The Sweetest Kiss (Brothers of Worthington Series) (11 page)

“As you wish.”

Silence stretched between them, but Judith never lost eye contact. She couldn’t no matter how hard she tried. Once again, his entrancing spell had pulled her in.

It wasn’t until the clapping from the dowager and Mr.
Teethers
rang through the ballroom that Judith realized the older man had stopped humming, yet she and Trey still danced. He seemed rattled, too, as he stopped and quickly stepped away. Finally, the spell had been broken. She was almost relieved.

Almost.

If it weren’t for the cold emptiness seeping through her body, she would have been extremely grateful for the interruption.

“Trey my boy, you and Judith dance perfectly together.” The dowager beamed.

Mr.
Teethers
nodded. “Excellent form, indeed.”

Trey chuckled, then lifted Judith’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “The pleasure was entirely mine.” He winked, then turned and left the ballroom.

It was all she could do not to call him back. But she wouldn’t. He wasn’t the man she professed to love—the man she
should
have on her mind.

She quickly made her excuses to the dance instructor and the dowager, and quit the room not much longer after Trey had. The dance left her disturbed and very much confused. Being in Trey’s arms as he swung her around the ballroom filled her with a sense of belonging.
Of peace and security.

She snorted a laugh and shook her head, quickening her steps as she took a brisk walk away from the manor toward the wooded area. Being outdoors always cleared her head, and if there was any time she needed to think straight, it was now.

The more she thought about Alex, the more anger consumed her. Earlier when she’d met with Trey to write that letter, many issues were brought up. Those she’d never even considered. Did Alex even want to marry her? Had she been fooling herself all this time with fantasies of wedded bliss?

Nearby a gurgling brook captured her attention. She followed the sound until she entered the wooded area. Down the slope a bit was the brook. She stopped near the edge and peered into the clear water rushing over rocks of all sizes. Memories of her childhood flowed into her mind. Her father had taken her fishing, taught her how to swim, and as she grew older, he gave her instructions on how to maneuver a rowboat. How she missed those specials days.

Quickly, another memory rushed through, involving this very stream and the boy who tormented her as a child. Once when her parents were visiting, Judith had come to this section of the estate, hoping to have privacy. Instead, she’d had a run-in with Trey.

As a young girl, she enjoyed taking off her stockings and shoes, wading through the water without anyone knowing. On this particular day, she’d followed her urges. This was where Trey had found her. By this time in her life, she was leery of trusting him, and rightly so since he went out of his way to tease her.

He’d convinced her to continue wading through the stream, because he and his brothers had done this many times. Soon, she’d realized her mistake in trusting him since he led her to a section in the water that was deeper. She’d fallen, twisted her ankle, and ruined a new gown.

Judith shook her head, chuckling over the memory.
Strange how different they both were now.
Although, she still had a hard time trusting him not to lead her into deep water in all aspects of her life.

She sat on the grassy spot near the water and stared at the stream. A slight wind rustled through the leaves on the tall oaks, and in the distance chirping birds relaxed her. If only real life could be as serene. Unfortunately, Trey wouldn’t let it.

She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them as she wrapped her arms around her legs. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, allowing the soft sounds around her to put her into another world where she could dream to her heart’s content.

“Ah, I see you have found my favorite spot.”

The deep timbre of Trey’s voice jerked her alert. She snapped her head up and met his twinkling eyes. The sun created a halo around his head until he walked into the shade near her. His rugged appearance nearly stole the breath right from her throat, as did his charming smile.

He motioned to the grass beside her. “May I sit?”

She nodded, not knowing what to say since words had left her mind. All she wanted to do was stare at his handsome profile, content to study him.

Once he sat, he bent his knees up like she had hers,
then
looked at her. “It’s so peaceful here, don’t you agree?”

Her throat had turned dry, so she swallowed. “Indeed, I do.”

“As a lad, I used to come here with Tristan quite a bit.
Especially in the summer months.”

“Why the summer?”

Trey chuckled and moved his stare to the water. He picked up a rock and tossed it in. “Because boys do a lot of adventurous things, and he and I used to wrestle. We would wrestle in the water, just to see who could get soaked the quickest. The heat was horrendous, and getting wet made it bearable.”

Her heart softened from his confession. “I’m certain you ruined a lot of clothes that way.”

“Not really. They dried quickly enough, so Mother never knew what mischief kept us from our studies.”

She laughed. “I love being outdoors, especially when it’s quiet. I find it easier to think that way.”

He nodded.
“Very true.”
His focus came back to her. “Would you like to be alone now? I will leave if you wish.”

“That’s all right. I do not mind your company.” Once she said it, she wondered why. She did mind his company, especially when it made her so confused.

He raised his brows. “Indeed? When did this turn of events happen? I thought you abhorred my presence.”

She couldn’t stop the tug pulling up one corner of her mouth.
“Only when you insist on being wicked, my lord.”

A loud laugh came from deep in his chest, making his body shake. The color of his eyes softened. “Oh, but I think you enjoy that, my sweet. More than you let on.”

“I shall never tell.” Although she wanted to stop smiling, she couldn’t. She turned her head and tried not to look at him, but focused on the water, instead.

Silence lasted a few minutes as she snuck peeks at him. What could he be thinking now? His wandering gaze slid over her in a slow perusal, heating her up quickly. If he didn’t say something soon, she might scream with frustration. Perhaps she should leave. Being this close was not good for her health.

Suddenly, a chuckle came from him, making him turn to meet her stare. “Do you remember that time when you and your parents stayed the night, and my brothers and I snuck in through the bedroom window and pretended to be ghosts?”

It only took a few seconds before the memory hit her full force. Laughing, she nodded. “I do recall that time. You had me frightened to death and I didn’t want to come out of the covers.” She arched an eyebrow and cocked her head. “Do you know I could not sleep without a candle in my room for a month afterwards?”

Trey tilted back his head and roared with laughter.
“Oh, dearest Judith.
You knew it was us, so why had it scared you so badly?”

“I think it was because I realized if you could all three climb through my bedroom window, then other kinds of goblins would do the same.”

He shook his head, still grinning. “We were little devils back then, were we not?”

“Tell me, whose idea was it to climb through the window and scare me that night?”

Humor slowly left his face. “Mine.”

She nodded.
“Exactly.
I believe
you
were the devil and not your brothers.”

He shrugged. “However, they followed my lead on most adventures I went through as a child.”

“I’m sure they did.”

He looked back at the water and silence stretched between them once again. Finally, after several minutes passed, he moved, but only to pull off his boot. She hitched a breath and dared look into his face. He grinned at her as he yanked off the other.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I just realized how long it’s been since I waded in the stream. And you know what? I miss it.” He pulled off his socks and stood. “Join me?”

Her heart leapt nearly to her throat, it seemed.
Join him?
Preposterous.
Didn’t he remember the last time he persuaded her to join him in the stream? But that was many years ago. He wouldn’t be foolish enough to try that stunt again, would he? Then again, she wasn’t naïve any longer and wouldn’t allow herself to be pulled in by his deceitfulness.

He walked to the water and stepped in. “Ah, nice and cool.
The perfect temperature.”

Her feet itched to slide in the water and feel the coolness against her skin. They were adults now. Surely he wouldn’t return to his childhood methods of callousness.

After a few seconds of watching him swish through the ankle-deep water, she sighed and gave in. It’d been a while since she’d done this, too. Quickly, before she changed her mind, she slipped off her shoes and rolled her stockings down her legs. Just as she discarded the last one, she realized she’d just given him a peek of her calves. Sucking in a breath, she looked his way to see if he’d been watching, praying he hadn’t.

He had. The rake!

His eyes darkened, and his expression transformed from playfulness to something entirely different. He stood frozen, staring at her legs. Instead of being embarrassed, a feeling of power came over her, knowing she had made him this way. Earlier, he’d confessed she tempted him. Now she believed and had new understanding of his words.

Trey lifted his gaze to hers and smiled. Slowly he walked out of the water toward her. When he reached her side, he held out a hand. Without a second thought, she slid trembling fingers into his and let him pull her to her feet.

Judith watched his face, especially his dark blue eyes. Closely, they stood in front of each other content to stare. He kept her hand in his, stroking a thumb over her fingers. When his attention dropped to her mouth, she held her breath. Would he kiss her? Half of her wanted him to, and the other half argued how wrong it was. This was Trey Worthington, she reminded herself, a man not to be trusted.

Stepping away from her toward the water, a smile stretched his lips. He tugged on her arm and she obeyed his silent command and walked into the water with him. Once the cool liquid covered her feet, she gasped,
then
laughed. He dropped her hand and joined the merriment. The spell was broken, and she breathed easier. Trey turned away from her and cautiously moved down the watery path.

“When I was a boy,” he said, “I would come out here by myself to reflect on my life. Being the youngest, I didn’t appreciate the way I was treated compared to my brother, Trevor.”

She lifted her dress just enough not to get the bottom wet. “Why? You knew Trevor would eventually inherit the title.”

“Yes, but it was as if my parents looked down on me. For years, they tried to compare me to my brother, bringing out my faults and telling me what I should be doing to be more like him.”

“How dreadful.
I think that would be a hard life.”

“Extremely.”
He shrugged. “Perhaps that’s why I became a mischievous boy.”

“To get attention.”

He glanced over his shoulder at her and nodded.
“Exactly.”

“Being the only child, I did not have to worry about such things.”

“True. At times during my life I wondered what it would have been like to be the only child. Then I realized I would have been bored to tears.”

“Why?
Nobody to tease?”
She giggled.

He swung around and planted his hands on his hips as he stared at her. His grin let her know not to take him seriously.

“You think you know me well, do you?”

“Am I correct?”

He dropped his arms to his side and winked. “I shall never tell.”

Trey turned back around and proceeded down the stream. She took cautious steps, enjoying listening to him talk about his life. It comforted her to know he would say such things. It softened her heart as well.

Suddenly, he stopped and raised his hand to keep her from going any further.

“What is it?” she asked.

“There’s a hole somewhere around in this area. I need to find it to keep you from stepping there. I would hate for you to soil your lovely gown.”

She hitched a breath, and placed her hand on her chest for fear her heart would jump out. He’d actually remembered the hole. Did he remember leading her to it when they were children? Certainly he didn’t act as if he did.

“Ah, there it is.” He turned to her and held out his arms. “Allow me, fair maiden, to play the gallant warrior and carry you through the trepid waters.”

A laugh bubbled from her throat. “Are you jesting?”

“No.” He pointed to the water. “There’s a hole, and if you step in it, you will sink to your waist, I’m sure. If I carry you across, you will not be harmed.”