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“Are you sure?” heasked.
She nodded her head eagerly. “They’re myfavorite!”
“Are they, indeed?” Marc handed her the little tin. “Lucky for you, I happened by the Sugar Plum today.” Then he gestured to Emma, still on the bench. “But don’t hoard them all, Poppy. Make sure you share with yourfriend.”
Poppy looked as though she wanted to hug him again, but she kept herself from doing so. “Thank you, sir!” And then she rushed back to the front of the box and plopped down nexttoEmma.
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” Livvie muttered under herbreath.
But Caroline heard her and she was certain Marc had too as the corner of his handsome mouth turned up just a bit, not that she wanted to notice that his mouth was handsome or how her traitorous insides turned to mush when he smiled. But she, apparently, couldn’thelpit.
“Haversham, why don’t you join us this evening?” Alex said, acting as though it was just happenstance that Marc had stumbled upon them and that it hadn’t been some plot the two of them had devised. They must think Caroline and Livvie wereidiots.
Caroline blew out a breath and leveled her expression on the duke whohadbeen one of David’s oldest friends. What in the world was he playing at? And after he had been very adamant about Caroline not playing matchmaker for him, once upon a time. Certainly Alex didn’t intend to meddle in her life. Thehypocriticalduke.
A decent man would say something like he didn’t want to intrude or something else along those lines, allowing Livvie or Caroline to either invite him into their midst or turn him away. So of course,Marcsaid…
“I’d like nothing more.” And then he had the audacity to winkather.
Blast him. She wanted to slug him. And she never felt that way about anyone. No one else ever got under skin the way he did. No one else ever drove her to the edge of her sanity. And no one else ever looked at her as though he was constantly imaging her naked, which reminded her that she had seenhimcompletely naked. And he had been quiteremarkable.
But that didn’t mean that she had to endure him or his highhandedness. “Well, I would like a word withyou, my lord,” shegrumbled.
He offered her his arm and said, “I am always your most humble servant,” echoing what he’d said to her in his bedchambers a few daysbefore.
Caroline did not take his proffered arm. Instead, she brushed past him and started for an alcove near the side of the amphitheater on her own accord, confident that he followed in her wake. She could, after all, feel his gaze on her back. Finding a fairly private corner, she spun around on her heel and speared him with a look. “What exactly are youdoinghere?”
“At Astley’s?” he asked with feigned innocence. “Well, I’d planned on taking in tonight’s performance.” Then that familiar glint lit his light blue eyes once again. “What exactly areyoudoinghere?”
The obnoxious man. Caroline narrowed her eyes on him. “So I suppose you didn’t pester Alex for information about my whereabouts tonight? Is that what you’resaying?”
He shook his head. “On my honor, I did not ask him athing.”
“Uh-huh.” He had no honor, he never had. “So that little display with Poppy and the lavender drops was just happenstance, was it? You justhappenedupon us completely on your own?” Did he honestly think she was sogullible?
A wolfish smile settled on Marc’s lips. “Worried I don’t have something foryouto suck on,mydear?”
Something for her tosuckon? Caroline’s face heated in a flash and her heart increased its beat. “You are vile,” sheaccused.
“Flatterer,” he replied as he retrieved another little tin from his jacket. “Lemon drop? Or did you have something elseinmind?”
Heavens! It was hot as blazes all of asuddenand…
“I’m certain I could be talked into something else if you’re offering,” he addedsilkily.
In his wildest dreams. “Well, could you be talked into sitting somewhere else this evening?” she asked, not even bothering to hide herwaspishtone.
“After Alex asked me to join all of you?” Marc shook his head. “Seems that would be the height ofrudeness.”
Of all the ridiculous… “And you areneverrude.”
“Not to my friends,” he agreed good-naturedly. “Besides, perhaps tonight will give us the chance tostartover.”
Us? “Towhatend?”
“We were friends once,” he began. “I’d like to think we could beagain.”
“Friends?” she echoed, not believing him in the least. Marcus Gray always had an ulterior motive. Always. And being herfriendwas the furthest thing fromhismind.
