A Certain Wolfish Charm(36)

Emory smirked. "Good luck with that. Prisca said they'll be down when they're ready and not a moment before."#p#分页标题#e#





Sixteen





Simon's breath whooshed from his lungs. Dear God! Was that Lily?



Lily wore an exquisite green gown that accentuated curves she generally kept hidden. Her pretty auburn locks were loosely piled on her head, adorned with tiny gold roses. Though she was gorgeous, Simon wanted nothing better than to strip her bare and remove every blasted rose.



When she saw him, her face lit up, and Simon couldn't help but grin like a fool.



"Simon," she whispered.



He was before her in less than a heartbeat. Two days without her was too long. "Lily."



She blushed, and he felt his heart expand. Was there a way to forgo this stupid ball?



"I wish there was a way I could speak with you privately, Lily," Simon said quietly as he looked at her. He wanted to offer his plan to her before the ball, so he could get this unbearable burden lifted from his chest. Simon glanced around. There wasn't a quiet corner available, anywhere. "Might we take a walk in the garden?" Simon held out his arm to her. Her smile warmed his heart.



"I'm not sure that would be quite proper," Lily hedged, throwing a glance at Prisca and raising a questioning eyebrow.



"Of course you can take a walk in the garden together. The man is giving you a dowry so you can find a husband. I feel certain he has no designs upon your person," Prisca responded. Her violet eyes twinkled.



Simon tugged Lily's hand until they were out of the manor and alone on the garden path. The scent of roses hung in the air. But nothing smelled as delectable as she did. "I've missed you," he said as he pulled her gently beneath the arbor and wrapped his arms around her.



"Really?" she asked quietly.



Simon gently and tenderly touched his lips to hers. Despite the waning of the moon, he was fully and completely in control of the beast. Where he could not have been gentle with her yesterday, he could be today.



She immediately softened in his arms and pressed her length against his. He fought back a groan as he set her away from him. He needed to tell her of his plan.



"I think I have come up with a solution to our problems, Lily."



"You plan to send Oliver back home with me after all?" Her face lit with hope.



Simon winced. "No. That's not something I can offer you. I need for him to be with me. It's complicated, and it's something I can't explain."



"Yet you expect me to accept it with grace?" she asked, her eyebrows drawing together in a frown.



"I think the solution I want to propose to you will make you very happy." He took both her hands in his and held them close to his heart.



"You want to be close to Oliver," he started. She nodded.



"I want to be close to you," he continued.



She smiled.



"I cannot offer you marriage because of my… lifestyle."



She frowned. Oh, this was going poorly.



"Your lifestyle, Simon?"



"Yes. I need to maintain the lifestyle to which I'm accustomed." He held tighter to her fingers when she tried to jerk them from his grasp.



He took one large breath of air and said, all at once, "I want to set you up in a small house nearby so that I can see you when I'm available and you can see Oliver as often as you like because you would be nearby."#p#分页标题#e#



"What?" she asked.



Oh, he really didn't want to repeat it. It was hard enough to say the first time. "What part did you miss?"



She finally succeeded in tugging her hands from his grasp and backed away from him warily. Then she began to pace.



"Let me be sure I understand you, Simon. You want to make me your mistress?" Her eyes flashed. Her face reddened.



This was not going well at all.



"No." He took a step toward her. "Not a mistress. Not really," he added.



"Simon, you want to put me in a house." She began to tick items off with her fingers. "Pay my bills, I assume?" She arched her eyebrows in question.



He nodded. "Of course."

She ticked a third finger. "Let me see Oliver when I wish."



"Within certain boundaries, yes."



"And you and I would have relations of a sort." She added another finger.



He groaned, lust immediately encompassing his brain, and took a step toward her. "Of course."



She stepped back.



"That, Simon, is a mistress. And do you know what I'll do? I believe I will take you up on your offer."



He smiled and reached for her.