Chapter 12

Oh no.

An ice cold pit of dread flooded Violet"s stomach.

It had come that way every single time her path crossed with William"s because his delight in teasing her had not faded.

Could he not see that she was in turmoil over this whole mess?

Did he really need to continue upsetting her like this?

She tried to turn away before William spotted her, but it was too late.

"Ah, it is the very lovely Mrs. Cook. How lovely it is to see you. How are the wedding plans coming? I am sure you are utterly thrilled."

Violet rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest."Maybe the wedding plans are coming along quite nicely, thank you very much. I do not think that is something I need to discuss with you."

William laughed, tossing his head back as the mirth claimed him. "Oh, I am sure it will be quite the affair. I cannot wait to attend."

"You will certainly not be invited."

"Oh what a shame." Violet sucked in a sharp breath as William stepped closer to her, speaking so quietly that she had to lean in to hear it all. "Because I was rather looking forward to seeing you in a wedding gown."

Violet rolled her eyes, trying to disguise the way that her heart had started hammering violently against her rib cage. "Well, that will never happen. So, you might as well get that idea out of your mind."

William laughed. "I do not know if I will ever be able to get that idea out of my mind."

His words made her shiver. Her eyes fluttered with desire. Much as she did not want her body to betray her, there did not seem to be anything that she could do.

The man had an impact on her, whether she wanted him to or not.

"What is your problem?" she snapped, allowing some of her frustration out. "I do not understand why you are so interested."

William smirked. "Because I cannot see this wedding happening."

She was a little stunned by his admission. Violet was not expecting him to be quite so straight forward about this. "Why not?"

"Because Mr. Cook is not good enough for you." He offered her a one shouldered shrug. "He will not be the man that you marry."

Frustrated burning hot tears welled up behind Violet"s eyes, but she did not want to let them fall. Not in front of William.

"It is hardly like I have a choice with such a short deadline."

William shook his head. "No, I still do not believe that you will settle for Charles. You know you will not be happy with him, so it is a waste of time."

"Marriage is more of convenience, not happiness. Especially in this situation."

Much as Violet knew that it was Paul"s fault, she could not resist reminding William that he was responsible also. He was not blameless in all of this.

"Not always."

"What do you mean?" she demanded, sick of him being coy and mysterious. She wanted him to be open and honest at last.

Even if that did not seem to be his style.

"Well, you can marry someone for convenience, but still have a happy life. You do not need to lower yourself to a man like Mr. Cook."

Violet narrowed her eyes angrily. "I have been trying to find someone, but there does not seem to be a line of suitors outside the door."

"Well, there is one in here."

All the air whipped out of the room.

What was that shocking statement supposed to mean?

Violet wanted to ask, but she was too afraid form the words.

She was scared for what the response might be.

William chuckled a little awkwardly. "I am just saying that I could offer you my services, if you would like."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"That you could marry me instead. I could be your marriage of convenience if there are no other options out there." Since Violet did not know what to say, William continued talking. "Since you have said that Mr. Cook is your only other option, I am sure you will be mine soon enough."

The smugness of his words, plus the smirk playing on his lips, frazzled Violet. This was not a joke to her, this was her life.

"I… I cannot believe you are saying this," she stammered, a heat burning through her body in to her cheeks.

"You do not think that I am serious?" William cocked his head to one side as his eyes hungrily explored Violet"s expression. "Because I am more than willing to offer you my hand in marriage. You are a damsel in distress, are you not? I love to help a damsel in distress."

Violet felt like she had been knocked off kilter.

Hard as it was to stumble across Paul in the house these days, it was worse to find herself staring at William.

Why did he like to have her so confused and unsure?

She hated it and wanted to shut this down instantly.

"I would never want you," she whispered. Violet wished that she could say this with more strength to shut him down, but it was impossible.

"Oh, really?"

"I… I…"

Why had her mind gone blank? It was so frustrating.

"You do not seem sure."

Violet could hardly breathe.

"I am."

William chuckled and shook his head in an amused fashion. "So be it. You can have it your way. If you would much prefer to be married to Mr. Cook, then I will not stand in your way. I would not want to ruin true love."

Violet rolled her eyes. "You do not need to be silly."

"I am not the one making foolish mistakes. I think that is you. But who am I to make judgements about you?"

He stepped closer to her, invading her personal space with the intensity of his presence.

"Maybe you are not concerned about everything you will be missing out on."

Violet flinched as his fingers reached out and lightly bushed over her cheek. What on earth was William doing?

But as he reached out to touch her once more, she did not move.

Volet could not deny it, she adored the sparkling sensation of his skin brushing over hers.

"I do not think you really know what you are giving up."

He is just teasing me, Violet did her best to remind herself, so she did not get too caught up in this game. She knew that she was only a pawn, which absolutely terrified her. He does not mean a word of this.

"Just think what it would be like to be married to a man who could make you feel like this."

His hand slid down to her waist and cupped her behind.

Before Violet even realized what was happening, he had yanked her body even close to his, and now they were breathing one another in.

His hooded, dark eyes danced with need.

The sort of need Violet could feel fluttering between her thighs.

Never in any of her etiquette classes throughout the years had she been taught what to do in a situation like this.

She felt completely out of control, weak at the knees, and unable to resist the intensity of the magnetic pull between them.

Everything about this was so wrong, it was what she had always been taught to avoid, but now…

Now none of those lessons mattered, because she ached for him so badly.

For the first time in her life, Violet was starting to understand just how members of the ton got themselves in to so much trouble and allowed themselves to be caught in compromising positions.

She knew that she would not be able to put a halt to this even if everyone in the city of London was watching them.

But thank goodness that was not a possibility.

She was able to enjoy this warm buzzing sensation with William alone.

"I cannot believe," William murmured, each word blowing tickling, tingling air all over her lips, "that you would be so willing to walk away from this, even telling me that you do not want this. You cannot lie to me, I can see it written all over your face."

Violet"s lips parted ever so slightly.

She did not know exactly what she wanted to say, only that she needed to stand up for herself somehow.

But no words came out.

Her voice box betrayed her entirely.

Violet was not entirely sure if anything she said would be heard anyway. The sizzling, vibrating air was so thick between them, was so intense, she did not think she could break it.

Nor did she want to shatter it.

As annoying as it was to be swept up by William again, this was the best that she had ever felt. Violet never wanted to lose this warmth and anticipation.

"Imagine," William whispered, clearly in delight about the effect he was having on Violet, "being able to do this every single day."

With those fateful words, he finally closed the gap between them.

His lips met hers and she drowned in bliss.

The sensation of his mouth moving softly against hers, his tongue slowly invading her mouth and intensifying everything was like an explosion.

The world around Violet erupted.

The waters of pleasure consumed them both.

As William hooked his hand around the back of Violet"s neck to keep her in place, her lungs filled up with need. She could not breathe and did not know if she would ever be able to breathe again.

But that did not matter.

Who needed air when she could continue kissing this man forever?

Violet rolled her hips, pressing her whole body against William as the kiss deepened. She felt raw and exposed, passion bruised and excited. There was no telling where this kiss would lead, but she was about to follow it anywhere.

Never would she feel this incredible again, that was something she knew for sure, and so she was more than willing to cling on to this for the rest of her life.

For as long as she could…

Unfortunately, William did not seem to feel the same way.

Within a heartbeat, he shattered everything.

He stepped away from Violet, leaving her cold and alone.

Exposed in a way she had never been exposed before.

What was he playing at now?

Her eyes peeked open and she caught him smirking, which should have infuriated her, but instead just left her feeling hollow and confused.

"But if that is not what you want," William announced, confusing Violet by teasing her again. Was he not swept off his feet as well? How could he revert back to being unpleasant again so quickly? "Then I understand."

He backed away, letting Violet know without words that he was not coming back to her.

"I do not understand," he laughed. "Because that seems like a lot of fun to me. But if the idea of being Mrs. Cook is too irresistible for you, then who am I to fight it? I cannot stand in the way of true love."

His laughter seemed to rattle Violet"s rib cage.

She felt whiplashed.

"Just know, Miss Lambourne, that everything could have been so very different for you. Always know that."

As soon as he left the room, taking all the heat with him, Violet sank in to the nearest chair, completely blindsided by all of that.

What was he trying to do to her?

She knew he did not really want to marry her and that it was all just a game to William, but why did all of that feel oh so real? It was damn near impossible to simply dismiss feelings as intense as that.

Was she really the only one who felt them?

And how on earth was she supposed to get married to a man that she did not like now? It was hard enough before, but now it felt well and truly impossible.