Did he wish to marry her?
It seemed impossible to say. So he began to reflect on what he did know. First, he knew that he wanted what his friends had: a family of his own. Secondly, he was obsessed with a certain blond, blue-eyed vixen. And thirdly, and most importantly, he wanted to taste the sweetness of that vixen’s lips. There was only one problem…
“She believes me a bore.”
“So prove her otherwise.”
Easier said than done.
He supposed a kiss might prove just how passionate he was by nature. That should change her ridiculous belief that he was boorish.
But what happened after he proved her wrong? And what of her flirtatious reputation and her untamed ways? To contemplate a courtship when he’d be unable to tolerate her batting her eyelashes at every gentleman would be well…intolerable.
As if sensing his inner conflicted, St. Aldwyn spoke. “Have you considered that Lady Belle’s wild nature may be the reason why she is so alluring? Without it, she’d just be another miss.”
That brought Simon up short. He hadn’t considered that. He’d only known that there was something profound about her, something that spoke to him in a way he did not quite understand. He’d never been so drawn to a woman before, which was both terrifying and exciting at the same time.
“I suppose it’s worth looking into.”
St. Aldwyn grunted. “I would caution to be a bit more careful of that chit, though. She’s not like your sister or my wife—tougher than nails, that one. I doubt the accustomed flowers-and-poems courtship will sway her to your side.”
Oh, his friend needn’t warn him on that account.
“What do you suggest, then?”
“Stalk her obsessively. Eventually, she will tire of your face and just marry you.”
Simon shot him a dark look. “Sometimes I wonder how you managed to secure your wife.”
“I have the face of an angel.”
“And the character of a devil.”
St. Aldwyn chuckled.
“In any case, marriage seems hardly the answer.” Simon paused for a brief moment. “Did she seem out of sorts to you? Earlier?”
His friend shrugged. “She looked like she always looks, I suppose.”
Simon nodded. However, he was not convinced. Something had changed, and recently, too. It caused a certain haunted look to lurk in her eyes. An inherent sadness he’d never noticed before was suddenly apparent in her countenance.
In the back of his mind, he knew this obsession could only lead to impropriety, but he was determined to unearth every single layer of the woman. Even if it meant stripping her of every secret she possessed, he’d do anything to understand the magnetism of his attraction to her.
