2. Introductions

INTRODUCTIONS

L eah’s brown hair was tied back in a braid, showing off her soft, pinkish cheeks and round face. Her skin was freshly poured cream, her eyes the color of a hazel tree. And then there were the curves hiding beneath her flowing summer dress—curves that he very much wanted to enjoy.

“A lady should give her name before demanding the name of another,” the Duke replied with a smirk. He knew exactly who she was after he had watched her greet his family from his study window only minutes ago.

Solomon wanted to laugh, but another thought overrode his mirth. He was cupping her chin in his hand, and she did not recoil from him.

If I kiss you now, what will you do?

He glanced at her plump lips and imagined how soft they would feel and how delicious they would taste. They were slightly parted, as if inviting him in. He watched as she licked her lips and maintained eye contact. She was afraid but defiant.

She finally reached up and took his hand, holding it gently—and longer than was necessary—as she pulled his fingers off her chin.

“I am Leah Moore, the daughter of the Baron Prevost,” Leah said. “I shouldn’t have… I didn’t mean to…”

“You liked what you saw,” the Duke noted.

“No, I…”

Solomon could not help himself. With her eyes wide and her lips still parted, she had a beautiful innocence and a fierce defiance. He did not care that she had looked at his chest—he welcomed it. What better to have in a wife than someone who looked at him the way she had? Many women had looked at his body with similar passion but not with the same innocence or shock, and it was extremely refreshing.

It made it all the easier. He needed to marry her for her dowry, but to have someone so thoroughly entertaining made it much more pleasurable.

It is all about needs and wants, and it seems Miss Moore satisfies both.

“You wish to know who I am?” Solomon asked.

“Yes, I do,” Leah replied. She shifted nervously from foot to foot, and the Duke sensed her urge to look at his chest again.

He reached down and played with the touched his chest hair, running his finger back and forth, hoping to draw her eyes to it again. He enjoyed seeing the longing on such a beautiful woman’s face. To her credit, she looked slightly down but then averted her gaze.

“You must not tell anyone my secret,” Solomon said.

“Your secret?” Leah looked him in the eyes again.

Should I tease her like this? Perhaps I should have introduced myself as soon as she ran into me.

Still, he could not help himself. He was having far too much fun—something that had been lacking in his life for some time.

“I am His Grace’s valet. I try on his clothes when he is away. You won’t tell him, will you?”

“I don’t…”

“Please, he must not know. He does not suffer fools lightly. No, I must make a run for it. I saw the way you looked at me. We can run off together and have some fun. What do you say?” Solomon held out his hand.

Leah shook her head. “You should not be in the Duke’s room. I am to be his wife, and I shall not lie to him before our wedding, and?—”

Solomon smirked at her.

“—and you are the Duke!” Leah quickly slapped his hand away as her eyes widened more than should be humanly possible. Her mouth dropped open, and she quickly stepped forward. “My goodness!” She dipped into an awkward curtsey. “I apologize, Your Grace. I didn’t know who you were, and if I did, I would never have?—”

“Looked at me with such desire.”

The Duke enjoyed the gasp that escaped her lips.

“I did nothing of the sort,” Leah claimed as she stood back up. “Where am I meant to look when a man with his shirt off runs into me.”

“It was not off,” Solomon pointed out.

“With his shirt hanging open. What am I supposed to do in the presence of a half-naked man?”

“I was not half-naked,” Solomon said.

“In a house I’m not familiar with, and with a man I have not yet met, and—my goodness! You knew exactly what you were doing, didn’t you? You knew who I was, and you knew I did not know you. This is how you greet me into your home?”

“And this is how you talk to a duke?” Solomon raised an eyebrow.

Leah stopped herself from saying what she truly wanted to say. “No, Your Grace. You must excuse my behavior. I did not mean to talk to you in such a way. It was a surprise for me to meet you like this. Please, can we start again?”

Solomon smiled. For a moment, he could forget all about his troubles. “I believe we have started just fine. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were full of mischief.”

“What? I am not full of mischief! When did you first see me?”

“You do like to question me, don’t you?” Solomon scoffed, staring at her. “Shall you question me about everything, or will you hold your tongue better than you have so far?”

Leah held his glare for a second before she looked down at her feet. “I apologize again, Your Grace. My parents brought me up well, and I should not be questioning you so much or talking to you in such a tone.”

“No, you should not be questioning me so much,” he agreed. “I do not allow anyone to scold or defy me. I am not quick to anger, but you seem to have provoked my ire.”

“I apologize again, Your Grace,” Leah stated. “I did not mean it to come across that way—you have to believe me.”

“Believe you? I shall give you the benefit of the doubt and trust what you say. We should strive to be truthful and honest,” the Duke replied. “And I am not answering your demands—I am showing my honesty. I saw you from my window when you arrived with your parents and your sister. I must admit that I was pleased with what I saw. Do you know that you have dimples when you smile? They are beguiling.”

Leah looked down at her feet again. “I am not beguiling.”

Why must you disagree with everything I say?

“You most certainly are,” the Duke insisted. “You are a beautiful woman, and you must know that.”

He watched her lips press together and her eyes twitch. She wanted to reject his compliments, but she held her tongue. He was glad for a moment that she did not continue to be insolent.

So much beauty on the outside with so much provocation within. I must not push back too much.

He had seen the way she had looked at him, and there was no mistaking the intent behind her gaze, no matter how much she denied it. He knew what she wanted because he wanted the exact same thing. She was maddening, but she was far too beautiful not to have some fun with her and silence her aggravations.

Solomon looked up and down the hallway. What harm could it do if he took her into his room, seeing as they were to be married soon anyway?

“You knew who I was, and you went ahead with your charade to make a fool of me,” Leah stated. “You can compliment me all you like, but it doesn’t make up for the fact you made a fool of me.”

“I did no such thing,” Solomon claimed. “I was testing you, and you passed.”

“Testing me? All I could think about was how I could not lie to my future husband, and that is exactly what you were doing to me. This is not the best way to start a relationship.”

Solomon cocked his head, and his smile fell. “Nothing about this is the best way to start a relationship, don’t you think? This marriage is convenient for us and our families.”

“Yes, I do,” Leah replied.

“And you have quickly gone from lust to disappointment,” the Duke noted.

Leah did her best to straighten up and compose herself. “I am not disappointed, Your Grace. I understand you were trying to tease me, but this is all new to me, and I am not one to be teased.”

Solomon took a step forward. There was something about the way she stood up for herself that aroused him. Her delicious curves practically begged for his touch, but it was her prim and proper demeanor that stirred a lust inside him—a lust to break through her barriers.

“Believe me, if I wanted to tease you, you would know about it,” Solomon said with some satisfaction.

He thought for a moment that she might give in when a small shiver of pleasure ran through her body, but she quickly composed herself again.

“Yes, and you would know all about that, wouldn’t you?” Leah challenged.

Something in her voice riled him up. “So, my reputation does precede me.”

“You don’t deny it?” Leah raised her eyebrows a little.

“We don’t want to start our relationship by lying to each other, do we?” Solomon took a step forward, and she didn’t step back from him.

He could feel the cool air on his chest, his shirt still hanging open. He wanted to take her hand and guide it to where she wanted it to go. She had masked the hunger in her eyes well, but it was still noticeable.

“So, it is all true?” Leah asked.

“That depends on what you have heard,” the Duke replied. “I have nothing to hide. Although I have heard some stories about you, Miss Moore. You come from a wealthy family, and many describe you as polite. I stand by my reputation, but you don’t stand by yours. Are you truly polite, or will you spend all of your time challenging me?”

Leah hesitated for a moment before answering. “You are entirely right, Your Grace. I cannot use this temporary residence or my surprise at seeing you as an excuse for my behavior. I have been raised to always do the best I can and act as a proper lady. I shall do my best to be a good wife to you and a?—”

Leah suddenly stopped talking and cocked her head to the side as if she had heard something.

“I can hear them!” Leah hissed through her teeth.

She raised her hands and placed them on the Duke’s chest, pushing him back into his room. Solomon was so taken aback that he was rendered speechless as the woman who had gazed lustfully at him placed her hands on his bare chest and forced both of them into his inner sanctum.

“Well, you are certainly proving yourself a good wi?—”

Leah clapped a hand over his mouth. Solomon enjoyed the touch, and he brought his hand up to cover hers before kissing her fingers.

“My goodness!” she hissed as she jerked her hand back as if she had been burned by a red-hot poker.

“Someone else likes to tease—” Solomon started.

“Will you stop talking!” Leah hissed as she lifted her free hand to cover his mouth again.

Solomon could not contain himself any longer. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him, their faces an inch apart. Leah stiffened, but she did not struggle. Her hand remained clamped over his mouth, and her eyes darted around as if following a bird zigzagging around the room.

“I heard voices,” she whispered. “They’ve sent someone to find me, and I can’t be seen with you in such a state of undress. What would they think?”

Solomon tried to talk, but the hand over his mouth muffled his words. “Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm.”

Leah furrowed her brow and slowly lowered her hand to her side. She stood rigid in his arms.

Solomon’s ears perked up as he tried to listen for the oncoming voices. “I am hardly in a state of undress,” he muttered.

“That is what you are most concerned about?” Leah hissed. “You don’t care about how it will look if we are found together?”

“We are practically betrothed,” Solomon pointed out. “What can they think?”

“Yes, but it is not right,” Leah countered. “This is all irrelevant. I don’t want to argue about what is proper or not—I only don’t want to be caught like this ten minutes after arriving at your residence and a few minutes after meeting you. You can do whatever you wish with your reputation, but I shall protect mine.”

“And we are back to the insults,” the Duke drawled. “Not that I care, but you did mention you were to be more polite and proper. I might be more perturbed if you had not forced yourself on me. For the one with the better reputation, you are not doing a very good job of showcasing it.”

“Oh, do you have to be so infuriating?” Leah scoffed. “When I first saw you, I thought… well, it matters not what I thought. I barely know you, and you have already gotten under my skin more than anyone else I have met.”

“Is a lady not supposed to refrain from saying many things to a man, let alone a duke?”

Solomon was happy to have such a beautiful woman in his arms, but her constant chiding was beginning to irritate him. He had half a mind to kiss her to silence her.

“Some things must be said,” Leah insisted. “The essence of a lady is to know when to speak and when not to speak.”

“And is the essence of a lady to be wrapped in the arms of a man for no reason?” Solomon retorted.

Leah swallowed and tilted her head.

“There are certainly no voices now—not that I ever heard any. Miss Moore, you did not need to invent danger to get me alone in my bedchambers. All you had to do was ask.”

“Ugh, you are the worst,” Leah huffed, her voice rising a little.

“Am I?” Solomon asked, holding her tight.

Leah looked around a little before looking him in the eyes. Her tongue darted between her lips before it swiftly disappeared into her mouth. Solomon remembered climbing a tree during his childhood. The brown bark had been tinged with slippery green moss—beautiful from a distance, but teachers when scaling the trunk. The color of her eyes reminded him of that tree. Her eyes did not betray her intentions, but her hesitation did. If she wanted out of his grasp, she would have stepped back already.

“I should find my room,” she told him. “It would not be polite to worry anyone.”

“No, that would not be polite,” Solomon agreed softly.

He leaned forward, bringing his lips closer to hers, and once again, she did not move away. He crept ever closer before he tilted his head and brought his lips close to her ear.

“I have very much enjoyed meeting you, Miss Moore.”

Leah turned to jelly in his arms, and he had to tighten his hold on her to keep her on her feet.

“I look forward to seeing you again. And don’t feel that you have to be overly polite in my presence,” he added. He pulled back, his eyes tracing her soft features.

“I don’t ever do anything like this,” Leah muttered. She breathed out quickly before straightening again.

Solomon dropped his arms when she stepped back. Leah smoothed down her skirt and brought her fingers to her pinkish cheeks. The softness in her eyes dimmed, and she pursed her lips. She took another deep breath.

“Thank you for helping me, Your Grace,” she said. “I look forward to meeting you properly in due time.”

Leah turned around quickly, but not quick enough. Solomon caught the relief in her eyes as she turned, and when he went to his door to watch her walk down the corridor, he saw her bring a hand to her mouth.

You had to escape quickly before you did something you regretted. Or enjoyed! I look forward to finding out which. Perhaps if you can hold your tongue, I will find you much more delightful than you have shown yourself to be.

The Duke watched Leah disappear from view. She had annoyed him, but he was equally annoyed at himself. He had allowed himself to be affected far too much by her scorn and constant questioning, and he needed to be more in control.

There was some appeal in marrying her, mainly the bodily pleasure that would come with it. But she could make his life a nightmare, too, if he didn’t put some space between them.