No woman had ever commanded his single-minded focus. No woman made him want to truly let her know him. For years, he’d been seen as good for nothing more than carousing, gambling, and whoring, so he had reveled like no one else, gambled away his every cent, and made himself into a literal whore. He’d thought himself content with that, but Calliope had forced him to reexamine his position and realize that he couldn’t go on like this.
He couldn’t go on without her.
So, when he arrived at the residence of the viscount, it was with one mission in mind. He would convince Calliope that he was the better choice, an uphill battle to be sure.
As Thorpe was led off by a servant to unpack Nick’s things, another footman was enlisted to show him to a drawing room, wherein the majority of the guests had gathered. The sound of voices and laughter rang out at him through the open doors, and he guessed rightly that parlor games were afoot.
The bright light of the open space illuminated Calliope, who stood in the midst of the room, all the furniture pushed aside. The other occupants stood about, hands over mouths to keep from laughing as she groped about wearing a blindfold. While several pairs of eyes landed on him, Nick couldn’t take his gaze off Calliope.
She wore yellow again today—which must be her favorite color, for she wore it often. The sharp contrast with her skin made her look like a vibrant bird, the room seeming bland and washed out with her as its focal point. She was laughing, her lips stretched in a smile as she stumbled in his direction. Lewes stood nearby, looking at Nick as if offended by his very presence.
The ladies giggled and flitted out of Calliope’s path, while Nick held his ground. Further into the room, the others watched, amused, as she swept an arm out and narrowly missed taking hold of another woman’s arm.
“Drat,” she muttered, turning back toward him and moving unsteadily forward. “I feel as if I am nearly clear of the room by now.”
“You’re doing fine, Callie!” Diana called out, face pink with the effort not to laugh. “In fact, if you simply continue straight on …”
Lewes made a derisive sound at that, but Nick ignored him, standing right in Calliope’s path and waiting for her to find him. He lifted his hands to catch her when she fell into him, a breathless laugh escaping her as she clung to his biceps.
“Caught you, whoever you are. Now, let’s see … who have I found? You’re too tall to be Papa, I think.”
Her hands slid up his arms and shoulders, and Nick tensed, certain everyone in the room would be able to see his visceral reaction to her. He bit back a desperate groan when her fingers stroked along his neck up to his jaw, her touch featherlight and tortuous.
Calliope’s brow furrowed as she traced the line of his nose up to his brow, her lips parting as she let out a little sound of shock.
“Dominick?” she whispered, so low that only he could hear.
Giving her arms a light squeeze, he let his thumbs stroke over the bare skin just below her sleeves. “Hello, goddess.”
She stiffened with a little gasp, using one hand to push up her blindfold. Then, she was staring up at him in disbelief, lips parted and eyes wide enough to drown in. Nick swayed toward her, and just barely reined himself in before dipping his head to steal a kiss. There would be time enough for him to get her off alone, and the last thing he wanted was to publicly ruin her.
“M-Mr. Burke!” she exclaimed a bit louder, her voice shrill as she took his arm and spun to face the other occupants of the room. “How terrible of you not to announce your arrival. I suppose you must wear the blindfold next since I captured you and guessed correctly. But first, I want to introduce you to everyone.”
Nick greeted Hastings and the countess, giving a short nod to Lewes, who looked as if he wanted nothing more than to snatch Calliope away from him. It only made him tuck her hand more securely into the bend of his arm, content to keep her near him as long as she would allow it. All the better if their proximity caused Lewes upset. He hoped the man choked on his jealousy.
He was then introduced to a pair of gray-haired matrons who