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She gave him a quick kiss, her look mischievous. “Your performance has been off the charts so far. I thought—”
“Minx.” He silenced her with a kiss.
And after that, neither of them got out of bed for a long while.
Hawk knew he was in too deep.
It was déjà vu. Except the first time he hadn’t suspected that Pia was a virgin, and this time, he hadn’t divined that she’d only ever had one lover. Him.
He felt a rush of possessiveness. He hadn’t liked thinking of Pia with other men—learning things…things that he could teach her.
Blast it.
“What do you think, Hawk?”
Hawk met three pairs of expectant female eyes. His mother, his sister and Pia were sitting in the Green Room at Silderly Park discussing assorted wedding details. He’d assumed a position by the mantel, at a safe remove.
“What do you think about seating Baron Worling next to Princess Adelaide of Meznia at dinner?” his mother asked, repeating and elaborating her question.
Hawk knew there was some nuance that he should understand, otherwise his mother wouldn’t have bothered asking. But for the life of him, he couldn’t think what it was.
Was Baron Worling a poor conversationalist? Did Princess Adelaide believe the baron was beneath her notice? Or perhaps one of the baron’s poor ancestors had dueled to the death with a member of Princess Adelaide’s royal family?
Hawk shrugged and punted. “I’m sure whatever you decide will be fine.”
His mother looked nonplussed.
“What about placing the Crown Prince of Belagia on Princess Adelaide’s left?” Pia suggested.
His mother brightened. “Splendid idea.”
Hawk shot Pia a grateful look.
She looked superb in a navy polka-dot dress and heels. The dress accentuated her bust without being over the top, so that she looked demure but professional.
Whether Pia knew it or not, Hawk reflected, she’d chosen exactly an outfit of which his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Hawkshire, would approve.
As the wedding conversation resumed, Hawk started idly plotting ways to be alone again with Pia.
Could he invent a phone call that required her immediate attention and called her away? Or perhaps he could feign a pressing need for her to consult on his attire for the wedding day? He stifled a grin.
Yesterday they had gone horseback riding and he’d shown her the various natural and architectural wonders on his estate. He couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed playing tour guide more, though he had an understandable bit of pride in his ancestral estate and childhood home.
His mother glanced up and caught his eye, and Hawk returned her look blandly.
He wondered whether his mother suspected that there was more than a business relationship between him and Lucy’s wedding planner, and decided to leave her to speculate. He and Pia had separate bedrooms, and they’d been discreet about their late-night rendezvous, even though Silderly Park was so large that it was unlikely they’d have attracted the attention of anyone while slipping in and out of each other’s rooms.
The truth was, he was still trying to sort out his feelings and next steps as far as Pia was concerned. How could he articulate them for someone else when he himself didn’t understand them?
He’d started out trying to make amends, true, but matters had gotten more complicated from there. He bore a large share of the responsibility for his current circumstances—mostly because he couldn’t seem to help himself as far as Pia was concerned. He must have been absent that day in grade school when they taught everyone about keeping their hands to themselves.
He was Pia’s first and only lover.
It was astounding. It was wonderful.
It also made him freeze, not knowing what to do.
For years, his code of conduct with respect to women was never to get too involved. It was the reason why he’d never been or wanted to be a woman’s first lover—until Pia.
