What can I expect when I get back to Greenbrier?
Andrew’s double entendre query still burned in Diana’s ears hours after ferrying the group back to civilization. So far there’d been a scene where Mama threw her engagement ring at Neville, a fuming and humiliated duke being dragged off by his nephew, and a minor crisis over an upcoming baby shower to be held in the gardens. But nothing in the way of making good on their plans for another sleepover.
Long after nightfall, Diana was still trying to get Jackie down for the night. She feigned a yawn hoping it might work where the warm milk and hot bath hadn’t. “I think I hear my bed calling my name.”
Jackie stared at the TV where her favorite show, Designing Women, had played continually for the past several hours.
“Aren’t you tired? It’s been a long day.” Diana tapped into her mother’s sense of martyrdom. “And you’ve endured a lot today. A good night’s sleep is exactly what you deserve.”
“Bed. Coffin.” Jackie sniffled. “What difference does it make? That man has slain me with his ingratitude. I don’t know how I’ll face him in the morning. My heart is broken. It didn’t hurt this much when your daddy ran off.”
Diana barely managed to stop the eye roll as she stepped to the bathroom to retrieve her mother’s nightly medication. Most of what Jackie took was vitamins and herbal supplements, the exception being a prescription sleep aid. Diana added a couple aspirin for the muscle aches her mother was complaining about. If luck was on her side in any kind of way, her mama would sleep until noon tomorrow. “Here are your pills. You get some sleep and don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of our guests.”
After Jackie closed her bedroom door, it seemed to take forever for the light to disappear from beneath it. “Finally.” Now she knew how a new mom felt. Diana typed out a text to Andrew. Then deleted it. If she had any sense, she’d go to bed. Alone. Instead, she ran a comb through her hair, dabbed on lipstick, and went in search of her viscount.
Up in the original part of the mansion, she knocked on the door of the Azalea Suite. No answer. “God, you’re telling me something, aren’t you?” The words of her Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Whitener, came to mind. “Only a fool chases after trouble.”
Diana rapped at the door again. To be sure. Andrew wasn’t trouble. Not in the way Travis was. Andrew had many fine qualities her ex would never possess even if he lived to be a hundred. There simply wasn’t a future with Andrew. “But what if I don’t want forever? There’s no harm in two people…” She couldn’t say it out loud, so she shouldn’t be doing it. “I’m a modern woman, and there’s no harm in Andrew and me enjoying each other’s company for the evening.” When Andrew didn’t answer, she looked for him in the lounge and by the pool. No hunky viscount in either location.
Diana cast her eyes skyward. “I see you’ve weighed in on the subject. Fine, I’ll go back to my room.”
As she walked down the corridor toward the family quarters, a head of dark hair caught her attention.
Opportunity or temptation?
The fates certainly put him in an unlikely spot. She hit reverse, sliding into the business center. Andrew sat in front of a computer screen. With a furrowed brow and the addition of glasses, her playboy took on a businesslike air. She closed the distance, catching the scent of the hotel’s peppermint soap radiating off him. “Need anything?”
Andrew closed out the page, looked up, and flashed a smile—one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m good. Just checking in back home.”
“I shouldn’t interrupt.”
“You’re not.” He tugged her down to the chair next to him. “You’re my favorite distraction.”
“What do you need to be distracted from? Other than the obvious.”
There was that chiseled smile again. “Not a thing. How’s your mum?”
“Appropriately medicated. I made certain she took her sleeping pill. Jackie Curtis isn’t going anywhere tonight. The duke?”
“Properly inebriated as to have him off our hands for the night.” He rubbed his brow. “Do you get the sense we’re the parents to mischievous toddlers?”
“Welcome to my world.”
“Let’s celebrate our liberty with a drink.” He took her by the hand, sending a surge of electricity up her arm. “I think your bar is still open.”
At the front of the mansion, they entered the former parlor. Diana had decorated the cozy space in dark red and gold in keeping with Victorian color schemes. Crossing the dark-stained oak floors, Diana grabbed a bottle and two glasses from behind the bar. She pointed to a small alcove, one of her favorite spots in the whole house. “We’ll have plenty of privacy in here.”
Andrew’s hand never left the small of her back. He held her chair. “Privacy is exactly what I’m looking for.” After she’d sat, he moved his chair so they both faced the bay window. Then, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
The nearness had her stomach doing backflips. She uncorked the scotch, pouring the amber liquid as slowly as if it were gold. Would she go through with this knowing it would lead nowhere?
Andrew stretch out his legs. “I see now why you like this location so much.” He took a sip from his glass then played with her hair. “The monkey wallpaper, the heavy oak furniture. It screams colonial Africa.”
The prospect of making love certainly didn’t have him in knots. “Have you ever been?”
“Tanzania during my gap year.”
Gap year. She’d begun dual enrollment her junior year of high school. Working evenings and weekends, she’d also taken as many courses as her adviser would allow to graduate at twenty. “That must have been interesting.”
His jaw ticked. “I had many informative experiences and learned many skills that year.”
While her world encompassed a hundred-mile radius from her current location.
Andrew was so easy to talk to she forgot how far out of her league he was. The knowledge did nothing to quench her simmering desire. Was this how her mother had fallen for the duke? It certainly wasn’t Diana’s typical romantic course of action. Travis had never given her goose bumps. “During the day you can see the koi pond from here.”
Sadness flashed in his eyes. “Another beauty I won’t be able to indulge in. I wish I was going to be here to enjoy it with you.”
Me too. “What time will you leave in the morning?”
“I have a car coming at half past five.”
Diana swallowed her emotions. How provincial of her to become attached to someone after a handful of days. She held up her tumbler. “Here’s to our success.”
He touched her glass with his. “And to many more successes. I’m a great admirer of yours. I would do well to emulate your practices.”
Curiosity lured her like a cat watching birds from the wrong side of a window. “How do you mean? I can’t imagine how my life could apply to yours.”
Andrew leaned in, kissing her lightly on the lips. “I’d rather not dwell on business, especially not when I have such a lovely lady in my presence.”
A giggle escaped Diana’s lips before she could catch it.
“What?” His expression darkened. “You doubt my sincerity? Quite insulting to my character as a gentleman.”
She covered her mouth, again too late to trap an unladylike noise. “Sorry. Nerves.” Goodness gracious, she’d come down with a case of the sillies. “I promise I won’t be like this the whole time.”
That was very presumptive of me.
Perhaps Andrew no longer wanted a fling—especially with someone acting as if they didn’t have two brain cells to rub together. “I mean, I’m not usually like this. It must be the scotch.”
He leaned closer. “You should behave in any fashion that strikes your fancy. God knows you’ve got reason enough to need a laugh.” His lids lowered to half-mast. “As do I.”
Who knew blue eyes could smolder? Was it possible to melt and combust simultaneously? She fanned herself with the hand he wasn’t holding. There certainly was enough heat going on in the tiny alcove.
“I propose we adjourn to my suite.” His gaze cut to her glass. “If you’re not feeling the effects of drink overmuch.”
“No, no, I’m fine.” Diana couldn’t get the words out fast enough. “I’ve only had a couple sips.” Although now her nerves were running the show, a shot sounded like a good idea. She rejected the impulse. Making love with Andrew would be a one-off, and she didn’t want alcohol to dull the experience. “Lead the way.”
He held her chair, then as before, his hand went to the small of her back as they crossed the parlor. The room was empty of guests, whose curious stares would matter less than her bartender’s. She waved to Randall on the way out, figuring news of the boss’s nocturnal escapades would reach every member of staff by morning. Although, once Mama rose and turned on the waterworks, the staff would be too busy catering to and/or avoiding Jackie.
In the foyer, Andrew stopped at the front desk. “Please arrange for a wake-up call to His Grace’s suite.”
They’d caught the middle-aged woman enjoying a diet cola and playing on her phone, causing her to choke on the former and fumble the later. “Excuse me.” She blushed from her neck to her ears.
Some of Melanie’s color also might have come from the charming way Andrew leaned against the antique desk.
“What time, sir?”
“Half past four should suffice.”
“And you, sir?”
“That won’t be necessary.” He cut his gaze to Diana. “I don’t imagine I’ll need waking.”
Now it was her turn to blush. She swatted Andrew’s hand. The one creeping south to her bottom. “Thanks for giving Meddling Melanie something to do besides solitaire. She’ll be on the phone to my chef before we’re up the stairs.”
He stopped midway up the stairs. “Why would you retain a gossip, especially one who does so about her employer?”
“She’s a distant relative with more problems than a dog’s got fleas.”
“But why do you care so much about her opinion if she’s got her own issues?”
They continued onto the second floor. “In a town as small and conservative as Greenville, it’s not only a woman’s reputation she has to worry about. If the right people feel I’m disreputable, I’ll lose business.”
They reached the Azalea Suite. “If you’re not comfortable with this, I’ll understand.”
Should she take the next step? The one well outside her comfort zone. “I can risk it.” But could she risk her heart?
He arched an eyebrow. Ever the gentleman.
Anticipation danced along her skin. “Open the dang door.” Diana scanned the hallway, expecting guests to tumble out of their rooms. She whispered. “I promise the Lady’s Sewing Circle won’t be quilting a letter A on my shirt.”
When he smiled, a spark of mischief lit his eyes. “As long as you’re sure.” With that, he flung open the door and scooped her into his arms.
She squealed. “Put me down.”
Andrew kicked the door closed, crossed to the bed, and tossed her in it. “As you wish, milady.”
The giggles came back with a vengeance. “If we break my grandmother Dansfield’s bed, she’ll come back to haunt me.”
He kicked off his shoes then prowled across the bed. Arching over her, he kissed her long and deep. “We certainly wouldn’t want that.” Moving the length of her body, he tugged off her sandals. And nibbled her toes. He trailed his hands up her bare legs to the edge of her shorts.
Thank God I shaved above the knees.
Between kisses, caresses, and more than a few giggles, she shimmied out of her clothes. Then she went to work on his. Going slowly like she was unwrapping the best Christmas present ever. Finally, she had him down to a pair of boxer briefs. She’d vaguely wondered what British aristocracy wore in the way of underwear, and now she knew.
Andrew slid the briefs down his hips—and all ponderings and giggles fled.
“Oh. My. Gawd.” She slid under the covers, and he joined her.
The next several minutes flew by in a passionate rush. After catching their breath, the second act moved with more intention and tenderness. Finally, he held her to his chest, tracing circles across her back. She tried to stay awake, but her eyelids grew heavier than those darn kettlebells at the gym.
A quick nap and then perhaps there’d be time for a finale. After all, she could sleep after Andrew and his uncle had left. The last thing she recalled was the press of his lips to her hair.
Andrew lay next to Diana, wishing he could keep the sun from its progress. With each moment it brought color to the room, it also drew closer the hour of his departure. “Named after a princess and a goddess. That’s one thing your mum got right.”
Sympathy for his uncle’s situation grew. The Curtis women had charm in spades. Only the lovely woman sleeping next to him also had brains and a tender heart to match. “A fine mess you’ve gotten yourself in, Montgomery.”
Diana snuggled closer, throwing her arm across his middle. He could spare a few moments before he and Uncle Neville departed for the airport. “How do I hold on to you?”
As the room grew brighter, the portrait of Diana’s ancestor became visible. During his first night at the mansion, Andrew had studied the man and the short biography below the frame. The riverboat captain and he had much in common. Risk taker. Rambler. Rake. Would having a gambler for an ancestor make her more receptive to Andrew’s profession? Or less so?
She placed great import on stability and security. Two virtues she deserved, and he lacked. Except when it came to his feelings for her. Given half a chance, he’d prove how much she could count on him in that regard.
What could he offer her? A title? And a decaying estate that went with it. Over the years he’d won enough to replace the roof and install a heating system keeping his uncle from freezing. That still left overgrown woods, a century-old greenhouse needing razing, and plumbing straight out of the Dickens era.
Diana had given him plenty of inspiration for ways to make his uncle’s estate profitable. “I wonder how well-paid tours of the house and gardens would do?” He could also consider opening the grand hall for functions. Following Diana’s business plan would take time but at the end of the day, he’d have more to offer her than a title with no money behind it.
“What I need is seed money.” Which meant returning to the casinos as soon as he got Neville settle back at Chatham Park.
Could he become the man she deserved before someone better suited wooed her away?