“I like you—a great deal, in fact. If you hadn’t made it clear that you aren’t interested in marrying again, I would have asked to court you. But since that is not an option, I wondered if we might still spend time together as friends.” He worked up his courage. “Very good friends.”

Blast, that wasn’t at all what he’d meant to say. He couldn’t seem to form the words. Because it was too brazen. It was almost scandalous.

She stopped and took her hand from his arm. “I sense you are nervous.”

He relaxed slightly. “I am. Thank you for noticing. Why do I feel as if you already know me better than almost anyone I’ve ever known?”

“I’m sure I couldn’t say,” she murmured.

“I’ve particularly enjoyed our mock flirtation, and in the interest of honesty, I should tell you that it hasn’t been practice for me. I mean, it has, but it’s also been genuine. I find myself attracted to you in ways I’ve never experienced. I’ve never wanted to be…intimate with a woman before.”

Her eyes widened briefly. “Oh. Well.” Pink bloomed in her cheeks. “Never? As in, you haven’t…?”

Gregory shook his head. He sometimes felt embarrassed about his choice to remain celibate, but it depended on the company he was with. His father had encouraged him to do so, saying he would make a better bishop if he waited until he was wed. That sentiment had been encouraged by Clifford’s excessively profligate behavior after he’d left Oxford. Both their father and mother had been horrified by his gambling, drinking, and philandering. They’d cautioned Gregory against following his brother’s path, and Gregory hadn’t wanted to emulate his brother in any way. It had helped that Gregory truly hadn’t been moved to even try to bed a woman.

“I want to make sure I understand,” Mrs. Renshaw said. “You’re a virgin?”

“Yes.”

“Are you hoping to change that state?” She paused, her entrancing blue eyes holding his. “With me?”

Now he grimaced. “This is really too beastly of me. Forget I mentioned anything.” He started to turn, but she closed her hand around his forearm.

“No. I’m flattered. The truth is that I am also attracted to you. In ways I haven’t been in a very, very long time. Perhaps ever,” she added so quietly that he wasn’t entirely sure she’d said it.

Now it was his turn to feel a rush of heat to his face, and he wondered if his cheeks were also turning pink. “That’s rather lovely to hear. What should we do?”

“I think, perhaps, we ought to start with a kiss.”

Chapter 5

Run. Away.