After a few painfully awkward moments, he finished. “There. Much better.”
Then he swiftly bent down and freed her hem with embarrassing ease.
“Thank you,” she murmured as he stood.
“Not a problem,” he said. “No need to ruin a perfectly good dress.”
Alex could have sworn his gaze darted over her figure. But that was absurd.
“I’d rather have my pride, actually,” she admitted.
To her astonishment, he smiled. “That makes two of us, I suppose.”
Alex pressed her hands against her eyes as she suddenly blushed. “Oh God, I’m so embarrassed.”
Lucien chuckled. “It’s all right. Really. It’s nice to know even you can bungle things up now and then. It makes you seem more…”
Alex dropped her hands and arched a brow. “Human?”
It would hardly be the first time someone questioned her sentience.
But Lucien ignored her dry tone and gave her a thoughtful look. “I was going to say approachable.”
“Oh.” That felt worse, somehow.
Lucien furrowed his brow. “Sorry.” Then he cupped the back of his neck with one hand and shoved the other in his pocket. “I only meant that you can be rather… intimidating.” He glanced at her through his lashes as he said the last word, as if trying to gauge her reaction.
“I see.” She had been told as much before by other people and still hadn’t the slightest idea what to do about it. “I suppose that would make it rather difficult for you to pretend to court me, then,” she added, steeling herself for disappointment.
“About that,” he began. “You said I would have the night to think things over, but news of our”—he waved a hand as he searched for the word—“situationhas spread through the household staff.”
Alex’s mouth dropped open. “Already?” Though she knew it had begun to spread among the guests, she hadn’t realized the staff would take such an interest. Though perhaps that was understandable, given Lucien’s connection. She would need to be better prepared to anticipate all eventualities if they moved forward with this arrangement.
“Yes. My father asked me about it this morning.” Lucien’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “But that can’t be much of a surprise to you.”
Understanding dawned on her. “You thinkIdid that on purpose?”
Lucien shrugged. “Well, it rather forced my hand in the moment.”
“I am not quite so desperate as that, thank you,” she said primly.
“Wait,” he said as she turned to leave. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to imply—”
Alex turned back to face him. “What? That I am so undesirable that not only would I need to find a fake suitor but would also have toforcehim into it?”
Lucien’s face fell. “I didn’t think—”
“No,” she snapped. “You most certainly did not.” She took a few steps before Lucien caught up with her.
“Alex.Please.”
It was the pleading note in his voice that brought her to a halt. No man had ever begged for her before. It seemed to trip something within her. A scenario she had never once considered.
And Alex found she rather liked it.
As Alex slowly turned around and crossed her arms, the movement had the unintended effect of drawing attention to her chest. Even still, Lucien made sure to keep his eyes firmly on her face. The woman might dress like someone’s dowdy aunt, but her clothes were still expertly tailored to accentuate every curve. This gown in particular had a neckline just below her collarbones. Lucien had never given a thought to collarbones before, but since she was usually buttoned up to her chin, this was… distracting.
When Lucien first found Alex behind the tree tugging helplessly at her skirt, she had looked up at him with such desperation that it brought to mind a scene out of some horrible Greek myth, wherein he was the lusty god and she the flailing wood nymph.
