Page 26

Vivian, ever the keen observer, raised a brow at their synchronized reaction.

“Has something happened?” she asked, her voice dripping with innocent curiosity, though the glint in her eyes suggested she already knew the answer.

“No,” Frederick and Gemma said in unison, their voices overlapping.

The immediate and identical response caused Vivian’s smile to widen in amusement.

Frederick shot his grandmother a warning glare. He was clearly not in the mood for her games. But Vivian merely smirked, the cogs in her brain turning as she pieced together what had transpired.

“Hmm,” she murmured, feigning innocence as she turned back to her plate. “Interesting.”

Gemma shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. She glanced down at her plate and pushed her food around without much interest..

She tried to focus on the food in front of her, but her mind kept drifting back to Frederick, to the kiss, to the way he had pulled away as if he had regretted it. She could still feel his lips lingering on hers. The unexpected and sudden coldness that followed had taken her by surprise and unnerved her.

She stole another glance at him from across the table. He was quietly composed and distant as though nothing had happened.

How does he do that?How does he simply shut everything off like that?

She wanted to push him, to demand answers, but she knew now wasn’t the time. Not with Vivian watching them so closely.

The violent storm continued to rage outside; a perfect metaphor for the storm that was tearing up her heart.

When dessert was finally served, Frederick noticed that the mood in the room had altered slightly.

The servants brought out a platter of delicate pastries and a rich, decadent, dark chocolate cake. Gemma produced a blinding smile as she gasped with delight at the treats that lay before her.

“Oh,” she breathed, her voice ripe with childlike glee. Frederick was startled by how much he liked the sound of her voice. “Chocolate cake was always myfavorite.”

Her excitement was innocent, pure, and infectious, for it dispelled the negative energy in the room.

Gemma picked up her fork and took a small bite, closing her eyes as she savored the thick, sweet chocolate that melted sublimely on her tongue.

Frederick swallowed hard.

He had pointedly avoided looking at her during the meal, but finally glanced up at the sound of her rapture. His gaze lingered on her face. He was drawn to the way her eyes sparkled with happiness and the way her lips curved into a bright, genuine smile as she delicately consumed the generous slice of cake.

As she licked a trickle of chocolate from the corner of her mouth, something primal stirred within him. His eyes darkened as they traced the movement of her tongue, watching it as it flicked over her lower lip, catching the last traces of the dessert.

A slow heat began to build in his chest and spread through his veins like wildfire. He was mesmerized by her mouth and howher lips parted as she savored each bite. His thoughts betrayed him, flooding his mind with images of her lips against his and how it had felt to kiss her and taste her.

The memory of their passionate kiss earlier that day returned to him in vivid detail. He had tried to block it out, to bury the desire that had sprung up inside him. Watching her now, his desire suddenly returned tenfold and became impossible to ignore.

He shifted in his seat and forced himself to look away, but it was too late. The thoughts were already in motion, consuming him. He wanted her. He wanted her in a way that was entirely inappropriate; in ways he knew he shouldn’t allow himself to indulge.

But, God help him, the way she looked, the way she smiled, the way she had felt in his arms was driving him mad.

He clenched his fists under the table in a vain effort to maintain control and keep his stoic facade intact. But his mind was already filled with lustful thoughts of Gemma, of her body pressed against him, of her lips on his skin.

His pulse quickened, the taste of her lips on his vivid in his mind, the hunger that simmered beneath his controlled exterior now threatening to break through. He shook his head in disbelief. She was so genuinely happy over something as simple as a piece of cake. Other women would have sneered and dismissed such a joyous reaction as pure folly. As he watched her, Frederick sunk into a delighted daze filled with the warmth of her laughter and eyes that sparkled with unchecked pleasure.

But then, with one simple phrase, Gemma shattered the spell.

“Heavens, I have not had this in sixteen years,” she said in a soft, wistful voice, as though the dessert in front of her was not just a sweet treat but a memory of something long lost.

Frederick’s heart skipped a beat.

Sixteen years?