True to his word, Trevor rang the doorbell promptly at seven o'clock that evening. He didn't have long to wait before the door was flung open, and he stood face to face with the woman who had dominated his thoughts all afternoon.
She was dressed in an emerald green evening gown of soft velvet that hugged her generous curves sublimely. The skirt was full, falling gracefully over a small bustle at her back, and the square neckline was cut low over her breasts. The combined effect of the daring neckline and the corset beneath displayed her gorgeous breasts to perfection, and Trevor's mouth began to water.
Leanna was not immune either, and she blinked in surprise to see her escort so well turned out in evening clothes. His trousers and waistcoat were of fine black wool, his coat was dark blue, and a crisp white shirt was buttoned neatly beneath his chin. He wore neither a cravat or fancy cuffs, as so many London dandies did, and Leanna found his simple, masculine garb very appealing. He definitely did not resemble the sea captain she had met earlier in the day.
"Good evening, Mr. Grayson," she breathed.
"Good evening, Miss Bradley. You are looking quite ravishing this evening." It took a conscious effort to keep his eyes away from her breasts, but he managed it.
Leanna smiled warmly and for the first time, he noticed the deep dimples that appeared in her cheeks. "You look quite handsome yourself. Let me just gather my cloak and we can be on our way," she murmured.
He waited impatiently for her to reappear, though it only took a moment.
"I hope you won't mind, but Jeremy insisted that we take our neighbor's coach tonight. He wasn't happy about the prospect of me being with you in the absence of a chaperone, and this was the only way I could get him to agree."
Trevor gave her a roguish grin. "Miss Bradley, I will eagerly comply with whatever stipulations your brother has put on our meeting, so long as I can enjoy your company this evening." He quirked a brow at her, smiling ruefully. "Actually, I am somewhat surprised that he has allowed you to accompany me in light of my proposition. I had almost expected that you would have changed your mind."
Leanna gave him a nervous smile. "Well, I didn't tell him about that. I merely told him that we were having dinner tonight and that you were considering my business proposition."
Trevor laughed, taking her arm. "I'll have to bear that in mind for future reference." When she gave him a confused frown, he grinned. "Should you agree to become my wife, I would be wise to keep in mind that you are well schooled in manipulating men."
They had reached the coach, and Trevor handed her inside. He gave instructions to the driver before he climbed in beside her, and the coach lurched into motion. He sat close beside her, his thigh pressing intimately against her own, and he placed an arm along the seat behind her as he smiled at her with mischief dancing in his eyes.
"Believe me, I have thought of nothing else but you since you left me this afternoon," he murmured in a husky voice.
Leanna's heart skipped a beat as she stared up at him, and she knew where his thoughts must have been centered. She blushed hotly, knowing that her own thoughts had no doubt been on the same path. She had thought of little else other than the kiss they had shared and the tingling pleasure of his mouth on her breast. She was still damp between her thighs! Still, she wasn't about to admit to those feelings, and instead, she quirked a brow and gave him a sidelong glance.
"Am I to understand, Mr. Grayson, that you spend all your time thinking about women? I have to say that would give me pause in considering you as a spouse."
Trevor merely laughed. "My dear Miss Grayson, my thoughts weren't centered on women, they were centered on you."
"So where are we going, Mr. Grayson?" Leanna asked.
Trevor smiled, knowing that she wanted to change the subject, and he let her. "I thought you might enjoy a dinner of American food, since hopefully you are considering becoming my wife." He winked at her, and she smiled shyly before looking down at her hands. "I happen to know of a very good inn that is owned by one of my countrymen. They have the best 'colonial food' as you Brits like to call it, on this side of the Atlantic. The atmosphere is not much to speak of, but I think you might enjoy it. Are you game?"
Leanna met his gaze without flinching, and she sensed that he was talking about more than just the dinner. "Yes, I am," she murmured.
Trevor caught his breath. That sweet promise was there again, in her eyes, and he had to fight the urge to steal another kiss. After all, he didn't want to frighten her off. He cleared his throat and settled in for the short ride to the inn.
"So Miss Bradley, tell me about yourself."
Leanna shrugged slightly. "There is not much to tell really. I grew up in London. I have one brother, Jeremy. My parents were very happy together until my mother died a few years ago. She was always rather frail, but I think losing her really broke my father's spirit. He was never the same after her death. Jeremy and I knew that his business was not faring well, but we didn't know just how poorly he was doing until after his death. That was when we got the news that he had mortgaged our home to his business partner. They hadn't been partners for very long, and the man turned out to be very greedy and self-serving after father's death."
Trevor watched her carefully. "And what about the young man you spoke of this morning, the one who propositioned you to become his mistress?"
Leanna's cheeks colored, but she looked him in the eye when she responded. "We had been engaged, but he said he couldn't marry me now that our financial situation was so disastrous. He offered to pay off our debt and to set me up as his mistress, but I refused."
Trevor found it hard to say the words, but he had to know where her loyalty was. "And what if I were to lend you the money without requiring you to marry me? Would you then marry your young man?" He held his breath for her response, amazed by how much her answer mattered to him.
