Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Introductions

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

Solomon wanted to laugh, but another thought overrode the humor of the situation. He had her chin in his hand, and she did not shirk away 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 the woman before him 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 took his fingers from her chin. She did so respectfully.

"I am Leah Moore, the daughter of the Baron of Prevost," Leah said. "I shouldn't have… I didn't mean to…"

"You liked what you saw," the Duke said.

"No, I…"

Solomon could not help himself. With her eyes wider than normal 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 in 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 pleasurable.

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 saw in her the urge to look at his chest again.

He reached down and played with the topmost buttoned button, hoping to draw her eyes again. He enjoyed the longing from such a beautiful woman. To her credit, she looked slightly down but avoided his body.

"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, and 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 were looking 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 marriage has returned, and?—"

Solomon smirked at her.

"—and you are the Duke!" Leah quickly slapped his hand away from her before her eyes widened more than should be humanly possible, and her mouth dropped open. She quickly stepped forward. "My goodness!" Leah stopped herself and fell 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 runs into me with his shirt off."

"It was not off," Solomon interjected.

"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 do not know, and with a man I have not yet met, and—my goodness again! 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 questioned.

Leah stalled 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 life. "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 asked. He glared 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 with 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 hastened 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. "I and not directly answering to 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 the floor again. "I am not beguiling."

Why must you disagree with everything I say?

"You most certainly are," the Duke argued. "You are a beautiful woman, and you must know that."

Solomon watched Leah's lips squeeze together and her eye twitch. She wanted to argue back against his compliments, but she held her rebuke inside. He was glad for a moment that she did not continue to be insolent.

Leah'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.

So much beauty on the outside with so much provocation within. I must steady myself not to 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 protested 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. If he took her into his room, what harm would there be when 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 to the side and lost his smile. His amusing teasing was not bringing him as much amusement anymore. "I don't believe anything about this is the best way to start a relationship, is it? This marriage is convenient for us and our families."

"Yes, it is," 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 for your own amusement, 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 hands, but it was her polite and well-to-do demeanor that created a lust within—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 straightened 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 brows a little.

"We don't want to start off our relationship by lying to each other, do we?" Solomon took a step forward, and Leah didn't move 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 hidden 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 are from a well-bred family, and many describe you as polite. I stand by my reputation, but you don't stand by yours. Are you truly well-bred and polite, or will you spend all of your time challenging me?"

Leah hesitated 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 always to do the best I can and act as a lady. I shall do my best to be a good wife for you and a?—"

"I can hear them!" Leah hissed through her teeth.

Leah suddenly 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 his hands on his bare chest and forced both of them into his inner sanctum.

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

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

"My goodness!" Leah 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—?" Leah whispered quickly as she brought her free hand up to cover his mouth completely.

Solomon could not contain himself any longer. He wrapped an arm around Leah 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," Leah 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 the words. "Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm."

Leah furrowed her brows and slowly removed her hand from the Duke's mouth. She held herself rigidly in the Duke's grasp.

Solomon's ears pricked as he tried to hear the oncoming voices. "I am hardly in a state of undress," he whispered.

"That is what you are most concerned about?" Leah hissed. "You don't care about how it will look if we are found?"

"We are practically betrothed," Solomon replied. "What can they think?"

"Yes, but it is not right," Leah claimed. "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 entering your residence and a few minutes after meeting you. You can do what you wish with your reputation, but I shall hand onto mine."

"And we are back to the insults," the Duke said. "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 whispered back. "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 grasp but was beginning to become irritated by her constant chiding. He had half a mind to kiss her to silence her.

"Some things must be said," Leah claimed. "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 asked.

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 your hands on me alone in my bedchambers, all you had to do was ask."

"Ugh, you are the worst," Leah said, 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 probed slightly between her lips before it swiftly disappeared from sight. Her hazel eyes had a very slight greenness to them. Her eyes did not betray her, but her hesitation did. If she wanted out of his grasp, she would have done so already.

"I should find my room," Leah told him. "It would not be polite to worry anyone."

"No, that would not be polite," Solomon replied softly.

The Duke leaned forward, bringing his lips closer to Leah's, and once again, she did not move away. He crept ever closer before he diverted and brought his lips close to her ear.

"I have very much enjoyed meeting you, Miss Moore."

Leah turned to jelly in the Duke's grasp, and he had to hold on tighter 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," the Duke added.

Solomon pulled back and gazed upon Leah, tracing her soft features.

"I don't ever do anything like this," Leah muttered. She came out of her trance and breathed out quickly before straightening again.

Solomon let her out of his embrace when she moved back. Leah brushed herself down and brought her fingers to her pinkish cheeks. The softness in her eyes left to be replaced by a formality, and she pursed her lips. Leah 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 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 as she walked away.

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 his emotions 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 pleasures that would come with it, but she could make his life a nightmare, too, if he didn't put some space between them.