Under the Mistletoe with the Viscount (Unlikely Lords #6)

Chapter 13

I t had been four days since Noah left Fleming Manor, and Miles was beginning to worry about his friend. There’d been no word from him yet. Did that mean he was busy helping his uncle navigate his grief over the loss of his son, or was the situation worse than that? He didn’t know how much longer he could resist going to Oxfordshire and checking for himself.

“Mr. Walker, you seem quite distracted this morning,” Emma said, sipping her tea at the dining table. “You’ve hardly touched your breakfast.”

Miles looked up from his plate. Every time he looked at the green-eyed beauty, he was mesmerized. She was witty and charming, a singular lady the likes of which he’d not encountered before. Not only was she quite beautiful, but she wasn’t afraid to express her opinion. It was her refreshing honesty that he liked the best, although he longed to let down her hair and run his fingers through her golden locks. He wondered if they were as soft as they looked.

To know that she didn’t wish to live the life of a titled lady in some London townhouse, only interested in fashion and gossip like so many young ladies of his acquaintance, made her even more appealing to him. It was unusual for Miles to be so captivated by a young woman. He’d had his share of affairs with willing women and widows, but he’d never been attracted to an innocent before. Emma was the first young lady that he looked forward to conversing with about a number of different subjects. She was a wonder and offered a stark departure from the tepid conversations he’d had with debutantes while attending ton events with his friend, the Earl of Robinson.

“I do apologize, Miss Bent. I’m very worried about Mr. Hughes. I’ve not received word yet about how his uncle is faring, and it concerns me greatly.”

“That is rather concerning. Perhaps a letter will arrive soon.”

“I hope you’re correct.” If he didn’t receive any word from Noah in the next couple of days, he’d give his apologies to Lord Fleming and ride to Oxfordshire to check on the situation personally.

“I was planning to go for a good gallop after breaking my fast this morning and was hoping you might care to join me,” Emma said.

Miles smiled. He would like nothing better, especially knowing that it would allow him to have time alone with Emma. Ever since he met her, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, wondering how soft her lips were and how well she would fit in his embrace. For the first time since Noah left, he felt happy. “I’d very much like to join you, Miss Bent. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Excellent. I’m sure there’s a suitable mount for you in my father’s stables.”

“There’s no need. I rode my own horse here.”

Emma turned to the footman standing near the door. “George, please inform the stablemaster that Mr. Walker and I would like to go riding this morning.”

“Right away, Miss Bent,” George said, exiting the room.

Miles felt better now that he had a lovely distraction to enjoy for the next hour or two and began to dig into his eggs and bacon. Would today be the day he’d steal a kiss from the lovely lady? Would Miss Bent welcome his kiss? She seemed to enjoy his company as much as he enjoyed hers. He remembered Robertson telling him about a secluded spot just beyond the tree line.

Today would be the perfect time to investigate it.

After breakfast, Miles went to his bedchamber to change into his riding breeches, get his hat and gloves, and returned to the foyer to find Miss Bent waiting for him. She wore a form-fitting hunter-green riding habit that highlighted her eyes and showed her womanly curves to perfection. A stylish hat with a single jaunty feather of the same color completed her outfit. Miles had never seen a more beautiful young woman. He extended his arm, and together they walked to the stables.

“Good morning, Miss Bent, Mr. Walker. Your mounts are ready,” the stablemaster said, leading Vulcan and a white mare out of the stables.

Miss Bent walked to her mare and rubbed her nose. “Good morning, Daisy girl. Are you ready to stretch your legs?” She moved to the mounting block, but Miles was beside her in an instant.

“May I?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

He lifted her with ease into the saddle while inhaling her tantalizing scent. Was that a hint of orange or more of a vanilla scent? Whatever it was, Miles liked it very much. His hands stayed on her trim waist a moment longer than necessary.

“Thank you, Mr. Walker.”

“My pleasure, Miss Bent,” he said, vaulting onto Vulcan’s back. He patted the horse’s neck and led them toward the meadow.

“Shall we race to the trees?” she asked after the horses had walked past the formal gardens.

Before Miles could answer, she took off like a shot. He chuckled before tapping Vulcan’s sides. “Come on, boy. Let’s show the ladies how fast you can run.”

Vulcan soon overtook the mare and reached the tree line first.

“We almost beat you!” Emma cried.

“Yes, you did. You ride very well, Miss Bent.”

“Thank you. Come, I want to show you a nice spot where the horses can quench their thirst,” Emma said, leading him on a small path through the trees.

Miles wondered if it was the same spot that Robertson had told him about. He kept that thought to himself, just thrilled to be in Miss Bent’s company. She’d momentarily distracted him from his worry over Noah.

When she finally stopped, Miles was certain it was the secluded spot Robertson had mentioned. He jumped down from his horse and went to Miss Bent. “May I?” he asked, not wanting to assume she would welcome his assistance.

“Yes. Thank you, Mr. Walker.”

Miles reached up, wrapped his hands around her waist, and lifted her from the saddle, letting her side down the length of his body. He’d never relished the feel of a woman’s curves as much as he did Emma’s.

She looked up at him with her gorgeous green eyes, and he wanted to drown in them and never surface. When her lips parted ever so slightly, he couldn’t contain his passion for the lovely lady any longer.

He bent his head toward her, giving her the opportunity to step back. When she didn’t, he held still a few more seconds, breathing in her intoxicating scent, before touching his lips to hers in a feather-light kiss. Her lips were as soft as he’d imagined. When a moan escaped her throat, Miles deepened the kiss, exploring every inch of her lips until both of them were breathing heavily.

“That was delightful,” she whispered. “Shall we try again and see if the next kiss lives up to that one?”

Miles couldn’t help but smile. “Your wish is my command, Miss Bent.”

“Don’t you think, seeing as we’ve shared a kiss, you could call me Emma?”

“I would be delighted, Emma,” he said. “And I’m Miles.”

“Well, Miles. Will you kiss me again?”

“It will be my pleasure,” Miles said before capturing her sweet lips once again. When she groaned in pleasure, her lips parted, and his tongue swept in, exploring every delectable inch of her mouth.

She was tentative at first, but soon their tongues were engaged in a passionate dance.

Miles pulled her closer, her soft curves fitting perfectly against him. Their kiss went on and on, until he finally stepped back. “My darling Emma, I’m afraid we must stop before we do something untoward. I am a gentleman, and you, my dear, are temptation itself.”

Emma chuckled. “You find me tempting?”

“Oh, indeed I do. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

“What? Someone who knows her own mind?”

“Exactly. You’re not afraid to share your opinions, and I greatly admire you for it.”

“My father has always encouraged us to speak our truth. I was never told my opinion was any less valuable than my brothers’ merely because I was female.”

“I admire your father a great deal, and now more than ever, for raising such a fine daughter.”

“What a lovely thing to say. Thank you for that. I must confess, I greatly admire you as well.”

“You do?”

Emma stepped back into his embrace once more, pulling his head down toward her. “Let me show you how much.”

Miles wasted no time in capturing her lips again. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity. He couldn’t get enough of her, and he’d never experienced that feeling before. Although he’d been a confirmed bachelor for years, he was beginning to think that Emma could be the perfect woman for him. He knew she didn’t want to go to London for a Season, but would she consider marrying him?

Emma was surprised at her reaction to Miles’s kisses. She’d been kissed before and hadn’t enjoyed those sloppy kisses, but with Miles, her body tingled with delightful shivers. He certainly knew how to entice a woman. His feather-like kisses only made her crave a deeper connection with him. She was shocked at first when his tongue swept into her mouth, but soon, she was fully engaged in their dance of tongues.

Her passion flared to life, and she couldn’t get close enough to him. What would it feel like to lie skin-to-skin with him? Would he want a deeper connection with her? Even though she’d never imagined lying with a man before, she could easily see herself with Miles. She’d never felt anything like it before, and being with Miles felt so right.

Did he feel the same?

If his kisses were any indication, the answer was yes, but she knew men liked to kiss young women without any intention of offering for them. While she knew that Miles was an upstanding gentleman, especially in helping her father with his financial interests, she had no way of knowing whether he was one of those men or whether he’d even like to marry in the near future.

Their kisses went on for quite some time before they both agreed it was time to head back to the manor.

“Thank you, Mr. Walker, for a most delightful ride this morning,” she said with a wink when they returned to the stables.

Miles smiled at her. “I agree, Miss Bent. A most delightful ride.”