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Fishing a handkerchief from his pocket, he tenderly cleaned her and his release. Lucinda reached for him as if she could not help herself, as if she took comfort from the feel of him, and Alexander understood. Because whenever he touched her, it was not always about tupping, but just the need to feel the warmth of her against his body or the softness of her skin under the tips of his fingers.
“I was planning to take my yacht out to sea. Will you come with me?”
“Yes, I would love to.”
Such unreserved commitment. Something fierce swelled inside his heart, and Alexander held her against his chest until her breathing evened out and she slept. He waited for a few minutes before gently easing her head from his chest, coming up on a knee and lifting her against him. He stood, cradling her weight easily, and walked with her for several minutes until he encountered the waiting carriage. It took some finesse, but he got up with her into the carriage without rousing her from sleep. The carriage took them to her home before he woke her with a brush of his mouth atop her forehead. His servants would carefully remove the traces of the nocturnal sojourn from the park grounds before the earliest rider entered the park.
Her lashes fluttered open, and her lovely gray eyes ensnared him. “Where are we?”
“At your home.”
“Stay the night with me, Alexander.”
“Aye,” he said gruffly, for there was no place he’d rather be but with her in his arms for the night.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
The gentle sea wind ruffled Lucinda’s hair as the luxurious vessel cut through the gentle waves with sleek elegance. She was aboard Alexander’s private yacht, having embarked in Dover early yesterday afternoon. They now smoothly sailed atop the waters of the English Channel, guided by an expertly trained and discreet crew.
The air was crisp, the warm sun a gentle feel atop her skin, so she did not have to wear a hat or worry that her skin might become sunburned. She stood by the railing, looking out on the vast beauty of the water, smiling when her lover came up behind her and slipped his arm around her waist. Lucinda leaned against him, her head perfectly pillowed against his chest. They stood there for a long time, watching the frothy waves and the birds that soared in the sky about the channel.
“How often do you come out?” she murmured.
“Not often enough. I think perhaps two years ago.”
“That is a travesty, Alexander!”
He chuckled. “Given how beautiful the water and sky are, I agree. I have been busy with matters of Parliament, and when not in town for the season, I am with my family.”
His evident love for his family pierced her heart, and she couldn’t help thinking this man would make a splendid father and husband. Lucinda was maddeningly, wonderfully conscious that with each day spent with him, she fell deeper and deeper into feelings with him. She had stopped worrying about it and simply embraced the experience, unwilling to trade it in for another or even relinquish being with Alexander. She would not anticipate the end, merely bask in the astonishing beauty of their connection and the pure, unguarded way he made her heart happy.
“We could be a bit more adventurous, take out a smaller boat, and sail.”
She peered over into the vast waters, her heart unexpectedly trembling. “Why do I feel so small against its power?”
“That was how I felt the first time my father took me out. I was about a lad of thirteen.”
“He taught you to sail?”
“Aye. And even though he had groomsmen and stable masters, he also taught me to ride. To my mother’s great distress, I’ve started teaching Hannah how to ride astride.”
Lucinda turned in the cage of his arms and peered up at him. “A skill I believe every young lady should have.”
He lightly brushed his mouth against hers, amusement dancing in his green eyes. “I suspected that you would have approved. Come to Derbyshire with me. Mother and Hannah shall be leaving today to visit Bath for two weeks. We shall be able to run naked in the hallways without worrying about ruining anyone’s sensibilities.”
Laughter pulsed from her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, gasping when he gripped her waist and arched her into a sliding sweep of the waltz.
“Come now, do not tell me you only dance to music?”
Her body felt incredibly alive, happiness writhing inside her chest, leaving her breathless. They danced atop the deck, far closer and more scandalously than they would in a ballroom. The wicked heat lurking in his eyes was irresistible, and she tilted her face to his, an invitation for his kiss.
Alexander’s mouth settled atop hers, and there was something infinitely tender in the way he kissed her. Lucinda felt like a breathless girl of eighteen, and as she sank deeper into his embrace, she could feel his heart thudding against her own.
A few days later,she stood atop a small boat that rocked precariously under her weight, shrieking as she tried to wheel in the first fish that had nibbled on her lure.
“Do not topple us over, woman,” Alexander growled.
Lucinda chuckled, trying to obey to no avail. She went over into the lake’s waters with a shriek, sinking to the bottom of the water. She held her breath as powerful hands came around her waist and kicked them to the surface. She dragged a powerful gust of air into her lungs. “Took you long enough,” she murmured.
