Chapter Eight

Lillian rested her head against Allister’s arm, her eyes growing heavy. She felt him chuckle and quickly lifted her head up to look at him. He was laughing at her, the amusement clear in his eyes.

            “Am I boring you little lamb?” He teased and she blushed before shaking her head. She gave him an apologetic smile and answered,

            “I’m sorry Ali. It’s been a long week and I guess it has finally caught up to me.”

            He nodded at her explanation before his eyes flicked over her shoulder and he quickly grabbed her chin and leaned close to her. She blushed brighter, mostly because she was sure people were starring. She was so used to Allister that his nearness never made her nervous…well most of the time. Allister may be her cousin, but he was still a very handsome man.

            “Don’t look now Lily, but I think we’re being watched.” He whispered and she rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself. She frowned at him and smiled gently as she chose to enlighten him.

            “That because you are breaking all the rules of propriety dear cousin and are enjoying it far too much.”

            He laughed and leaned even closer with a wicked grin on his face. He shook his head slightly and once more his eyes flicked over her shoulder. His grin widened as he watched something unknown to her, something that was clearly amusing him. His eyes returned to hers and he explained at the sight of her raised eyebrow.

            “Ah, but this one man looks fit to kill. I believe my dear that we are already making great progress. At this rate the duke will have no choice but to stake his claim by the end of the night. After all, he doesn’t want me stealing his precious lamb.”

            Her blush bloomed brightly and she felt an excited thrill run through her. She quickly chided herself. She shouldn’t be going along with Allister’s plans so willingly. She should be talking him out of this crazy scheme and give him a set down that would end this farce. But she couldn’t, simply because deep down, she wanted it to work. She groaned at that thought. She was really no better than her devilish cousin. Maybe if he was even a tiny bit jealous he would finally get over his trepidations about being close to her. Hopefully then he would realize that what they shared was deeper than friendship, at least to her it was.

            She sighed again as Allister straightened and looked out over the ballroom. He grinned and gently nudged her with his elbow, drawing her out of her confusing thoughts. He nodded his head slightly making her look in that direction and she had to swallow down another groan. She forced a smile on her face as several familiar gentlemen came to greet her, among them Lord James. She moved closer to Allister’s side as she politely spoke with the men.

            She noticed that Allister gave Lord James a rather withering look and the other man was openly frowning back. She was grateful that Allister was here to shield her away from the man’s attentions. She had tried to politely reject his advances, but the man was persistent. It seemed the only one who could make the man tuck his tail and run was Drake. She gave a small, polite smile as Lord James complimented her gown.

            She blushed as she noticed his eyes linger on her chest a smit too long. Allister must have also noticed this for he stiffened and moved her closer to his side. She sent him a silent thank you with her eyes and he returned it with his own smile. She wasn’t sure how she would be managing right now if Allister wasn’t with her. Drake was usually the one to act as her shield against unwanted attention, but with him missing at least she had her cousin. Allister excused them quickly and moved closer to their aunt.

            “I think it’s time to go home Lily. You are starting to look tired and I think we’ve done enough for the night.” He whispered and she shook her head. She smiled up at her cousin and said,

            “No. I’m fine and having such a wonderful time with you that I don’t want it to end yet. I’m afraid you may disappear after tonight and I shall never see you again good sir.” She said the last part in a teasing manner and it made him grin. Then he suddenly grabbed her hand in between hers and placed a kiss upon her fingers. His eyes heated up and she blushed, wondering what had gotten into him suddenly.

            “My dear, I may never leave London again knowing such a beauty resides here. You have captured this poor man’s heart.” He purred and she giggled while lightly slapping his arm with her fan. Before she could call him a fool a low growl caught her attention and the shiver that ran along her spine gave her an answer. He had switched personalities because Drake was within hearing distance and he was still determined to prove himself right. That Drake was taken with her as well and all he needed was a small push.

            “Forgive me for intruding, but I was hoping to steal Lady Lillian away for a moment.” Drake said, his tone low and laced with warning. Allister looked up to meet the duke’s eyes, keeping his grip in Lillian’s hand. She turned to look up at Drake and felt her heart flip at the strange look in his eyes. There was still that small hint of murder and she wondered if maybe Allister wasn’t so crazy after all.

            “I’m afraid my lord that Lady Lillian was just saying how she was feeling tired. I was escorting her to her aunt so she may head home.” Allister said with ease, still keeping a firm grip on Lillian’s hand. Drake’s look darkened and in a low voice, laced with warning, he spoke said,

            “I was not speaking to you sir. Miss Lillian, would you join me for a stroll out on the terrace? I would really like to speak with you.”

            Lillian swallowed as she removed her hand from Allister’s and he gave a quick bow before disappearing, making sure to give her a quick wink first. Lillian turned fully to Drake who took her hand and tucked it against his arm. She decided it was best not to push this man too far as he was clearly agitated, which might mean Allister’s plan was actually working. Once they were out on the terrace Drake broke the silence while moving them towards the bannister.

            “You seem to be enjoying yourself tonight Lillian.”

            It was a casual enough comment, but Lillian was still wary as she felt the tension radiating from his body. She took a deep breath and chose to speak a partial truth.

            “Yes. Mr. Winters has made this evening quite memorable.” She felt the effect of her words instantly as his arm muscles tensed. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and could see he was clenching his teeth by the twitch in his cheek. He looked down at her and she felt her cheeks heating under the gaze. When they were standing against the railing he released her hand and turned to face her completely.

            “Yes, I had noticed that you were quite attached to Mr. Winters all night. I am…glad you had someone to keep you company.” He said and she hummed in response, still nervous about where this conversation was heading. Drake looked casual enough, but she knew him better. He seemed dismayed to hear she was actually taken with Allister. She took the chance to look him over. If she wasn’t still upset with him for ignoring her, right now would be like any other of their talks.

            “Tell me Lillian. Honestly, do you like Mr. Winters’ attentions? I know that in the past such gentlemen have made you quite uncomfortable.” He asked and her high hopes plummeted. So this was all out of concern, not jealousy. He was just making sure that she was comfortable as he had been doing since meeting her. She sighed and clasped her hands before her, casting her eyes down. Silently cursing herself and Allister for allowing her hopes to build u so much.

            Gentle fingers cupped her chin and lifted her gaze back to his. He was frowning at her and she blushed at the warm contact. He searched her eyes for an answer to his question, but when he couldn’t find one, he repeated it.

            “Lillian. You would tell me if the man made you uncomfortable right?” There was a small amount of force in his words. She wanted to believe that it was caused by protectiveness towards her. And not just in the friendly way, but more towards the possessive side of emotions. Again, she called herself a fool for wishing for such things when she knew the truth already. So she gave him a small smile and shook her head, causing him to release her chin.

            “No Drake. Mr. Winters doesn’t make me uncomfortable…I could never be anything but happy around Allister.” She noticed how his features once more tightened as she slipped by using Ali’s name. He reached out suddenly and brushed his fingers against her cheek making her take in a sharp breath. Had another strand of hair come loose? She looked up to see him staring at her intensely. When his fingers lingered against her skin, her heart rate increased even more.

            He leaned closer to her, making her gasp and praying that he didn’t pull back this time. However when he stopped moving closer she wanted to groan. She must have let a small one slip for his lips twitched. He looked down at her and she tried to read the emotion in his eyes. He was so close to her that she was being assaulted by his unique scent, a mix of his bath soap and what to her smelled like a fireplace in the winter.

            “Tell me the truth Lillian. How well do you know Mr. Winters exactly?” He hissed and her eyes widened while her cheeks blushed. She was caught, there was no going back now! Drake had pieced it all together and would be furious at her for trying to fool him! She felt her face growing even brighter as her humiliation increased. She lowered her gaze, knowing that she was an idiot for listening to Allister and it would cost her dearly.

During her inner rant she failed to see Drake’s reaction. He was frowning at her blushing cheeks, silently growing angry at her reaction. Believing it to be due to her obvious attraction to a man she must have known in her childhood. He had pieced what he thought was the truth together when she had used the man’s full name.

Drake was assuming he was an old family friend that Lillian knew from her past. Somehow the idea didn’t bring him any comfort, only fueling that strange, new possessive side of him. The thought that Lillian may actually love this fool made his vision haze with red. One clear thought raged through his mind as he looked at the woman before him. His instincts kicked in and he wasn’t fast enough to stop his actions that followed.

Lillian looked up, fully prepared to apologize until Drake forgave her. She never got the chance as a new warmth pressed against her lips. Her eyes slowly slid closed as the pressure of his lips increased and the hand at her cheek slipped back to the nape of her neck. He stepped closer to her and his other arm slowly circled her waist, holding her against him. She lifted her hands to his chest as she felt heat spread through her in a steady wave. She gave a soft sigh against Drake’s lips and the sound seemed to jolt him.

He pulled back from her suddenly leaving her gasping for air, she hadn’t realized she had been holding it. His stance stiffened and it made her frown as she looked up at his hooded gaze.

“Drake?” She whispered, worried that he hadn’t enjoyed the kiss as much as she had. She hadn’t kissed many gentlemen…actually she had only ever kissed Allister and they had been no more than children at sixteen and seventeen. She felt a rush of cold air as he removed his hands from her slowly, taking his heat with him.

“Drake, what’s-”

“I should return you to your aunt now. Come.” He cut her off, his tone cold and hard. She felt the prick of tears as she allowed him to lead her back to her family. She managed to hold them at bay though which was an amazing feat. He quickly dropped her with her aunt and gave a quick bow before retreating away from her. Lillian wanted to shout in anger as well. How dare he steal a kiss and make her heart flutter like it never had before and then just run off.

She fumed as she and her aunt left the ballroom and rode in the carriage home. She was so close to breaking down and hated the tears that showed her weakness. She had done it. Taken that final step off the high cliff and now she was falling endlessly. She was in love with Drake and his obvious rejection tonight had cut her deeply. She wanted nothing more than to crawl under her covers and hide from her shame.

She went to do so as soon as she stepped through the foyer of her home when a familiar voice called out.

“Ah Lily you have returned. Could you come here please.” Her father called from the sitting room and she groaned. No doubt he would want to hear about the ball, but she was in no mood to relive what could be her most humiliating night. Still she squared her shoulders and moved towards her father. When she stepped through a welcomed sight greeted her with a warm smile and shining blue eyes.

Without a second thought she ran and threw herself against his hard chest, letting the tears silently fall down her cheeks. Allister wrapped his arms around her tightly, confused at her obvious sadness. Her father gently patted her back, oblivious to Lillian’s reaction, not knowing that she already knew her cousin was here.

“I know my dear. It has been too long since we last say this boy. There, there now. Why don’t you go get some rest and you can speak with him tomorrow.” Her father cooed, but Lillian’s grip only tightened. She needed Allister’s strength and familiar scent right now to chase away another’s. Allister read the desperation in her hold and pulled her away from him, wiping away her tears as well.

“Yes little lamb. I will speak with you later, go on up and get into bed.” He whispered and she wanted to protest, but he winked and she understood. He would be in later after the house was asleep so she could pour out her heart to him. She nodded and bid them all goodnight before climbing the stairs to her room. The whole way thinking about the man that now held her heart. She felt more tears well in her eyes as she also knew he didn’t want it.

Author's Note

Here is chapter eight which was going to be the second half of chapter 7 but I want to keep these as consistent with length as possible. So please read and enjoy and leave a review to let me know what you think!

Reviews

[Lemonygem]

EEEEE! I'm loving this! I really enjoyed seeing him get so jealous when trying so hard to prove to himself that he doesn't care.

[AtomicPuffin]

I'm glad your enjoying it! I hope I can keep it up to these standards! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review I really appreciate it!

[Lemonygem]

No problem! It was worth the time :D

[Melodycraft]

Wow. It's all getting real now! Mr. Broodingpants finally lost his cool, Lillian got a confusing kiss, ....and cousin handsome-mc-charming face is swinging by later in the evening...to hear tell...*singing* highway to the danger zone....
So what is going through Drakes head? Is he mad at himself or confused?
What does Allister think of Lily? Just his adorable cousin, that he is trying to help out? Has he noticed her as more than adorable? How did he know that Lily needed help with Drake?
And random spouting of questions ended...I happily await whatever you write next!