Rose in Bloom (Sex and the Season #2)(3)

Well, she could. Just not for Lord Evan Xavier. She cared for him and she enjoyed his company…and his kisses. But they didn’t share the ease together that Lily and the duke—Daniel—did. It was still difficult for Rose to call her new brother-in-law by his Christian name. Then again, she and Lily were two very different people. Perhaps Lily, with her disdain for convention and the dictates of the peerage, was just more comfortable using Christian names than she, Rose, would ever be.

Rose took a few deep breaths and walked to the back terrace for some air before the midnight meal. Several couples hid in the shadows, chatting intimately. Some were embracing each other and laughing softly. She walked swiftly away from them, looking for a dark corner where she could be alone with her thoughts for a few moments. She finally settled on a spot against the railing, outside the glimmer of the torchlights. She inhaled the fresh night air, expanding her lungs as much as her corset would allow.

“Good evening, my lady.”

Rose turned, squinting in the dark shadows. About ten feet away from her, concealed in the nightfall, stood Cameron Price. Rose’s skin erupted in tiny bumps and her breath caught. He never failed to affect her, and this evening, dressed formally, he was an intoxicating vision.

Cameron drained the glass of champagne he was holding and shuffled toward her.

“A well-born lady such as yourself shouldn’t be out here unescorted,” he said, the aroma of alcohol on his breath unmistakable.

“Mr. P-Price,” Rose stammered. “I…I was just getting breath of fresh air.”

“Won’t Xavier miss you?”

“I don’t know… I…I’m not wholly his concern.”

Cameron snorted. “He certainly monopolized you on the dance floor this evening.”

Rose’s cheeks warmed. She was thankful for the darkness. “Not many others asked me for a dance.”

“How could they, with him breathing down your neck? He’s the size of a mountain, for God’s sake.”

Rose wrinkled her nose. “You’re inebriated, Mr. Price.”

“Slightly.” He chuckled. “Tell me, would you have danced with another man if he had asked you?”

“Of course,” Rose said. “I danced with my father and my brother, and my cousin’s friend Mr. Landon.”

“You danced with a mister?” Cameron shook his head. “You mean you’ll dance with an untitled gent?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Mr. Landon is an impeccable gentlemen. He owns land here and in the Americas, and he’s a cousin to His Grace.”

“Ah, I see.” Cameron lifted his champagne glass to his lips. “Damn, it’s empty.” He set it down loudly on the railing. “Money is the issue then, as well as blood.”

“Mr. Price,” Rose began, unable to look at him, “I fail to see what—”

“My lady,” Cameron interrupted, “would you have danced with me, had I asked you?”

Rose turned. His silver eyes penetrated her flesh like daggers. She felt defenseless. All those heart-wrenching hours spent at the pianoforte with him, fighting her attraction to him and telling herself they had no future, flooded into her like a tidal wave. He had treated her with such disdain, never missing an opportunity to make a snide comment about their different stations. Was it possible he felt an attraction too?

“You’re foxed, Mr. Price,” Rose said, forcing herself not to stammer. “This conversation would be better served if we were both in our right minds.”

Cameron tentatively reached toward her arm and touched her lightly with his finger. A spark shot through Rose at the contact.

“I may have imbibed a bit more than usual, my lady,” he said. “But I assure you, I am in my right mind. I asked you a question. Would you have danced with me?”

“I…don’t know. It wouldn’t really be appropriate.”

Cameron snorted again. “Of course. What would the other peers have thought if you, the daughter of the Earl of Ashford, were seen dancing with a commoner? Pardon, not just a commoner, but a tenant on your brother-in-law’s land.” He turned away from her. “Good evening, my lady.”

Rose’s heart hurt. She had wanted to dance with him. She had dreamed of more than that. Of kissing him the way she kissed Evan. Of doing…more than kissing. “Wait, Mr. Price.”

He turned. “What is it?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Yes, what?”

She gulped. “Yes. I would have danced with you.”

He walked back to her and brushed back a stray curl. Her skin burned where he touched her.

“Will you dance with me now?”

“It’s nearly time for the meal.” Rose swallowed. “The orchestra is taking a break. I…we should go in.”

“Please. Dance with me.”

Her heart hammered against her chest. “There’s no music.”

He cupped her cheek. “We don’t need music. You and I together have it in our souls.”

“Mr. Price…”

“Come with me.” He took her arm and led her to the stairs of the terrace.

Rose looked around quickly. They were alone. Completely alone. The other couples on the terrace must have gone in to be seated for the meal. Cameron pulled her down the stairs and out onto the soft grass of the lawn. He led her away from the torchlights to a dark crevice where only the light of the crescent moon veiled them in a lustrous cloak.