaxed with him deep inside her.

Just these thoughts were enough to make Alex consider another cold swim.

He’d never set out to seduce Lina, never intended to make her his mistress when he’d accepted the wager Pentworthy had proposed, but now Alex knew it would be almost impossible to keep his hands off her for another four weeks. Perhaps the best thing for everyone involved would be to make her his mistress, just for a short time. That way he would be legitimising their intimacy, and hopefully by the time he won his wager he would be able to think a little more clearly when Lina was close. After all, none of his other mistresses had kept him interested for more than a few months. Then again, no one intrigued him quite like Lina.