Bad Boys Ahoy!

'I should think so,' Magnus grumbled. 'Fontaine is an excellent catch.'

Julienne blinked. 'Lucien is a wonderful catch as well. Any woman would be lucky to have him.'

'Then why won't you?' the duke challenged.

'Yes, Julienne,' purred Lucien behind her. She spun to face him and found him leaning against the door jamb, with his arms crossed. 'Why won't you?'

'You know very well why!'

'I don't,' Amanda said. 'Tell me.'

Julienne lifted her chin. 'He wants me for all the wrong reasons, and when he tires of me, he intends to dally as he pleases.'

'Hell and damnation, son.' His Grace roared with laughter. 'Never tell a woman that before the vows are spoken.'

'Glass!' Amanda cried, placing her hands on her hips. 'I'm ashamed of both of you.'

'She'd allow Fontaine to chase skirts,' Lucien said defensively, 'but not me. It's not fair.'

'That's different,' returned Amanda and Julienne in unison.

'Indeed?' Lucien said with a quirk of his brow.

'Indeed?' joined the duke as he walked over to his son. 'Explain yourselves.' The two almost identical men faced their women with identical arched brows.

Amanda rolled her eyes. 'Men are so dense.' She pierced Magnus with a steely stare. 'Would I allow you to dally, Glass?'

His face colored. 'Hell, Amanda. You'd probably unman me.'

'And why is that?' she asked.

Julienne saw where the conversation was headed and rounded the settee. 'This is entirely unnecessary. We were discussing a picnic and-'

'Hush, Julienne,' Lucien ordered. 'I intend to hear this.'

'Because you love me, of course,' the Duke of Glasser said, with a proud tilt to his chin. 'And you're damned possessive.'

'There you have it!' Amanda gave a triumphant nod. 'And you wouldn't take another woman regardless, because you love me in return.'

Lucien stood immobile by the parlor doors. 'Are you saying, Mother, that Julienne won't marry me because she loves me?'

Amanda shook her head. 'What I'm saying is, Lady Julienne won't marry you because you don't love her. Or if you do, you won't admit it.'

'And you believe Fontaine loves her?' he choked out.

'Lucien, it's not Fontaine's feelings that matter.' His mother rolled her eyes. 'You may be a genius with money, but when it comes to women, you're positively dense.'

Julienne had quite enough of this conversation. 'Thank you very much for your hospitality, Madam Remington, but I'm afraid I must depart now.'

'Like hell.' Lucien blocked the doorway. 'You promised me a picnic, and we're damn well having one.'

'I'm not dressed to go out,' Amanda complained.

'Then we'll have it here.' He craned his neck into the hallway and yelled for the butler. When the servant appeared, Lucien sent the man to retrieve the basket. Then he looked at Julienne again.

'I'm not feeling well,' she said hoarsely.

Lucien approached her with a soft smile. 'Lovesick?'

Her stricken gaze met his. 'To hell with you, you conceited man.'

'I'm already there, sweet. I've been there since I met you.'

'If I'm such a source of misery for you, why do you seek me out?'

'You are not the source, my love. My own foolishness is.'

Her throat tight, Julienne whispered, 'Cease calling me that. We both know it's not true.'

With gentle fingers, he tucked a stray curl behind her ear, then cupped her cheek. He brushed away an errant tear with his thumb. Lowering his head, he pressed his lips gently to hers, paying no heed to his parents behind him.

'Lucien, your parents…' she whispered, her face flaming with embarrassment.

'Don't mind us,' Amanda called out. 'Just pretend we're not here.'

Julienne's mouth twitched. She rather liked Lucien's parents. 'What do you want from me, Lucien?'

'A chance,' he said softly. 'Keep Fontaine at bay until the end of the Season.'

She frowned. 'Why?'

'Do you love me, Julienne?'

'Lucien…' she breathed, dismayed that he'd asked her so bluntly. 'You ask for too much.'

'I ask for time to win you.' His velvety voice curled around her, low and seductive in its promise. 'If marriage to me is something you'd never consider, then say so, and I won't pursue you any further. But if the possibility exists that you would consent to be mine, I want you to give me that chance.'

She pulled back and searched his face. 'You're serious.'

'I am,' he agreed, with a tender smile. 'Would you marry me if I could change?'

'I don't know. I'm not certain we could be happy together. Not for the duration of our lives.'

'And you believe Fontaine can make you happy? How could he, when you are in love with me?'

Julienne shrugged as tears gathered in her eyes. 'I didn't choose to feel this way about you, Lucien. This situation would be so much easier if I didn't care.'

'Don't cry,' he said gruffly, tugging her closer. 'I realize I'm asking for too much. You would have to relinquish the life you know and begin anew with me, a social pariah. But I'm obscenely wealthy and the handsomest man in all of England-'

'Good grief! You remember that?' She blushed.

'How could I forget?' Lucien rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb. 'How about a lifetime in my bed? I can promise to love your body to distraction at every possible opportunity. I can give you the kind of happiness you never knew existed. I can buy you things you never thought to have. I can make your life so pleasant that perhaps the condemning opinion of others will hurt you less.'

And Julienne knew if Lucien Remington set his mind to making her happy, he would do everything possible to ensure that she was. 'It certainly sounds appealing,' she agreed breathlessly, her heart warming at the picture he presented. A lifetime with him. It wouldn't be easy, but perhaps it could be worth it. If he loved her.

'The picnic is ready,' Amanda said cheerfully.

They turned to find the furniture moved aside to create a large space in the center of the room. In the middle lay the picnic blanket and all of the food.

The next couple of hours were some of the most enjoyable Lucien could ever remember spending. His father and mother told bawdy stories from some of their infamous parties, and Julienne was obviously both scandalized and fascinated by the tales. The food was wonderful, as he'd known it would be, and the company delightful, surrounded as he was by the people who meant the most to him.

He was extremely disappointed when it came time for Julienne to bid farewell. Lucien escorted her to her mount and watched her until she rode out of sight, accompanied by her maid and two of his mother's groomsmen.

When he reentered the parlor, he saw his parents, arms around each other, looking out the window. Amanda turned her head to look at him. 'We really like her, Lucien.'

He smiled. 'Everyone does.'

She walked over to her escritoire and returned with a letter. 'Look at her acceptance of my invitation to tea. So gracious and sweet. The king could not have received a more respectful response.'

Lucien glanced down at the missive and nodded. 'She has a way of making people feel worthy.'

'She adores you. She's too innocent to hide it.'

His grin widened. 'She's looked at me in that fashion since the moment I laid eyes on her.' He ran a hand through his hair. 'And I've been a complete idiot where she's concerned from the very beginning. I've said and done things I deeply regret.'