Page 8 of Her Duke to Tempt (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #29)

Six

T he morning air was brisk, and the mist clung to the rolling hills of the countryside as the carriage rumbled along the dirt road.

Logan and Enid were on the move again. This time they were heading north toward Scotland; in the hope they would catching up to Aiden and Felicity.

He had no doubt that his son intended to marry Aiden.

He had never doubted that. Enid seemed to finally accept that inevitability now though.

He also believed it would be futile to try and stop their impending union.

Especially as it would only prevent something that would in all likelihood happen regardless.

It really was a matter of when, not if when it came to the wedding of Felicity and Aiden.

Logan glanced sideways at Enid, who sat opposite him in the carriage.

She kept her gaze focused on the window as she watched the scenery pass them by.

He had hoped that the last leg of their journey would be less…

awkward. With their close proximity he had thought it would allow him a chance to finally make his intentions clear to her.

Yet, despite his attempts to breach the subject the night before at dinner…

He barely repressed a sigh at the thought of that near disaster.

She had seemed as distant as ever. She had made it clear she did not want to discuss anything other than what they would do to find Aiden and Felicity.

What could he have done differently? He had chosen his words carefully.

His tone had been casual, perhaps too much so…

But he had hoped with the introduction of how he felt he would discover a sign, any hint…

Anything that she might be open to considering the possibility of something more between them.

Instead, Enid had quietly stopped the conversation from moving forward.

She had withdrawn into a shell he could not pierce.

Her reticence had made his heart ache with frustration, but he knew better than to push.

After all, to her, the journey ahead was more important than any emotional confessions at the moment.

They had to find Felicity and Aiden before they somehow created an even bigger scandal, and Logan knew that pressing the matter of what he felt for her now would only lead to her retreating further from him.

He had to tread carefully if he had any hope of finally being able to openly love Enid.

Still, Logan could not shake the thought that he was losing ground with her.

She was too guarded and far too cautious.

He hoped that he could come to somehow make her see the truth.

There was something between them—something that had existed for a long while.

He’d seen it in the way her smile softened when he made her laugh…

The way her gaze lingered just a moment too long when their eyes met and he could not deny it anymore.

He wanted more. He wanted everything with her.

But how could he convince her of that? How was he to break through the walls she had so carefully constructed around herself?

He sighed because he knew that for now, there was no easy answer.

They would focus on Aiden and Felicity and afterward…

Well, after that things would be different.

He could set his own desires aside—for now.

If he could not get through to Enid after she was no longer concerned about Felicity…

Well then perhaps they were no meant to be together.

It would kill something inside of him to accpt that, but he would have little choice.

She was what mattered. He would do what she wanted and find some way to move on without her.

The journey would take them north for a little while longer.

Perhaps he could find a way to change her mind—or perhaps, the answer lay in the distance, in the time they had to wait.

The sound of the horses’ hooves on the road reminded him that they were still in motion.

The wheels of their fate turning in ways neither he nor Enid could predict.

He glanced at her again, his heart heavy with something he was unwilling to name, something that had grown steadily in the silence between them.

He had done everything he could to prepare her for what was coming.

Now, he only hoped that his own heart would not be dashed against the rocks of her indifference.

She had been silent all morning, and he wondered what he could do to shake her from her reverie. He turned his attention fully toward her. “Is there something interesting outside?” he asked her.

Enid tore her gaze away from the window to look at him. She frowned. “I wouldn’t know,” she said. ‘I wasn’t actually seeing any of it. I have been lost in my own thoughts.”

He raised a brow. “Do you care to share?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she told him. “I have mostly been thinking about what my niece has done. What she was willing to do for her convictions. Should we even continue on?”

“Do you wish to return home?” he asked. He would do as she wanted but he had hoped he would have more time with her. “We can ask the driver to do so immediately if that is what you desire.”

She shook her head. “No,” she said emphatically. “I want to continue on.”

“Then that is what we will do.” Could this conversation be any duller?

Nothing they said mattered. None of it was what he really wanted to talk to her about.

What he wanted was to reach across the carriage and pull her into his lap.

Once he had her there, he wanted to kiss her until she moaned with pleasure.

He wanted to become lost in her and forget about everything else around them.

He could not do any of that. She would not thank him for handling her in such a manner either.

He blew out a breath and tried to get his own emotions under control.

This was not the time or the place for them.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

That question jarred him out of his thoughts.

He could not tell her what he had just imagined.

That would shock her senseless. He studied her for a long moment and wondered if that was exactly what he should do.

Perhaps if he told her the truth it would open up the possibility of a real conversation with her.

One that held all the topics he had wanted to discuss with her the night before. But he didn’t know if he should.

“You do not truly wish to know where my mind has wandered,” he warned her.

“Why not?” she asked and tilted her head to the side. “Were they that scandalous then?”

He closed his eyes and prayed for patience.

He was not finding it. Not at all… Slowly he opened his eyes and met her gaze.

Perhaps he should be bold. If it went badly…

Well, he would handle that. The real question was what if it went far better than he could ever imagine.

Then he could have her, have it all, and all he had to do was be brave and speak his truth.

Logan inhaled deeply, feeling the weight of the moment settle on his shoulders. His gaze remained locked on her, his mind racing with a thousand possibilities. He had never been one to shy away from speaking his mind, but this… this was different. Enid was different.

The silence stretched between them, thick and palpable, as the carriage rocked gently along the uneven road. He could feel the tension building in his chest, the urge to speak growing stronger with every passing second.

He finally let out a slow breath, his voice steady yet heavy with the weight of his desire. “You asked me where my thoughts had wandered.” He paused, measuring his words carefully. “Truthfully, they have wandered to you.”

Enid’s breath caught at his admission. “In what way?”

He kept his attention on her and did not waver in any way. Logan remained calm and prepared himself for any possible response. “I thought about how you would feel in my arms.” He stared at her intently. “What it would be like to press my lips to yours and taste you.”

She said nothing, but he could see the flicker of something in her eyes—something close to longing, though it was quickly masked by the usual cool reserve she wore so effortlessly.

He leaned forward slightly, not quite reaching for her, but allowing the space between them to shrink ever so slightly.

“I want to lift you from that seat and set you in my lap so that I could pull you against me. To touch you…” Her breathing became a little ragged.

“I want to feel you come apart in my arms.”

Her eyes widened just the slightest bit, but she quickly recovered, her expression hardening. “Logan, we?—”

“No,” he interrupted gently, but with firm resolve. “You wanted to know what I was thinking. What I want.” His voice was low but sincere. The words felt foreign on his tongue, but also incredibly real. “I never said I was going to do all those things. But I want to. Oh, how I want to...”

Enid looked away, her gaze moving to the window again, as though the passing scenery could offer her some sort of solace, some escape from what he was saying. He could see the conflict in her eyes, the hesitation that had been there since they had first crossed paths.

“I am sure you do not wish to know about my desires,” he continued, his voice barely above a whisper, “but I can no longer pretend that this is not what I want. I want you and I am not going to pretend any longer that I do not.”

Her lips parted, but no words came. He did not know if that silence was a rejection or merely shock. Either way, he knew that he had taken a step he could not undo. It was out in the open now, and the possibility of a life he’d only ever dreamed of hung in the balance between them.

Enid finally turned her gaze back to him, her expression unreadable. “Logan, I… I don’t know what to say.”

Logan swallowed hard, his pulse racing. “You don’t have to say anything right now,” he said, his hand resting on the edge of the seat as he leaned closer. “But if you decide you want me too…” He grinned. “I am here waiting, desperately, for you to come to me.”

He could feel her gaze piercing through him, and though she remained silent, he could see the wheels turning in her mind.

She was calculating, considering the consequences, and he could hardly blame her.

A woman like her didn’t allow her heart to be given away easily, and he had not yet offered her his. Though she already had it.

“You’ve made your intentions clear,” she said after a long moment, her voice cool but with an undertone of something softer. “But I just cannot...”

Logan tilted his head, his brow furrowing slightly. “I thought you might say that.”

Her lips pressed together, her gaze flickering away once more. “I just…,” she said softly. “I am not like other women. I do not want the same things.”

His heart twisted in his chest at the implications of her words. “Enid?—”

“No,” she cut in, her voice sharp as a knife. “I know who I am and I cannot be what you need.”

“How do you know what I need?” he asked, his voice thick with frustration. “I want to be with you. I am not some fool chasing after a passing fancy. This is real. This is us .”

Enid’s eyes met his again, but the flicker of vulnerability in them was quickly masked by her usual cool exterior. “You are right. This is about us, and I am not adding something into the mix that will ruin whatever friendship we have.”

“All right” he said, his voice steady. “I will wait for you to realize how wrong you are. Because I am not going anywhere. When you do finally come to me, I will not remind you that you were the one that made us wait longer than necessary.”

Silence hung in the air once more, and for a long time, neither of them spoke.

Logan’s heart pounded in his chest as he waited for her to respond, the anticipation nearly unbearable.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Enid’s lips parted, and the words that came from her were nothing like what he had expected.

“Do not wait for me. I’m not going to change my mind,” she said softly. “You should forget about this altogether”

Logan’s heart skipped a beat at her words. “I could never forget about you…”

She did not reply to that. Instead, she returned her gaze to the window and stared out in silence.

He had taken a risk and so far, it was not paying off as he had hoped.

No, she had instead withdrawn even more.

He could only hope that he had given her much to consider, and she would change her mind.

One day, he hoped to find her willing to accept him fully into her life.

If that day should occur, he would be the happiest man alive.

Until then, he would have to remain patient.