Tempted By a Rake (Wicked Widows’ League #21)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Lavinia feared that she may have already shared too much with Demetrius, but she did not want to lie about her marriage.

Though she took comfort in the fact that he appeared to be shocked, or possibly stunned with disbelief that her husband had not wanted her.

“My sister’s marriage was of duty also, but she did find pleasure with her husband,” she announced and prayed that Demetrius never revealed what she was about to tell him because Octavia would kill her, but Lavinia needed to gauge his reaction before she asked the same of him.

That is, if she could find the nerve to ask him what she wished.

“She is married again, is she not?”

“Yes.” Lavinia chuckled. “It was not Octavia’s intention to ever marry a second time, and had she not found herself with child…”

“I had not realized a child was the reason,” he said.

“It is a secret, but I do not think it made a difference other than rush the inevitable.” She chuckled. “But I digress from what I intended to tell you.”

“What would that be?”

“When Octavia came to London last spring, she had one intention and one intention only.”

“What was that?”

“To experience passion.”

His eyes widened for just a moment and then Demetrius hitched a brow as if intrigued.

“She was going to find a lover for the Season, experience a grand passion, and that was all. I thought she was mad, of course. I could not understand why anyone would seek out intimacies if they did not have to…well…out of duty.” Lavinia shook her head and took another sip of the brandy. “I firmly believed that passion was a myth created by poets, and perhaps it is.”

“I can assure you that it is not.”

She snorted. “You are a man. A rake. Of course you are going to claim such.”

He arched a brow and smirked. “I will try not to take offense.”

“I could not help but wonder if she was correct, and thought perhaps…”

His eyes darkened as he studied her. “That you might take a lover to see if it was a truth, or simply a myth.”

“Yes,” she answered. “I have considered that I may do as she did next spring and find a rake to see if any of it is true.” There, she had said it. She came out and admitted to what she wanted without asking, leaving the option to Demetrius to offer. If he did not, then she would not suffer the embarrassment of being rejected. Lavinia blew out a sigh then took a sip of her brandy. “Of course, I would insist on discretion as I do have younger sisters and their chances of a happy future cannot be ruined.”

He studied her for the longest time and Lavinia began to fear that she had confessed too much. What would he think of her now?

“Why wait until spring?”

Her heart started pounding. Would he now seduce her?

He wanted to offer himself in that moment but proceeded with caution.

Was Lavinia simply too afraid to come out and ask him?

Or, she wanted a lover, but not him?

In the past, it had been so easy to tell when a woman wished for intimacy, but Lavinia was not like any woman of his acquaintance and Demetrius feared that he would make a misstep, and she would reject him.

She was thinking of a lover in the future, but did she have someone else in mind?

No! She said that she would find a rake, which she also believed him to be.

“Why the spring and not now?”

“I had not counted on encountering a rake in Seaford.” The corner of her lip tipped.

“I, too, would enjoy a lover, but did not expect to find one in Seaford either.”

She simply nodded.

“The difficulty is that for me to experience passion, I must know a person very well.”

Lavinia bit the corner of her lip and he was certain that she had no idea how to respond.

“You will not be here long enough to come to know someone well,” she finally said.

“If I was thinking of a stranger, you would be correct.”

“I am the only person who is not a stranger to you,” she whispered and held his eyes.

“And I wish to know you better.”

Lavinia frowned. “You have known me since March.”

Demetrius smiled. She had just confirmed that she wanted him as well. “I knew one Lavinia in London but now am coming to know an intriguing side of her that I did not know existed.”

“I was not intriguing in London?” she demanded.

He could not help but chuckle at her demand. “Oh, but you were. I simply had no idea how much until we both took a holiday.”

“Does it matter so much?”

“Oh, Lavinia, it does to me because I would like you to know me better as well. I would hate for you to make a decision that you would later regret.”

“I could not imagine that I would.”

“That is because you do not yet know my secrets.” Secrets that only few knew, but he would not feel right becoming her lover when she did not know the truth about him. With others it had never mattered; with Lavinia, it did very much. It also could be because he had been half in love with her for months and this might be the only chance.

“What if I know all that I need? You do not know my secrets.”

“The fact that you have some makes you even more interesting.”

“Perhaps a few secrets, and one more of a scandal,” she murmured before she frowned and her blue eyes filled with sadness.

Demetrius could not understand what he had said wrong or was she hoping that he’d simply bed her and be on his way?

“I had not fully settled on taking a lover, but once you kissed me…I wanted to know if passion was even possible…but you would rather get to know me instead.”

“Did you think I would sweep you up in my arms and take you to my bed?”

“I…uh…I do not know what I expected.” She shook her head and waved a hand. “That is not the point. Instead of seducing me, you want to get to know me. Is it truly because that is what you want or is it an excuse to avoid being my lover? If so, simply tell me and I will not ask you again.”

Her insecurity and uncertainty were nearly his undoing and Demetrius rose from his chair and walked around the table. “Oh, Lavinia, you have no idea how badly I do want to sweep you up in my arms and carry you off to a bed.” And then to further convince her that she was wanted, he settled beside her on the settee then kissed her, deeply and passionately, holding nothing back and was achy with need when he finally pulled away.

Her blue eyes were wide, lips parted and swollen.

“Goodness!”

That was only a taste of what was to come, but not tonight. Being with Lavinia was too important to rush.

Once they left Seaford, he and Lavinia would go back to who they were in London. He as the solicitor for her brother, she the sister of a duke, which was why he was going to spend these next few days courting her and loving her. There may be no future, but at least she would be his for the next fortnight.