God, shewasserious about this.
“All in exchange for simply staying away from Freddie?”
He hated himself a bit for even considering this, but he could always agree to it for now and then pursue Freddie in earnestlater—especially if he did become a success. Then he would actually have something to offer her. More than his measly little heart, anyway. Lucien couldn’t deny his growing excitement at the thought.
Alex hesitated. “Well, no. There’s something else I need from you. To help convince Hank Jr. that you aren’t really a threat.”
She looked rather nervous all of a sudden and Lucien found himself intrigued. What could possibly makethiswoman nervous? “All right. What is it?”
She closed her eyes. “You’ll need to court me. Publicly.” Lucien could only stare at her in shock until she was finally forced to look at him. “Well?”
“You can’t be serious,” he blurted out, regretting the words as soon as he spoke. For Alex wasalwaysserious.
As expected, she looked incredulous. “Am I ever not?”
“Yes. I mean, no. Sorry. It’s only—” Lucien paused and put his hands on his hips. “You want me tocourtyou?”
“This was a terrible idea,” she muttered and raised her hands. “Forget it. Forget everything.”
But as she turned to leave, his arm shot out to grasp her elbow before he had time to think. “Wait.”
She glanced back and stared at the spot where he touched her. She must have felt it too, then. That strange frisson of awareness. Something dancing on the edge of heat. Their eyes met and that nervousness flashed across her face once again. Just for a moment.
“It… it would only be for show,” she murmured.
It took a moment for his muddled mind to understand what she was referring to.
The courtship. She wanted him topretendto court her. But why?
She gently tugged on her arm once, twice, before he remembered to let go. Then she looked away and began to absently rub the spot where he had touched her.
“Father thinks it would help our clients and the board have confidence in me. In my leadership,” she continued, as if she had heard the question.
“If you have a man at your side,” he added.
Alex nodded. The faintest blush stained her pale cheek.
His heart clenched at this rare display of vulnerability from her. “That’s absurd.”
She turned back to him then, her expression as impenetrable as steel once again. “That’s business.”
As Lucien tilted his head in consideration, Alex shifted on her feet. His lips curved in a slow smile. She was clearly uncomfortable not being entirely in control of the situation, which meant Alexandra Atkinson might have a heart after all. And if that were the case, he just might be able to do this. Hell, he might even enjoy it.
“Tell me the terms again.”
Six
Alex suggested Lucien take the evening to think things over before they parted ways. Then she went back to the main house, but he had no desire to linger at the edges of the party any longer.
After checking on his father and finding him fast asleep, Lucien collapsed onto his old bed. But despite his exhaustion, he spent most of the night in a restless haze, dozing off only to wake again moments later. It wasn’t until close to dawn that he eventually drifted to sleep. And when he finally dreamed, it was of her. Of Alex.
You need to go somewhere far, far away from here.
It was another night. Another birthday party for Mrs. Atkinson. Only Lucien was five years younger and his heart was breaking. As he sat in the oak tree outside his window, he watched Freddie lead a man into the summer house. Then he waited as long as he could stand to, praying with a fervor he didn’t know he possessed. But they didn’t come out.
Half blind with tears and sorrow, he clambered down the tree and fell to his knees in a wretched heap. Lucien always knew there was little chance that Freddie would ever love him back, but he hadn’t realized how fiercely he had clung to that little sliver of hope until it was wrenched from his arms. Now it was over and hewas lost. He was so mired in his own misery that he didn’t hear the sound of footsteps. Only felt a hand on his shoulder.
Alex’s stern face, ghostly pale in the moonlight, stared down at him while humiliation burned his skin. It wasn’t enough to watch the girl of his dreams abscond with another man. No, he had to be caughtcryingover it in the dirt beside a hedge. But he hadn’t needed to breathe a word of it to Alex. Somehow she just knew.
