Lady Revealed (5 page)

“Have you at least seen a couple waltz?” he asked before they began.

Juliette nodded.

He blew out a sigh. Though he knew well enough how the steps moved, he wasn’t at all certain he could teach. “It is a three step dance,” he began and stepped out. “Follow my movements.” She stepped out as he had, and brought her next foot over when he put his feet together. He then stepped forward yet Juliette did not move immediately and was pressed against his body. She quickly matched his movement, her face turning a lovely shade of pink.

They repeated the steps a few more times and Juliette caught on immediately much to Acker’s disappointment. He rather enjoyed having her breasts and thighs pressed against him. So much sensation from touch was usually lost through the layers of clothing a gentleman was required to wear, but her dress was thin and as he wore only his shirtsleeves her soft mounds were branded into him.

Soon he began executing turns and Juliette adapted to each movement. She was a dancer after all so he shouldn’t be surprised. He twirled her from one end of the room to the other in complete silence. They did not need music nor did they need to speak. Their eyes were locked and the sway of her body was a perfect match for his. He drew her closer and closer until they were practically one, in perfect harmony with the other. Their thighs brushed and her stomach and breasts continually came into contact with him. Acker grew warm and aroused.

They fit so well together and he knew they would be excellent lovers if given the chance. If she responded to his touch in dancing, what kind of response could he expect when they made love?

He shouldn’t be thinking about making love to her because it only increased his discomfort. But how could he not. He had wanted her from the moment he saw her. Had been pulled to her in a way he had never been drawn to anyone else and the reason he pursued her night after night even when she refused to meet with him. Now that she was in his arms, all he wanted to do was lay her down and love her. It didn’t matter that he had only known her for a few days. To him it was as if he had been waiting for this moment from even before he left England. These feelings and sensations rumbling around inside is what he had wanted each time he took a lover or met a debutant. Though a few had excited him, nobody thrilled him as Juliette. No one comforted and aroused at the same time the way Juliette’s touch did. He ached for her. A few days with Juliette would never be enough.

Is this what poets spoke of? Acker hadn’t put much stock on their words and assumed most were meant to win the heart of a lady or young woman. Perhaps he was now beginning to see the truth of which they spoke. Did a heart recognize its mate before the rational mind succumbed?

Acker shook the ridiculous thoughts from his mind. It was simply the beauty of Milan and of the woman in his arms. Once he was back in England, where he belonged, he would laugh at himself for having such foolish thoughts.

As they moved down the room, Acker guided her toward the settee. He slowed as they came to the sitting area, dropped her hand and pulled her against his body. Did she understand or even notice the hardness of his arousal pressed against her soft abdomen? It had been growing since they first began to waltz. Juliette was tall and thin without a bit of indulgence usually found in ladies of society. He anticipated her breasts would be small as well, an assumption he made when had first seen her dance. Acker couldn’t wait to expose them and to finally feel her long legs around his hips when he buried himself within her.

She brought her other hand up to rest on his shoulder and didn’t try to pull away, but looked up into his face.

Acker gently tightened his hold and lowered his mouth to hers.

Though Juliette was taller than most women, Juliette went on her toes to meet Acker’s lips so he wasn’t forced to bend. They were warm and firm and nearly stole her breath. So, this was a kiss. It was her first real kiss.

He traced the seam of her lips with the tip of his tongue and Juliette parted for him, not sure what to expect. He plunged inside and Juliette was lost. Good heavens. He tasted of tea sweetened with sugar. She tilted her head and their mouths melded further and she tentatively touched her tongue to his, unsure of how to proceed. Acker groaned and Juliette became intoxicated from their mingled breaths. She clutched his shoulders tighter to keep from losing her balance when her knees threatened to buckle.

No man had ever held her this close before, well, except Carlo, but that wasn’t the same. She had never felt the arousal of her dance partner. At least she assumed that was what the hard length was pressed against her belly. Maman had explained about a man’s member and how it was relaxed and inconsequential most of the time, but could grow to hard lengths when they wished to make love. Did Acker wish to make love to her?

Acker scooped her up in his arms before carrying her to the settee. Instead of putting her down as she expected, he sat and cradled her on his lap. Not once did he take his lips from hers and Juliette wasn’t about to breakaway either. His hard length was now pressed against her hip and Juliette wished to explore, but didn’t dare.

The room grew warm, despite the cool rain outside. Her clothing was almost too tight to allow a proper breath and heat pooled in her nether regions. She had never experienced anything like this before. Was this desire or passion?

All Juliette knew for certain was that she did not want Acker to stop kissing her.

She threaded her fingers through his damp hair, surprised by the softness. For a moment it seemed as if she were falling, assuming it was Acker’s kiss that caused the dizzying affect only to find herself laying against the pillows, Acker coming over her. His lips left her mouth and she wanted to pull him back until he kissed her neck and then shoulder.

Everywhere he touched ignited sensations within that she had never experienced before. Goodness! She wasn’t sure how to respond or if she should kiss him anywhere else, nor could she concentrate long enough to decide on an action.

His hands slid up her waist before lifting and cupping her breast through the material of her dress. His lips trailed a blazing line across the edge of her bodice. Need pulsated deep within but she was unsure if it was building to something more glorious or would simply drive her mad.

She should make him stop, but how could she? Not when her body was coming alive for the first time.

This was wrong and she knew it was wrong, and her mother would be livid if she knew, but Julia could not find the will to push Acker away.

Acker shifted and a moment later his hand was on her calf, inching up her leg and pushing her dress away. She needed to make him stop. This was not right and no matter how much she wanted to know what happened next, she could not allow it. But, how did she make him cease when she couldn’t find the will herself.

*

Acker’s fingers grazed the inside of her warm thigh. Juliette was more passionate than any woman he had ever encountered and soon she would be his. He could not wait to bury himself deep within. He already knew that once would not be enough and wasn’t sure he could leave Milan without taking her with him.

The curls at the junction of her thighs teased the back of his fingers. He was so close to the prize.

Her hands pressed against his shoulders and Acker opened his eyes. Surely she didn’t want him to stop. Not now.

Then he heard it. Booted feet on the stairs, climbing to this floor. He moved off of Juliette and she quickly stood to smooth her dress and then resumed her seat. Acker shifted to an opposite chair so as not to be caught sitting next to her. Why he cared, he wasn’t certain, but a gentleman was not caught alone with a lady under any circumstance. Yet, Juliette was not a lady and the same rules did not apply. Still, he would not embarrass her.

He glanced at Juliette as she tried to straighten her hair. It wasn’t overly mussed and most people would not notice she looked as if she was almost tumbled.

Almost, he repeated in his mind and groaned. To be so close! Despite the circumstances, his member did not relax and throbbed painfully. It would take some time before it went away or perhaps Acker would need to take care of the situation once he was alone.

The footfalls came closer and Acker instigated a conversation so that their being alone would be viewed as innocent. “I will not be able to see the performance tonight.”

Juliette frowned. “You have seen it more than anyone Lord Acker.”

He smiled. “I must attend a gathering or I would be there again tonight.”

“Tomorrow is our final performance,” she informed him.

Acker stiffened. “I did not know.” Would her time be freer once this production ended? “I promise not to miss it.”

“I will miss it when it is over.” She sighed and smoothed her skirt. “Usually I tire of the choreography by now, but not with this ballet.”

“Will you be in the next ballet or must you rehearse before it can begin?” Acker shoved his fingers through his hair. He had no idea how the theatre worked.

“She will begin rehearsing for
Promethius
in a few days.”

They both turned to find her dance partner standing in the doorway. He narrowed his eyes at Acker then smiled at Juliette.

“Carlo,” Juliette said as she came to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I wished to rehearse before tonight, to make sure my hand will hold and I don’t have the same pain.”

Juliette nodded, accepting his excuse. Acker knew better. That man had intentionally touched Juliette last night. Was she so innocent? Had Carlo not interrupted he would have found out shortly. Her kisses did seem innocent and her responses fresh and passionate.

“You had not yet returned home and your mother thought you might still be here waiting for the rain to come to an end.”

Acker didn’t like that this Carlo felt as if he could call at Juliette’s home any time he wished.

“Would you like to try a few lifts?”

Carlo nodded then turned to Acker. “You don’t need to stay. We could be here for awhile.”

Juliette frowned at Carlo. “A few lifts, not the entire production. Besides, you know I don’t like to rehearse overly much the night of a performance.”

He nodded and came toward her. “You don’t wish to tire yourself.” He sighed.

Acker settled back in the chair and watched. He was not about to leave Juliette alone with that man. Carlo wanted Juliette and Acker wasn’t going to let him have her.

They moved into the steps leading up to the lift that had supposedly pained Carlo before. He lifted her effortlessly and set her down with grace. They executed the movement three more times before Juliette called a halt. “There is no pain?”

“No. I must have just moved it incorrectly last night.”

Her smile brightened. “That is good to know. I would hate for you to be injured. I don’t trust Antonio as I do you.” She turned toward Acker. “Antonio partners me when Carlo is unable. He has dropped me in the past and I don’t feel as secure with him.”

Acker simply nodded and Carlo looked at Juliette with a predatory gleam and smile. It did not set well with Acker.

Even though Acker had not been present in the audience tonight, he still sent a bouquet. This time they were all white roses. Juliette leaned over the freshly opened buds, inhaled deeply and sighed. It was not time for roses to bloom yet, but Lord Acker had located some anyway. It was odd not having him watching this evening. Acker had been to so many performances it seemed as if he were part of the production.

Heat infused her face when she recalled what had occurred between them today. She knew she should have stopped him when he started kissing her but didn’t have the will. He must think her wanton and she should never allow him to believe she was of loose morals. Just because her mother and great grandmother were Parisian courtesans at one time did not mean she would become any man’s lover. It didn’t matter that she was common, a dancer and many in her situations became mistresses, she would give herself to one man and one man only, and that would be on her wedding night. Juliette just needed to make sure Acker understood and that she did not lose her head the next time he started kissing her.

Yet, he had not propositioned her. Not the way she had heard other’s approached by gentlemen wishing to protect an actress. Perhaps he wasn’t like the others. Did he wish for more and the moment they shared simply bloomed into something neither Acker nor she had intended? Were his intentions more honorable?

Juliette prayed they were because she had never met anyone like Lord Acker before. Being with him as she had been these past two days seemed natural. As if he was another part of her. Did he feel the same?

She shook the thoughts from her mind. He was a gentlemen from England, she reminded herself. She was a ballerina in Milan. There could be nothing else for them, and she must keep that in mind. Yet, she would share every spare moment with him that she could, until he returned home and then return to her simple life having known what it was like to be kissed and held by a gentleman.

The door opened on her dressing room and Juliette turned to see who had entered. Both sisters stood there studying her.

“More flowers?”
Genviève asked with an arched eyebrow.

Juliette couldn’t help herself and smiled. The only emotion she could explain was giddiness, but she could not tell her sisters. Though she would dearly love to, they would not understand.

Hélène crossed her arms in front of her. “He was not here tonight.”

“No.” Juliette almost told them that he had other obligations but then she would need to explain to her sisters how she came about this information. It wasn’t as if she had a note to show them.

“I believe this is the first time he has sent a bouquet and not been at the theatre,” Hélène surmised.

“Is it?” Juliette questioned absently, as if it hadn’t occurred to her, and bent to smell the roses once again.

“Have you seen him since the evening we dined?” Genviève demanded.

Juliette bit her bottom lip and presented her back. “Could someone undo my costume?” Normally she could do this on her own and had done so many times. But she needed to think. How much did she tell her sisters? They would know if she lied. She could tell them about yesterday, but certainly not today. “When I left the school yesterday I met him on the street quite by accident.”

“Go on,” Hélène insisted as she untied the back of her costume.

“We strolled in the park and talked.”

“That is all?” Hélène asked with concern.

“What else could we do in a park?” Juliette slipped out of the dress and grabbed the one she would wear home.

“You came home late after class today,” Genviève reminded her. “You barely had time to eat a light meal with mother and us before you needed to leave for the theatre.”

She stepped into the walking dress and once again presented her back to Hélène. “Carlo came by to rehearse.” It was the truth at least.

“You never rehearse before performance.” Genviève insisted.

Juliette turned and looked at both sisters. “Carlo suffered a pain in his wrist last evening and couldn’t execute a lift. He wanted to make sure it would not happen again.”

Both of her sisters straightened. “You did not tell us last night,” Genviève said.

Juliette shrugged. “It was of no consequence. A few movements were altered but we carried on.”

There was a scratch at the door and the three women turned. Genviève crossed the room to open it and Juliette’s heart lifted at the sight of Acker framed in the opening.

“Thank you for the roses, Lord Acker. They are lovely.”

He was so handsome in his formal wear, the dark coat in contrast with his light brown hair and the snowy white cravat made his face seem all the more tanned. Weren’t Englishmen supposed to be pale? Especially Lords?

“I’ve yet to find a bud that could match your beauty.” He stepped inside the room and Juliette had to glance away from embarrassment.

“Most gentlemen visit only after they have seen the performance,” Hélène said. “You were not in the audience this evening.”

“No, I was not,” Acker responded. “Though I wished I had been. The gathering was quite boring and I left as soon as polite.” His eyes focused back on Juliette and then to Hélène. “You must be Juliette’s
brother
.” He bowed. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Viscount Acker.”

Genviève arched a brow and looked at Juliette, as did Hélène. “I mentioned my sisters yesterday in the park. I was never any good at telling a falsehood.”

“Would you ladies care to join me for a late supper?”

“Did you not already eat?” Hélène reminded him that he had just come from a dinner.

Acker grinned at her. “I prefer this company to the others.”

“We really must return home,” Genviève insisted.

Juliette shot her a look. “No, we do not. We had already planned on going to the caffè and I see no reason why Lord Acker cannot join us.”

Genviève stepped forward and leaned in close to Juliette. “Is this wise?” she whispered.

Juliette looked into her sister’s concerned eyes. “Probably not,” she answered quietly. “But I don’t really see the harm.”

Genviève sighed and stepped back. “Very well, shall we?”

*

Acker wasn’t certain if the sisters did not approve of him or simply did not like him. They clearly did not trust him. And even though he lusted after Juliette in a way that he had never wanted another woman, he wasn’t all bad. He could offer Juliette so much more than a life of dancing. She would be pampered, have servants, silk gowns and jewels. What woman did not want those things? He wanted to give her everything he could, he was just uncertain about how permanent he could make their relationship. It was a decision he could not bring himself to make and had so many matters to consider that it gave him a headache. The only one thing that was certain was that he wanted Juliette.

He escorted the women from the theatre and the short distance to the same caffè they had supped in earlier. Instead of walking to a table toward the back, as he would have preferred, Genviève choose an empty table in the center of the room. They would be surrounded by those from the ballet, many of whom he recognized and had arrived ahead of them. It would be impossible to carry on a private conversation. Not that he cared to share any secrets or intimate details, Acker simply didn’t like others eavesdropping on him. Several people looked in their direction, many with speculation. No doubt they would be listening to everything that was said.

At the next table sat Carlo. He glared at Acker and then turned away. Something would need to be done about the dancer. He and Juliette had been partners for at least the past three months, if not longer and if Juliette had an interest in the man, she would not be sitting at the table with Acker.

Acker’s concern was that Carlo would attempt to make Juliette his after he left. It did not sit right with him. He didn’t want anyone else to have Juliette.

The thought startled him. How had he become so possessive after such a short time of knowing her?

The servant stopped and placed bread and wine on the table. Acker barely paid attention to the discussion the sisters were having about their hunger and what the caffè was serving this evening. His mind was too focused on the future. Would Juliette leave with him? What all could he offer her?

It was far too soon to think about marriage. What of Eleanor? She was to be his bride. Besides, he did not know Juliette nearly well enough and one should not make such a life altering decision with his loins.

“Lontano,” Hélène said.

Acker stared at her. Certainly he hadn’t said
loins
out loud. Heat stole into his face. His Italian wasn’t the best, but she had just said loin, hadn’t she?

“Insalata,” said Genviève.

Loin salad?

“I will have both,” Juliette said to the young man standing at the table.

Acker glanced up. They were ordering their meal and he had been lost in the world of loins, specifically Juliette’s, and loin salad certainly brought different images to mind, ones that caused his clothing to become uncomfortable. After this evening he would never be able to think of loin or salad in the same manner.

The servant was staring at him, apparently waiting for him to order. “Niente, grazie.” What Acker wanted was not on the menu, but sitting to his right.

The servant nodded and walked away. Acker lifted the bottle of wine and poured each of the women a glass of the burgundy liquid before pouring one for himself. Thank goodness he was sitting down and the table hid his erection. He didn’t want to have to try and explain that it was because of something as simple as loin salad.

“How long will you be staying in Milan?” Genviève questioned as she tore off a piece of bread before biting into it.

“I am not sure.” He did know he had to be gone within a fortnight, but Acker wasn’t about to reveal that to the sisters without first speaking with Juliette. Besides, if she knew he was leaving so soon she might not give him a chance to know her better.

She nodded. “Then why pursue our sister?” Genviève asked bluntly.

Juliette’s eyes popped open and she glared at her sister. “This is not the time, nor your business,” she hissed.

Acker simply chuckled. “I am an admirer of Juliette. Once I saw her dance I knew I must meet her. It is she who has kept me in Milan longer than I anticipated.”

Genviève snorted. Hélène gave her a disapproving look.

“She is not like the dancers you are used to in your London,” Genviève continued.

“How so?” he questioned.

“From what I have heard, they are indiscriminate and whor—,”

“—Genviève,” Juliette cried.

Acker simply chuckled. “It is true, many are thought of in those terms, but not all.” Genviève did not like him and would probably hate him when he took Juliette away, if she agreed to go. He had to make Juliette want to be with him. He couldn’t leave Milan without her, or break from her until he knew the depth of his feelings, as well as hers. In less than a fortnight he would be gone and it wasn’t nearly enough time to settle on any one decision.

The plates were set before the women. The loin appeared cooked to perfection and the clear juices ran on the plate when Juliette cut into the meat. The arugula, tomatoes, cheese, olives and peppers in her salad glistened with olive oil. Acker closed his eyes and buried the moan. Not only did loin salad have a new meaning but now it glistened with warm, succulent juices.

He lifted the glass of wine to his lips and drank deeply. He must not look at the food, or think about it, or the seductive images formed in his mind, or he would not be able to rise from this table without alerting everyone in the caffè to his raging lust.

“What brings you to Milan?” Hélène asked.

Acker shifted his attention to Hélène, thankful for the question and that an answer had been prepared prior to leaving London because he certainly could not tell anyone the truth. “I am taking my grand tour.”

Genviève frowned with suspicion. “Aren’t you a bit old? Don’t Englishman participate in this practice as soon as they finish their studies?”

Acker chuckled. “Most do, yes, but my father died a month after I left school.”

“I am sorry,” Juliette offered with sympathy.

“This is the first chance I have gotten.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?” Hélène asked.

“Or stupid,” Genviève countered.

They had a point. He was an English lord, traveling to countries currently ruled by Napoleon. Many English did not venture to the Continent because of the wars waged against the French dictator. “If I did not travel now, I may not have another chance.”

“Why? Do you have a fiancé waiting at home?” Genviève asked with interest.

Juliette also turned to look at him, the question in her eyes. Acker knew he had to answer carefully. “No, I do not.” At least not officially since Eleanor had not yet agreed to be his wife and he wasn’t certain what role Juliette would fill in the future. “However, my mother is becoming more and more insistent that I take a bride.”

Genviève nodded as if she approved of his answer. Juliette bit her bottom lip and lifted her glass of wine. What was she thinking? Would the knowledge that he would soon return to England and marry keep her from agreeing to travel with him? He would have to convince her that it was in her best interest. He could offer her so much more than the life of a ballerina could.