“One hour,” Alex whispered.

“A quarter of an hour,” Reuben rebutted.

“Thirty minutes alone at least,” she argued. “What harm could come in that amount of time?”

Her brother lifted a brow. “A man can do much within the span of even less.”

They stood at the entrance to Chris’ garden. Justin had walked a short distance away to give her and Reuben a moment to speak.

Alex had been furious when Reuben followed them outside after the meal. She wanted to be alone with Justin. Everyone knew she did, yet Reuben continued to play the good soldier. She now regretted all the many times she’d complained about Chris and Nash’s need to protect her. Reuben was far worse.

The sounds of the night floated around them. From inside, she could hear Nash and Rose’s laughter. The night was dark, but the garden was well-lit and with it only being a townhouse, not very large.

“Reuben, please,” Alex whispered.

“You’re playing with fire, and you’ll get burned,” he warned, his expression hard.

“I won’t,” she promised, though she feared she would.

“Fifteen minutes,” he said again and from the look in his eyes, Alex knew he wouldn’t budge.

So instead, she turned, fighting to stop herself from stomping away.

When she reached Justin he was grinning, which quickly cooled her, only to heat her in another way. Never before had she been tempted by a man of his class. The few she’d met had either never looked at her or looked at her far too long for her liking, even with their wives and families present.

She put those maddening thoughts aside and focused on Justin.

The story he’d told them about his father broke her heart. She was sure something of that caliber had been traumatizing. Had it been Chris, Nash, Reuben, or Rose, Alex wasn’t sure she’d have ever recovered. They were all vital to her life and, as Justin said, she had all she needed as long as she had them.

But another part of her wanted something new.

He held out his arm, but again, not for her to take, but to lead her in a direction. “I hope I didn’t get you into trouble with my request for you to show me the gardens.”

“No.” She smiled at him as they walked down the cobblestone path.

“I want to tell you what I said to the newspapers that came to Lord Wint’s home this morning.”

She remembered the newspaper writers descending on the townhouse the moment she and Reuben left.

She stopped and looked at him. “What did you say?”

His expression seemed worried. “That they could all wait until you were properly introduced to Society, that I planned to be the one to do so, and that you’re under my care until your cousin arrives. I hope you don’t mind.”

Her heart shook at those words. “Did you tell them your plan?” There were parts of his plan she wished to change, mainly the part about marrying her to the highest bidder. She had no intention of marrying anyone from the ton. She preferred a more common man.

Or at least she had until she’d met Justin.

But between hearing about lords and getting to know one, Alex was finding that she may have judged him harshly.

He’d been kind at dinner and hadn’t said a word about the fare offered besides that it was delicious. Alex kept the knowledge that she’d been the one to make it to herself.

When she hadn’t been reading with Rose, Alex had been cooking in the kitchens. She’d learned early how to make meals for large numbers and had served alongside Mary Francis’ hired cook for years.

But her interest had peaked when she’d found a French cookbook. Sadly, it had been written in French, but Alicia had known the language, and Alex had been fortunate to have her as a tutor. She’d learned how to read it before she’d been able to make anything. Since then, she’d cooked and baked for Chris and Rose for the last few years, with Nash being their frequent guest. It had been nice to cook for Justin tonight, though. To watch him eat chicken that she’d cut, dressed, and baked herself.

There was something about feeding him that she liked. The thought that it was her who’d given him nourishment… that was the reason she hadn't told him she was the cook and had forbidden anyone else from doing so as well. That pleasure had been all her own.

His countess, whomever she would be, would never make him a meal, never know that it was her hands that helped sustain and craft the muscles Alexandra knew were hidden beneath his coat, adding life into his green eyes and a golden hue to his flesh.

Filled out the plumpness of his lower lip...

“I told them nothing more,” Justin said in response to her question. It seemed to take Alex ages to come back to the conversation, so she simply listened and let him do all the talking.

“I wanted to discuss that with you first. We’ll go wherever you wish as infrequently or as often as you wish.” He touched the hand that rested on her arm. “Whatever will make you happy. That is what we will do.”

Alex thought of one thing that would make her very happy and it involved lips, mainly Justin’s on hers.

He turned and started walking again. “The garden here is lovely.”

“Are you in love with your mistress?” What was wrong with her? “Never mind.” She looked at the gardens and tried to think of something clever to say about them. “I can imagine your London gardens are far better.” She refused to look at him and only managed to stop an inch before the hand he’d placed in front of her to block her way.

He stepped closer. “I am not in love with Mrs. Shaw. We simply have an agreement.”

Alex nodded while keeping her eyes straight. “We shouldn’t be having this discussion.”

He shifted closer. She could hear him breathing against the still night. His words were just above a whisper. “You can ask me anything you wish, and I swear to tell you the truth.”

“Will you marry her?”

“Since she’s old enough to be my mother, no. She’s well past child-rearing years.”

She looked at him then. “But had she been a younger woman, you’d have married her?”

“Had she been a younger woman, I’d not have started with her to begin with.” His brows were pinched. “She makes me feel… safe. We’re alike, her and I.”

Safe and alike. Those were hard things to come between.

“Does she cook for you?” Alex asked.

He frowned. “No. She has staff to do that.”

Alex grunted and looked away. At least the woman couldn’t say she’d contributed to Justin’s good health.

“Alexandra, why did you ask after my mistress?”

Because you touch her. “I don’t know.” And she hoped he’d let the matter drop.

“I wish there’d been a cook like yours while I was at Eton. The food the madam of the house made was unpleasant, to say the least.”

She frowned. “I always thought you lords had everything you desired while at school.”

Justin shook his head and chuckled. “Not at all. Everything was at the madam’s pleasure, and we were all at her mercy. Indeed, some boys suffered terribly in the dorm houses.”

“But you are an earl.” She couldn’t imagine a man of his station suffering, much less many. Heat touched her cheeks, and her neck felt tight. “Did you suffer?”

He stilled and turned to study her, his gaze falling to where her hands were balled into tight fists. Even in the shadows, she saw emotion cloud his eyes before he blinked it away. “School was much more pleasant than home.” The words were whispered and then he blinked again as though surprised by his admission.

Had his home been that terrible? Alex couldn’t imagine it being worse than how some of the children at Best Home had been treated prior to being rescued by Mary Elizabeth, Mary Francis, and Alicia.

“My time at Cambridge was much better,” he went on.

“What did you like in school?” she asked. “What were you passionate about? I know it wasn’t law.”

He laughed. “The Gospels,” he confessed. “I took great pleasure in reading them in the original Greek and understanding them at their basis. Much like the studies of the great philosophers, the Gospels are a mandated part of the curriculum at both Cambridge and Oxford. I used to translate various other Greek scripts for friends and the like.”

She knew what was studied at the great schools, but she was still surprised that Justin had been drawn to the Gospels, of all books in the world, and she found his interest in translating Greek fascinating. It didn’t seem to fit what she knew about the man, which wasn’t a lot, except for that he usually kept to himself and was a dark mystery.

She said, “The boys study the gospels and the great Greek teachers at the schools in Best Homes. The girls keep to the psalms.”

He stopped and looked at her. “And what do you suppose these lessons on Aristotle and Socrates give the children who will later go on to work with their hands?” He was not asking to criticize the efforts of Best Homes, he truly wished to know.

“I was told that Mary Elizabeth Best said that if she raised a child and never taught him to think for himself then she’d have failed him miserably. Even working with their hands, one will always be faced with great decisions. She wanted the children at Best Home to make ones that aligned with their conscience.”

Justin shook his head. “No wonder everyone from the king himself loved her. I would have enjoyed meeting a woman like her.”

That touched Alex, especially when she thought of all the fanfare for Mary Elizabeth’s commemoration. “Why the Gospels?” she asked. “Why did you find them so fascinating? Did you think of joining the church?”

He laughed, but it seemed to lack humor. “Not at all. I could never…” He trailed off and looked away. “I was seeking… something.”

“God?” she asked.

He shrugged. “More so… redemption.” He looked at her. “Forgiveness.”

“Forgiveness? But you’d just become a man. What could you possibly have done that would need redemption?”

His expression became distant even as his feet brought him closer. His voice was soft as he searched her eyes. “We all need redemption, don’t we? Just some more than others.”

Staring at him, she felt as though she were getting even closer to the Chantenny that no one knew. “Did you steal something?”

He shook his head.

“Is it your relationship with…” She didn’t want to talk about his mistress again.

He lifted his hand and stopped it just a whisper from her face. She wanted to close her eyes and concentrate on that whisper of warmth she could feel just above her skin but didn’t dare lose his eyes.

His hand trailed by her cheek and chin before moving up to her mouth, and still he didn’t touch her.

“You can touch me,” she whispered.

His long fingers brushed the curl that hung by her jaw, and they both pulled in a breath. Then he locked his hand into a tight fist and pulled it away. She wanted to grab that hand and press it upon herself, but his expression was pained. “It would be just another thing I’d eventually need forgiveness for.” Then he looked away, and Alex felt as though a great distance were being placed between them, if only in their minds. It hurt even though she didn’t know this man.

“Let’s talk about the gardens again. What are yours like?” She hoped her words would pull him back to her.

And they did.

He stared at her a moment then slowly released his frown. “The ones at the estate are even better than my gardens here in London. I’ll show you once the Season is over.” He started to walk ahead of her.

Her heart skipped a beat, and it was another moment before she followed. “Once the Season is over?” He planned to be in her life that long?

His eyes reminded her of hot summers. The corner of his mouth lifted. “I wish to take you there. Have you ever left the city?”

“No.” She stopped at a bench behind a hedge and sat.

He joined her and gave her one of his adorable expressions. “I’ll enjoy showing you the country. It’s beautiful and more peaceful than the city.” Then he leaned forward and whispered, “And my mistress has never seen it.”

She believed him. At the moment, she was likely to believe anything he said, but she supposed they could speak later. There was something else she’d rather do.

She placed her hands on his cheeks and caught a glimpse of his widening eyes and the flare of his nostrils just before she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She felt his shock and caught his sharp intake, but at the first taste of him, she decided she didn't care. She wanted to indulge while she could.

He remained stiff as a rod as her lips moved over his, exploring their soft corners and curves. She used her hands to prompt his mouth to open and the moment his jaw went slack underneath her fingers, she slipped her tongue inside.

A sound came from Justin’s mouth, dark and desperate, and there was a strangled exhale before he pulled in a powerful breath and finally joined the kiss.

She’d expected hesitance, but what she got was an explosion of frenzy and a powerful need that made her tremble.

His hands went to her hips and pulled her closer, making their chests meet. She was thrilled by the feel of his hands and his tongue as it tangled with hers and then took over.

Though he’d not taken her hand earlier that day, Alex could not say the same for her mouth. His kiss was possessive and almost bruising. Alex loved it.

She slid her arms around him and drew even closer.

The taste of his mouth was intoxicating, as was the feel of him. His scent was driving her mad.

She threaded her fingers through his hair and shuddered when he decided to explore hers with the same amount of curiosity. He mapped her mouth with a deftness that left her gasping.

She felt herself begin to fall and soon found herself with her back to the stone bench and Justin on top of her.

Heat broke over her body. When his hands began to travel up her ribs, she realized how right Reuben had been. Fifteen minutes was a lifetime. Thirty was an eternity.

She broke the kiss and it took her a moment before she could open her eyes.

She found Justin staring at her with wide eyes.

“That was the best kiss I’ve ever had,” he told her.

That was pleasing, since she felt the same.

She smiled and pushed his shoulders.

His arms locked around her, and he righted them together. His fingers trailed down her cheek as a confused expression filled his eyes. “I enjoyed the kiss immensely, but I’m left to wonder what I did to prompt you into action.” He grinned as his fingers settled on her chin. “I’ll have to make sure I do it again.” He wouldn’t stop touching her, and Alex liked that.

Alex felt her cheeks pink. “We only have fifteen minutes alone. I decided not to wait for you to give me a good reason. I was sure you would later.” Though she had kissed him for her own reasons—he’d been too much of a temptation.

He gave her a full smile and said, “You’re the most beautiful and intriguing woman I know.”

Alex felt the words shiver through her and sighed. “I told you that you would give me reason.”

He moved to kiss her again, but Alex evaded it and stood just as Reuben came around the hedge.

Her brother looked at her and then at Justin. “It’s late, my lord.”

“Yes.” Justin stood and smiled. “I better go.” He turned to Alex. “Tomorrow we can begin making plans for the Season.”

“All right,” she said, anxious for tomorrow already.

He stared at her for a moment then bowed before saying his goodbyes and departing.

“Next time,” Reuben said, “I’ll only give you three minutes.”

Alex bit her lower lip and walked toward the house, feeling no shame whatsoever.

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