Angel in Scarlet (Bound and Determined #4)(5)

“Colton?” she called again, trying to find him without drawing attention from the house.

Her skin prickled with awareness, but still no answer.

Her hands ran restlessly down her hips, smoothing the dense silk. Ruby had assured her the dress was just what she needed to draw Colton’s attention, but she was much less certain. She rather feared she looked like a tomato. Young ladies didn’t wear red. They wore delicate pastels or sometimes floral prints. The darkest color she’d ever worn was a spring green.

Her dress was almost shocking, the crimson so deep and pure that it seemed to shimmer with color. If she’d been in her first season it might even have been scandalous. She was lucky she was a few years out, although she’d still seen quite a few of the older ladies looking at her with misgiving.

Her feet scuffed on the flagstones of the terrace. Was he hiding from her? No, Colton was not a man who hid—and certainly not from her, a silly girl, a foolish girl, a girl with dreams that had been far too big for her life. “Colton?”

“I am here,” his voice answered from the darkness, causing her to shiver.

“Oh.” Now, that was not the reply she’d planned. Her nerves must be contained.

There was no response.

“Can we talk?” Why did her voice sound so timid? She needed to be brave, to be confident.

“I don’t suppose I can stop you unless I flee into the night.”

If she’d had any doubts about her plan, his words strengthened her. He was an ass. A pure ass. She must remember that, remember all that she knew. “Are you fleeing? I can’t see.”

“No. You’re not that terrifying, Miss Ripon.” His voice was cool and slightly mocking.

Did she even stand a chance? Ruby had assured her that Colton would take one look at her in the dress and want her, but she lacked all such certainty. “Then will you come where I can see you? Please.”

There was a movement at the far end of the terrace and a figure advanced just enough that she could see his tall outline; awareness shivered through her. “Thank you.”

“Are you going to tell me what you want, Miss Ripon? Or are you leaving me to guess?”

Ass. Ass. Ass. “You. I want you.” She hadn’t meant to put it quite that directly, but the words had almost spurted from her mouth. If only she were not so anxious, did not feel that everything depended on these scant few minutes.

“Well, I am here.” He did not move any farther forward, and she had to squint to make him out at all. If it were not for the voice, she would have been unsure that she’d found the right man—no, that was not true. It was Colton. She’d always been able to feel him deep in her bones, to know when he was about. Even before he’d asked her dance that first evening, she’d known who he was, known when he was in the room. Her eye had always been drawn to his broad shoulders and strong chin, to those eyes that always commanded her attention.

“Are you alone?” Why hadn’t she wondered if he was with someone? It would be far too embarrassing if he was with a lady. And why was she feeling timid again? After all that had happened she had determined never to be timid again; being timid, hiding herself, brought nothing but pain.

“Yes, Miss Ripon, I am alone. Or, at least, I was.”

This was not going the way she had planned. She considered turning and going back into the ballroom, back to the life she knew and understood. No. She would not be timid. She would not. Never again would she play the mouse. This was what she wanted, what she needed. She forced her feet to take another step forward, ran her hands down the front of her dress, feeling the lush silk pull against her breasts.

Even though she couldn’t see him clearly, she sensed the movement of his head, knew his eyes dropped to her breasts. She tugged the fabric a little more. Ruby had said that most men could not resist a flash of bosom and that Colton was no exception—and Ruby might just be right. “I’ve been thinking about what you said.” She deliberately kept her voice low and quiet, forcing him to listen.

“I am not sure to what you refer.”

“You said that I had misunderstood the situation. That there was nothing between us.”

“Yes, I did say that.”

“Well, I am convinced that you are wrong. There is definitely something between us. I feel it whenever I am near you.”

“Miss Ripon, I am afraid it is you who are wrong.” He disappeared again into the shadows.

Now was the time for courage. She had nothing to lose. “You see, I don’t think I am. I don’t think I would feel this way if there were nothing. And I don’t think you are as indifferent as you pretend. I’ve caught you looking at me, at my breasts and hips and lips.”

“I am a man. Men look. It means nothing.”

“I refuse to believe that.” She let her tongue slide across her lower lip, just as Ruby had told her to, pressing it out, leaving it glistening. If only she could feel seductive rather than silly.

“What you believe is irrelevant.”

“I don’t believe that either. I know that I want you and I am confident you feel the same way about me.”

“I don’t. And if you believe this conversation will somehow make me suddenly decide I have strong affection for you, you are most mistaken.”

“I wasn’t talking about affection. I believe the best word for what I meant might simply be ‘desire.’?”