Jean-Pierre made his way toward them, his shoes tapping against the floor. Reaching out, he dug his fingers into Ella’s shoulders. She couldn’t prevent the yelp that escaped her lips at his painful grip.
Leo’s arm shot over her shoulder and grabbed Jean-Pierre by the collar. Suddenly, Ella was squeezed between the two men.
“Unhand her,” Leo growled. The vibration in his voice sent a cold chill over her skin.
Jean-Pierre immediately released his grip, and Ella fell into Leo’s tense body.
“Touch her again, and you’ll find your fingers broken,” Leo said softly.
Too softly.
Ella gently touched his arm. “Leo.”
Without looking at her, Leo released his hold on Jean-Pierre. The dance instructor stumbled back, gasping for air.
“How…dare…you,” Jean-Pierre got out, straightening his waistcoat. “How dare you touch me? I teach the royal family!”
With a rustle of paper, the woman behind the pianoforte gathered her sheet music and raced toward the door.
Jean-Pierre tilted his chin. “I’d heard the rumors and should have known teaching a savage like you would prove to be impossible.”
Before Ella could come to Leo’s defense, the dance instructor swept from the room.
Doors slammed in the distance, and then there was silence.
Truly, she should reprimand Leo. So why did gratitude sweep through her body, bringing on the sudden sting of tears? He’d come to her defense and been called a savage for the effort. “Thank you.”
He didn’t respond and she had the feeling he hadn’t often been thanked.
“Well,” she said, averting her gaze and stepping back from him. “No reason why we can’t practice on our own. Although, I fear you will teach me more than I will teach you. Still, your grandfather will be pleased to know how well you dance.”
“You won’t tell him.” Leo pulled her close and swirled her around the room.
Ella clung to the man. “Why not?”
“Let him think he is helping me,” Leo replied, spinning her in a particularly dizzying twirl. There was something he wasn’t telling her…something more to his reasoning.
“But, Leo—”
“Shh,” he said, pulling her closer and whispering against her ear. “Just listen to the music.”
“There is no mus—”
“Shh,” he said again.
With a sigh, Ella fell silent and closed her eyes, letting the man do as he wished. But as she began to relax, he slowed his steps and her lashes fluttered up.
He brushed his thumb across her jaw and cradled the nap of her neck. “Why do you close your eyes?”
Her face heated, and she dropped her gaze to the opening of his collar where a peek of tanned skin shone through. “It makes me feel free.”
They stopped in the middle of the room. Ella clung to the man, feeling as if she still spun. Slowly, her gaze traveled up his chest and clashed with those eerie amber eyes. What was he thinking?
“You are very different from what I expected,” he said.
She wasn’t sure if that was a good or not. “Yes, well, I suppose most people are.”
His gaze grew hard, serious. “No, sadly, most people are exactly as they portray themselves. Remember that, Ella: If you have a bad feeling about someone, it’s generally true.”
“What about you? I feared you at first, but you proved me wrong. I do not fear you now,” she said.
His eyes seemed to darken, and she could feel every muscle in his body tighten. “You should.”
Before she could respond, his lips captured hers. She wanted to pull back, truly she did. Yet, she couldn’t seem to push him away. Instead, Ella sank into Leo, and his lips softened. Heat raced through her body, pooling in the pit of her stomach. She had the sudden urge to groan, to cuddle up closer to him and had no idea why. He tasted of tea…of mint…and something unidentifiable that could only be him. Without thought, without any regard to her reputation, she moaned.
As if understanding her need, Leo tightened his hold and slipped his tongue across her lips. Shock made her gasp. The deep ache that flooded her body made her part her lips for more. Accepting her unspoken invitation, his tongue swept into her mouth, rubbing against her own.
Pleasurable need settled deep in the pit of her belly. She knew men and women kissed this way—she’d heard the stories—but she had no idea she would actually like the act. He seemed to fill her—his scent, his heat—and there was nothing she could do to prevent him from branding her with his mouth.
“Ahem.”
Someone cleared his throat. The sound raked across Ella’s consciousness, scattering her heated desire. She tore her mouth from Leo’s, her breath coming out in harsh gasps. A tall, thin man stood in the doorway with a grin on his dark face. She didn’t know who he was, but it didn’t matter.
Humiliation made her flee. Without a word, without thinking, she rushed through the open doors and into the garden. A cool breeze brushed across the skies and cooled her fevered skin. She stopped only when she reached the middle of the rose garden, her hands pressed to her flushed cheeks.
Leo had kissed her!
She’d kissed Leo!
“Ella? Is everything all right?”
She spun around. Lord Roberts stood there, his bushy gray brows drawn together. Ella felt the burn of tears and turned her head, humiliated. Not now, she couldn’t cry now. How would she explain her tears? I’m sorry, sir, but I kissed the very grandchild you hired me to teach? It was…wrong…perverted in some way, and she highly doubted Lord Roberts would accept her apology.
“Oh Ella, come sit here, my dear.” He took her arm and led her toward a marble bench. With no other alternative, she sat beside him.
“What troubles you? Has my grandson been difficult?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, he hasn’t. Not really.” And he hadn’t been difficult. Certainly not as difficult as Lady Buckley’s children had first been. But what was difficult were the feelings he stirred within.
Lord Roberts pushed a handkerchief into her hand. “Do you regret your decision?”
She toyed with the square cloth. How could she answer that question? The sensible part of her warned she should regret her choice and the way she felt around Leo. But the insensible part…that deep, aching part that throbbed in the pit of her belly begged for more time with the man.
“Ella, I do not know what happened, but you must realize how much you’ve changed my grandson in the few days you’ve been here.”
She gave the man a sidelong glance. “He…he’s changed?”
“Oh, yes.” There was only honesty in his gaze. “I’ve never seen him interested in anyone before. Not like he is fascinated with you.”
She blushed, even as the thought, for some reason, warmed her.
“Leo’s been so silent. I don’t know what he remembers of his past, how he feels about what has happened, what he’s been through. I haven’t the slightest idea. And he won’t talk to me. But maybe…” He turned to face her. “Maybe he’ll talk to you.”
Ella shifted. She shouldn’t talk to Leo. She should teach him and move on. Talking was too intimate, too friendly. And perhaps part of her didn’t