Page 5 of Her Duke to Tempt (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #29)

Four

L ogan stared out of the carriage, watching the sunlight filter through the tall trees as they traveled down the road.

Everything almost seemed calm, serene in a way, but Logan’s mind was far from at ease.

His thoughts were occupied with his son, Aiden, and the inexplicable yet undeniable pull he had toward Felicity.

Logan wasn’t concerned for them—no, far from it.

He found himself quite glad, in fact, that they had both disappeared.

Aiden’s pursuit of Felicity was hardly an unwelcome development.

It gave him the space to focus on his own agenda; one he had been plotting for some time.

Aiden, driven by youthful passion, had found the woman who had stolen his heart, and Logan could not help but feel a grudging admiration for his son’s tenacity.

The fact that Felicity had managed to knock Aiden unconscious, though troubling, only solidified Logan’s belief that this pursuit was necessary—Aiden was a determined man, and the idea of this woman eluding him had surely stirred something deep within him.

Logan smiled to himself, knowing that his son would stop at nothing to ensure she remained in his life.

As for Logan, there was a different kind of pursuit on his mind—one that had been gnawing at him for far longer than he cared to admit.

The arrival of Enid at his estate had provided the perfect excuse for him to spend time with her, and he had seized that opportunity without hesitation.

He had been careful to offer his help with searching for her niece, though deep down he knew it was not the search that kept him engaged—it was her presence.

Every moment spent with Enid left him more entranced by her than the last.

Now that they had a clear idea of where Aiden and Felicity had gone, Logan found himself caught in a delicate dance of his own making.

It would be a challenge to keep the pursuit slow enough so that he could take his time with Enid.

She would want to move as fast as possible so she could find her niece.

While he wanted to spend as much time with her, he would have to move carefully.

Enid could never know what lay beneath his actions.

If she did, she would run as fast and as far as Felicity had.

Logan sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw.

He knew what he wanted, what he had always wanted.

And he was beginning to believe that, just maybe, Enid felt the same.

Her careful distance, her attempts to keep him at arm's length, only confirmed it.

She was drawn to him, yet she fought it with all the strength she could muster, the same way he had once fought it in the past.

But no more. Logan had learned long ago that nothing worth having came without effort.

And Enid? She was worth every ounce of his patience, every bit of his resolve.

He would wear her down, slowly and carefully, until she no longer feared what they could be together.

And in the end, when the chase was over, she would be his.

“Do you think she’s all right?” Enid asked, breaking through his thoughts.

Logan glanced in her direction. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes, the unease that had settled on her like a cloud.

She was concerned for Felicity, and he could not fault her for that.

But he also so far more than that as he stared at her.

He saw the woman who had unknowingly claimed his heart, and his mind raced with the possibilities of what might happen as they searched for Aiden and Felicity.

He might finally be able to kiss her, hold her, and love her in the way he had only been able to dream before.

“Yes,” he said, keeping his tone light, hoping to ease her worry. “I trust Aiden will see that she is unscathed in her adventure.”

She smiled hesitantly, but there was no mistaking the warmth in her eyes when she met his. “I pray you are right,” she replied, her voice steady but soft. She paused for a moment, her gaze flicking away briefly. “We should discuss how we will handle it all when we do finally find them.”

Logan’s lips curled into a slow smile. “Of course,” he said, stepping toward her, his presence filling the space between them. “What do you think we should do?”

He would defer to her as much as he could.

He did not want to exclude her in any way.

Logan needed her more than anything. She was his sole purpose for this journey.

He had every bit of faith in his son, and what Aiden would do for Felicity.

He had not come with Enid for the sake of her niece or his son. He had come for her and no one else.

“You believe I would know the answer to that?” she asked, clearly unsure. “I had hoped you would have some insight”

“Enid,” he said gently. “I do believe this is something that we must decide together.” He leaned forward on his seat to close some distance between them.

She sat across from him in the carriage and all he wanted to do was pull her forward so she sat on his lap.

Logan wanted to press his lips to hers and swallow her passion and he tasted her.

He could not do that of course. At least not yet…

She wasn’t ready and he never forced a woman to do anything.

Ever. “You know your niece far better than I, as I do my son. We must attempt to do the impossible and guess what the two of them will do. It may be impossible, but we shall try.”

She hesitated, then nodded slowly, though there was a trace of reluctance in her features. “Very well. You are right, of course,” she said, and then sighed. “I do fear you are more right than even you know though. This might prove to be a task neither of us are up to completing.”

Logan nodded in return, his heart lifting. At least she wasn’t arguing with him. That was a good sign she was ready to listen to him. “Undoubtedly,” he said, his voice soft but sure. “but still, we must try.”

There was a flicker in her eyes, a brief moment of vulnerability, before she covered it with a small, rueful smile. “You make it sound so simple.”

“I didn’t say it would be,” he replied, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. “But do you not think it will be easier if we do this together?”

Enid fell quiet at his words. The tension, though still present, seemed to ease slightly, and for the first time in what felt like ages it seemed as if she might allow herself to truly consider what he had said.

Logan studied her carefully. He could almost see the wheels begin to turn in her mind She battled uncertainty and struggled against the undeniable pull between them.

He couldn’t read her mind, nor could he entirely control the course of their conversation, but something in him shifted in that moment.

There was a quiet sense of hope rising in his chest. He could show her how he felt and prove to her that what they had was not just a fleeting thing.

It was something far deeper, far more lasting.

That was the entire reason he had wanted to take on this task with her.

“I find I must agree with you. It’s just that…” Her voice wavered as broke the silence between them and it was voice barely above a whisper as she spoke her truth. “I just don’t want to fail. I do not want to fail her …”

“You won’t,” Logan replied without hesitation.

Why did she feel so strongly about this?

What reasons did she have for all she had done or would do for her niece.

There was something she was not saying, and he knew in the depths of his soul it was important.

That she needed to find Felicity for far more reasons than she had mentioned to him.

He hoped that she would feel comfortable telling him what weighed on her mind.

For now, all he could do was offer his aid and pray she would come to trust him.

“I will be by your side every step of the way. We will find them.”

Enid turned her head to face him fully, her gaze searching his with a depth he had not expected.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, the tension in the air thickening with unspoken desires and fears.

Logan leaned forward, drawn in by the quiet intensity in her eyes.

There was no need for more words. The weight of everything they had said, and what they had yet to admit, hung between them.

The carriage slowed as they approached a fork in the road, but Logan didn’t care about the direction.

Not anymore. He was here, with her, and that was enough for now.

“I know you’re afraid,” he said softly, his voice low and steady, “but I am here. Whatever happens, we will do this together.” He felt the need to repeat that to her, almost as if he knew she needed to hear it again.

“Trust me, darling,” he said. That endearment slipped out before he could stop himself.

He may have made an error, but he continued on as if it were nothing. “She will be all right. I promise.”

“You can’t know that,” she said. But her gaze softened just a fraction, as if she finally understood the depth of his devotion to her, or perhaps that was wishful thinking on his part.

Though he did believe that they were on the brink of something they both feared and yearned for simultaneously.

If they gave into it, as he hoped they would, it would change everything.

As the carriage creaked onward, carrying them toward the port they believed they would find Aiden and Felicity, Logan allowed himself to hope.

To trust in fate, and the possibilities of what lie ahead for them.

This time alone with her was a gift. One he did not intend to squander.

This was his one change to win her heart or at least allow her to realize she wanted to own his.

Lord knew that he had given it to her years earlier.

It was time she claimed it as her own as was her right.

Logan held her gaze, unable to look away, his heart pounding against his ribs.

For years, he had watched her from afar, helpless in the face of his own feelings.

He had believed she could never return them.

But now, with every passing second, the distance between them seemed to be closing.

He was desperate to see it through and to finally make her see that he had always been here.

That he had been waiting for her to take that step.

He wasn’t asking for her heart in return—he was offering his, fully and without hesitation.

The rest he believed would follow when the time was right.

Instead, he simply placed his hand on top of hers once again. “Do you trust me?” he asked quietly. “Do you believe me when I tell you she will be all right?” His voice was steady, but he feared it betrayed the depth of the emotions he hadn’t yet allowed himself to voice fully.

She turned her hand, her fingers lightly brushing his, and he felt something shift.

A connection that he burned through him.

Did she feel it too? The silence between them had built a tension that he could not ignore even if he wanted to, or perhaps it was simply the way he had always loved her, even when he hadn’t known it.

But whatever it was, it was there. And in that moment, Logan realized something else—he could no longer wait for her to come to him.

He had to tell her the truth, and soon. She deserved it, and he believed it would help her come to terms with her own feelings.

The road ahead was unclear, but Logan knew exactly what he wanted, and he was willing to fight for it.

As the carriage continued on its path, the storm broke through the clouds pouring down over the landscape before them.

He could not help but think it mirrored the tumultuous feelings brewing inside of him.

He wanted them to break free and fall over her, but he could remain calm.

He could wait a little longer. For her could wait a lifetime.