Free Scandalous Intentions by Amanda Mariel Page A

skirts, a welcome contrast to the warmth radiating through her. She rested one hand on her lap and waved her fan with the other.
    Lord Luvington positioned himself on the bench a smidgen closer than was proper, angling himself so he faced her. The fresh spring scents of foliage and flowers took on a heady intensity as she stared fixedly at the hedge in front of her. Her face flamed though she could not credit it to the heat of the atmosphere.
    She needed to take control of the situation before it swept her away. “Speak your piece and be done with it. I do not wish to linger over long.” He flashed a toe-curling grin just before she glanced away.
    “What I said in the park was the truth. Is the truth. But there is more to it than just my need of a respectable wife.”
    “Do tell.” She lowered her fan to her lap, its ribbons trailing in the breeze.
    “I have come to care for you, admire you, even. You are a fascinating and attractive woman.”
    She plucked at her satin skirts as the heat climbed back into her face.
    “It is true that I will no longer receive my stipend if I fail to secure a proper society wife. It is the very reason I began looking for one. I shall not deny it, but nor is it the reason I continue to pursue you.” He reached up and brushed a curl that had escaped her bonnet away from her cheek.
    His fingers left a tingling trail in their wake, and something inside her began to crumble. She glanced down at the path they had just walked.
    “I would like the chance to make this right. Allow me to court you, Lady Sarah. Let us discover if there might be something real between us.”
    She glanced at him, unsure how to respond. Her mind screamed no, but her heart and soul begged for him. She wanted to reach out and run her hand across his strong jaw, feel his lips pressed against hers, discover what it felt like to be in his arms.
    “Spend the rest of the party in my company, Lady Sarah. Grant me one afternoon to change your mind.”
    A wave of tingles ran down her and congregated in her abdomen at his smile. This was dangerous, and she knew it. And yet…
    “One afternoon, after which you will cease this foolishness.”
    “If that is your wish, but know it is my desire that you will no longer feel the same way.”
    The sincerity in his eyes baffled her. His features were so gentle, his gaze so deep, it was as though he were looking at her very soul. Oh, how she wanted to trust him. Alas, something in the way he had approached her and Grace earlier weighed on her mind. He still withheld information from her.
    A grin pulled at her lips in spite of herself. “We will see, but first I want to know why you looked so distraught when you approached me.” She stiffened her spine. “And do not attempt to sell me a falsehood.”
    He glanced away, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “I never tried to sell you a falsehood.”
    “Then you tried to trick me. One is not very different from the other.” She stood and turned her back to him. “I wish to go back this instant.” She should have known better than to waste her energy granting him an audience.
    “Now I have vexed you again, and for that I am truly sorry, but I did tell you the truth of it when you asked me in the park.” He stepped in front of her, standing scandalously close. “And again just now. I have never lied to you, and I will not start at this juncture.”
    “Then tell me what else is going on.” She met his gaze in challenge.
    “My parents are in attendance and want to become better acquainted with my future wife.”
    “I beg of you, watch your words. Someone could overhear. It is not proper.” She exhaled a breath. “Did you tell your parents I agreed to such a thing?” Her hands shook as heat surged through her. He had attempted to use her yet again.
    He chuckled. “I only told them I had made my choice and was courting you.” He smirked. “Can you call any of it a lie?”
    She sighed. “No, I do not suppose I can.”
    “Then