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“Love?” His eyes widened and he leaned away from her, as though the words she spoke carried contagion. “Lily?”
“Do you deny that you have flirted with her? That you have given her reason to believe you care for her?”
“Yes. Indeed. Emphatically.”
Pippa was surprised by the vehemence of his words. “She is not a foolish girl, and I’m certain she would not reach this point of her own volition. She must have been encouraged.”
“Encouraged by me? She said as much?” For his part, William looked stricken. If he was playing a role, he was doing a remarkable job of it.
“She did.” Pippa wanted to believe this man, but she could not put Lily’s convictions aside so easily. “She told me not a half-hour ago that she was given reason to believe her love to be returned.”
William rested one hand on his hip and ran his other through his hair. “I have been friendly with Lily, but certainly don’t think I’ve given her cause to believe...” He looked at Pippa then. “Truly, you must understand. If I did so, it was without intent.”
“Then you must understand why I cannot take you for your word. How am I to trust a gentleman who professes to not know when he has flirted excessively with a poor young woman?”
“Poor young woman, Pippa? You speak as though you are matronly, and I cannot imagine you in such a role.”
“I am wonderful with children, I thank you.”
“Ah, yes. You must enjoy climbing trees with them and prancing through rock pools.”
Pippa’s smile faltered. Did William see her this way? A joke? A young child? Perhaps that was why he was so quick to banter with her.
“Did I offend you?” He stepped closer. “I meant it as a compliment, believe it or not.”
“To be quite frank, I’m not certain what to believe right now.”
William hesitated, looking down into her eyes. He was so close, she could smell his woodsy, warm scent, and she wanted to inhale deeply. “If I’ve given Lily reason to believe I have developed a fondness for her, it was unconsciously done. I assure you, Pippa, there is only one woman who I think about, and it is most certainly not Lily.”
That did not mean the one woman he thought about was Pippa, either. She looked toward the ocean, desperately wishing for something to anchor her.
William’s gloveless fingers rested lightly against her jaw, turning her to look at him, forcing her to meet his eyes—though she turned her head quite willingly. “If I was unclear, Pippa, I was referring to you.”
