Wicked And Wild: Spencers in Love Book Two Read Free

pressed her hand to his jaw, Lucien's
head spun. He'd just decided that he could stay in that spot, enjoying
Mirabelle's lips all day when he heard a door open at the end of the hall.
Bennings. Damn it.
                Mirabelle jumped to her feet and dashed to the
mirror. Lucien walked drunkenly to the couch and sat. She'd pulled her hair
into a simple bun and was pinning it when Bennings entered with the tea tray.
Lucien leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees to hide the front of
his trousers and tried to act casually as the tray was set on the table before
him.
                "What do you think, Bennings?"
Mirabelle turned her head from side to side as she took the seat across from
Lucien.
                "Very good, Miss Mirabelle. In fact, it
suits you more than the arrangement his lordship... disturbed." Bennings
smiled as he filled their cups. "Can I get you anything else? Your
Grace?" He looked at the two of them as he stood. Both shook their head.
                "Thank you Bennings!" Mirabelle was
completely relaxed. Lucien was completely disoriented.
                "Very well." Bennings bowed as he
withdrew.
                Lucien watched Mirabelle add sugar and milk to
their cups. She stirred his and handed it to him. When their eyes met, her
smile was warm and flirtatious. Lucien could only stare as a new reality
crashed into him. He was in love with Mirabelle Spencer. He blinked as he
lifted his tea to his lips. It was perfect. She knew how he took his tea, that
he didn't care for cucumbers and that he liked a lot of pepper with his
potatoes. She'd been in love with him since she was a girl. Deep down, Lucien
had always known but he'd kept the fact packed neatly away. He never took it
out and examined it. Now, he knew why. He'd never acknowledged her love because
he would have had to admit that he had been in love with Mirabelle for almost
as long. Which would have required him to do something about it.
                For her part, Mirabelle was utterly composed.
She calmly sipped her tea as if it was normal for men to kiss her in the parlor
in the middle of the afternoon. At the thought, Lucien's brow furrowed.
                "Mirabelle?" She looked at him, her
brows raised.
                "Would you like a biscuit?" She asked
as she held up the plate.
                "What?" Lucien looked at the plate as
if it was the first he'd encountered. He shook his head. "Why haven't you
married? I know you've received proposals." He asked softly.
                "Twelve." She said crisply.
                "Twelve?" Lucien repeated. What was
wrong with his brain?
                "I've had twelve proposals." Mirabelle
clarified.
                Lucien felt his eyes grow round and his gut
clenched as he realized that he could have lost her twelve times.
                "And none of them were acceptable?" He
asked cautiously.
                "Most of them were. I was an absolute fool
to refuse a few of them." She said nonchalantly as she set her cup down.
                "Why didn't you accept any of them?"
Lucien's heart began to pound.
                "I was waiting for someone else."
Mirabelle replied as stared into his eyes. He nodded.
                "You've waited a long time." He
whispered.
                "I agree. It has been quite frustrating at
times." She looked at him pointedly.
                Lucien shut his eyes and his shoulders sagged.
How could he have been so stupid? All the turmoil between them after Gilles'
marriage... Mirabelle was mad at him for not acknowledging her feelings and
declaring his, one way or the other. The waiting had got to her.
                "Mirabelle..." He didn't know what to
say.
                "Why haven't you married yet, Lucien?"
She asked abruptly.
                As if