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.
Surprise was evident in her eyes as she watched him carefully. "Is that what you are offering?" She couldn't ignore a stab of disappointment. "Have you perhaps changed your mind since this morning?"
Trevor's gaze never wavered, but his voice sounded husky when he replied. "No, I still want you for my wife. However, I wouldn't want to stand between you and a man you truly loved."
Relief washed through her, solidifying her choice in her mind. She didn't understand why, but something felt very right about the idea of becoming this man's wife. "When Edward made his sordid offer, I realized that he wasn't the man I thought him to be." She stared up at Trevor for a long moment, her eyes assessing him. When she continued, her voice was quiet but firm.
"No, I do not love him. I only loved the fantasy that he had created, and even that was somehow lacking." A triumphant light flared in Trevor's eyes as he listened to her answer, but she forged on, not giving him a chance to respond. "But what about you? The purpose of having dinner was for me to learn more about you. Tell me about yourself."
Before he could respond, the coach pulled to a stop in front of the inn. Trevor handed her down, and they made their way into the bustling establishment. There were many tables, mostly gathered near the bar, but Trevor chose a quiet table near the back of the room, where they could dine with a bit more privacy.
He ordered for them, and they settled down to a hearty meal of honey-cured ham, and candied sweet potatoes. There were beans and turnip greens, as well as fluffy biscuits with butter and peach cobbler for dessert. The food was hearty but simple, and Leanna found it very appealing. She tackled her plate with a healthy appetite, as she listened to her handsome companion.
Trevor told her about his life, carefully avoiding the intricacies of his relationship with his former fiancée, Eliza. He simply said that he had been engaged once, before the war broke out, but that it had not worked out. He mentioned that his betrothed had married another man following the war. He skimmed over the details of his involvement in the war, telling her only briefly about his time in a northern prison. He told her about his plantation and his brother.
Leanna found herself laughing at his tales of growing up in Virginia. She could picture him as a wild and mischievous youth, and she had no doubt that he had tested his parents' patience. He made America sound very exotic and different from everything she had known, and she felt a thrill of anticipation at the prospect of living there.
They lingered over their dinner, enjoying a bottle of hearty burgundy wine that set her head to spinning and made her slightly giggly. Trevor eyed her with amusement, charmed by her fresh innocence. It incited his imagination to think that he might be the one to introduce her to the pleasures to be found in a marriage bed.
Despite her lack of experience, Leanna was intensely aware of the attraction flaring between them, and she noticed more than once the way his eyes lingered on her bosom. Whether it was the wine or simply his magnetic charm, she found his interest more than a little exciting, and her maidenly mind wondered how it would feel to have him make love to her, causing her pulse to race even faster.
She began to lean toward him often, pretending not to notice that she was providing him with an enticing view down her dress. The more he took advantage of the sight, the more her pussy throbbed and the wetter her pantalets got. By the time dinner was concluded, they were both breathless.
They concluded their meal and climbed back into the coach for the ride home. She had promised Jeremy that she would not be out late, and she didn't want to worry him. Trevor escorted her to the door. He didn't try to kiss her, instead bringing her hand to his lips. When he straightened, he gave Leanna a charming smile.
"It has been a pleasure spending the evening with you, Miss Bradley. Would you consider spending the day with me tomorrow? I thought you might enjoy a shopping trip to Bond Street, my treat of course."
