Page 46 of An Unlikely Debutante

Chapter Fifteen

Lina dressed quickly, pulling at the material of her petticoats, blouse and skirt as they stuck to her damp body. She felt jittery and longed to turn and look at Alex to see if she could tell what he was thinking.

The kiss had been sublime, something she’d been secretly longing for and not daring to hope might happen. Even now her lips were tingling and every inch of her skin was burning from the memory of his touch. She desperately wanted him to sweep her up into his arms and kiss her again, even though the rational part of her knew it could never happen.

She and Alex could not have a future. Despite some people’s perceptions of gypsy women being of loose morals, it could not be further from the truth. If anything, gypsies had stricter rules when it came to intimate contact with the other sex than most people. Nothing more could happen between her and Alex—unless, of course, he asked her to marry him and it was more likely a cow would fly through the sky than that would happen.

‘Come,’ Alex said, taking her arm gently, gathering her wet chemise with his own wet clothes and leading her back up the hill. He was still shirtless and as they walked, Lina’s arm brushed against the solid muscles of his chest, each contact making it a little more difficult for Lina to concentrate. ‘Sit,’ Alex instructed, as he busied himself hanging the wet clothes over a branch to dry. Only once this was done did he pull his shirt over his head and then sit down beside her.

Lina’s heart thumped in her chest as he leaned towards her, pushing a stray stand of damp hair from her forehead and tucking it behind her ear.

‘I have a proposition for you,’ Alex said, his voice low and his lips curved up in a small smile.

Frowning, Lina nodded to indicate she was listening. She had no idea how they were going to resolve the tension between them. Every time she looked at Alex her skin flushed and prickled. She couldn’t go on like this for another four weeks. The alternative, leaving and returning to her family and friends, was even worse. The idea of never seeing Alex again, never looking into those deep brown eyes or walking arm in arm as they talked and teased each other was heartbreaking. She knew she was falling for Alex. It was impossible not to when it felt as though they had been made for one another—she loved his determination and focus, as well as his wit that had her smiling all day long.

‘I think it is a proposition that will benefit us both greatly. We will have to be careful, discreet, but I am confident we can make it work.’

With her heart sinking, Lina realised what he was suggesting.

‘Be mine, Lina, for the next few weeks at least. After that we can re-evaluate, decide whether we’d like to prolong our liaison further.’

‘You want me to be your mistress?’

Alex edged closer and ran his fingers down the side of her cheek and along the angle of her jaw, stopping at her chin and tilting her face up to his. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers again and Lina felt herself losing grip on reality. Surely something that felt so good couldn’t be wrong?

Summoning all her resolve, Lina pushed Alex away. He looked surprised, but recovered quickly, grinning at her in the way that melted her heart.

‘We can work out details later,’ he said, waving his hand to indicate some point in the future where he envisioned them sitting down and working out what she would get for disgracing herself as his mistress.

‘You want me to become your mistress?’ Lina said again, this time the anger rising in her voice.

‘It makes sense, Lina, I can’t stop thinking about you, I see you every time I close my eyes and I’ve spent the last week fantasising about the fun we would have in the bedroom together. You can’t deny the attraction between us.’

She couldn’t deny it, but the thought of becoming Alex’s mistress, anyone’s mistress, was repulsive to her.

‘You have so little respect for me?’

This stopped Alex’s caress of her cheek and his hand dropped from her face into his lap.

‘I respect you greatly, Lina.’

‘No,’ Lina said, shaking her head vehemently. ‘You don’t. You don’t ask a woman you respect to disgrace herself, to sully herself for a few weeks of fun in the bedroom. That does not indicate respect between two people.’

She stood, burying her hands in her skirt so Alex would not see them trembling. She felt sick and her head was spinning, but she just needed to get away.

‘I do respect you,’ Alex said, more firmly, his face setting into a harder expression. ‘I have had a few mistresses over the years and I have respected all of them.’

‘Great. Wonderful. Fantastic. The answer is no.’

With quick strides Lina hurried over to where Stormborn was watching the exchange with interest. Within thirty seconds she had untethered him and used the tree to help her mount unaided.

‘Where are you going?’ Alex asked.

‘Away. Anywhere but here.’

‘Lina, don’t be foolish.’

She almost screamed. How could such a kind and intelligent man be so obtuse and unfeeling? He had asked her to debase herself, to give herself to him for a few weeks of pleasure, and then he would discard her like a used pair of old boots. Of course Lina wished something more could happen between them, something beautiful and passionate and intense, but not like this. She couldn’t believe he had even asked.