Read Online Vexed by a Viscount by Erin Knightley - Free Book Online Page B

with a baritone she hadn’t expected. She didn’t recognize the tune, but she loved the way the melody swung lazily back and forth, like a boat rocking on gentle waves. Ash guided her step by step, his movements firm and capable. She’d never danced quite so intimately before, but it was something she could certainly get used to. She felt as though she could have been floating across the finest dance floor in London, a grand orchestra punctuating their every step.
    It was beyond thrilling. Here she was, barefoot in the moonlight at midnight, waltzing with the most handsome, charming man in the county, with no one to tell her she couldn’t. No one to override her desires, or make her feel guilty about such an indulgence.
    And it was an indulgence. It was more delicious than lemon cake, more freeing than swimming naked, more exciting than being called by her given name.
    This was what it felt like to be free . Uninhibited and unrestricted, like a bird sailing on the wind. She closed her eyes and smiled, soaking in this finite moment in time. She wanted to remember every step, every turn, every breath.
    The wet grass made it easy to glide, and the viscount took full advantage of that fact. He moved her this way and that, his shoulders strong and straight beneath her fingers. The moon provided soft, ethereal light, bathing both the lawn and its two dancing occupants with dreamlike illumination.
    She almost wished it were a dream. If it was, she could lean into him the way she wanted, soaking up the warmth and solid strength of him. She could wrap her arms around him, lift up on her toes, and steal the kiss she could never have in real life. A kiss that would make her heart sing and her stomach dance. One that was everything she had hoped her first kiss would be, instead of the cringe-inducing one she had received from the squire.
    The squire.
    Prudence stiffened in Ash’s arms, then jerked away, horrified that she would be daydreaming of kissing him. More than that—she wanted to kiss him. She was pledged to another, for heaven’s sake—as was he!
    The viscount blinked in confusion as he stared back at her. “Are you well? Did you step on a rock?”
    “Yes!” she said, grasping the explanation like a lifeline. But almost immediately the fib turned sour in her mouth, and she shook her head. Breaking the rules of propriety was one thing; breaking the rules of morality was quite another. “No. I’m sorry, Ash, I just can’t do this.”
    He looked more confused than ever, his brows coming together as he regarded her with concern. “My apologies. I thought the waltz would be something you would enjoy.”
    “It is. But that’s the problem.” She shook her head a little helplessly, trying to think of a way to explain it. “There’s being adventurous, and then there is simply torturing oneself with what is never to be. It’s just . . . too tempting.” Far, far too tempting. She couldn’t believe she’d become so thoroughly swept away.
    Understanding seemed to dawn then. “Ah. I see. But perhaps it’s not so dire as all that. It’s possible that once you are married, you’ll be able to attend balls on occasion. It’s perfectly acceptable—expected, in fact—for a young matron to take to the dance floor at such events.”
    Her shoulders wilted. He didn’t understand at all. That was a blessing, really. There was nothing more mortifying than the prospect of another realizing one’s attraction. Smiling stiffly, she nodded. “You’re right, of course. Thank you for the dance, my lord. It was”—she paused, searching for a proper descriptive for such an all-consuming experience—“memorable.”
    ***
    A sh was prepared to let the issue drop until she my lord- ed him. It was impossible to mistake the wooden way she said it. It was as though she had reverted to the way things used to be between them.
    Setting his hands to his hips, he tried to meet her eyes, but her gaze remained stubbornly averted.