the financial mistakes that my uncle and father have made.” I leaned back against the chair behind me. “What would you do with my money and privilege?”
She hesitated, looking at the flames, but I could see interest in her gaze. “Travel, perhaps. I would love to see the sites in Italy. Maybe open a home for women in need, a place where mothers wouldn’t have to give up their children to orphanages because they can’t afford them. Or, a school to teach girls what boys get to learn.”
“Such as astronomy?”
She nodded.
Of course. Why did it not surprise me that she’d want to do something good? I should have scoffed. At the least, I should have thought her idea impractical. “I do play the piano.”
She looked surprised and leery, as if she didn’t believe me. “Do you?”
Other than the servants, Chris and my mother were the only two people who knew I played. However, no one realized how much I enjoyed it. Why did I tell her? “And I might write my own music, upon occasion.”
Her brows lifted. I’d finally impressed her, and for some reason, that mattered. “Truly?”
I could feel the heat rising to my neck. Hell, I hadn’t blushed since I was a lad. “Tis nothing. When I was young, I mentioned that playing the piano was for ladies. As punishment one day, my father forced me to take lessons.”
She frowned. Really, it was one of his least harsh punishments, but the fact that she was upset touched me in a way that it shouldn’t.
“If he would have realized I enjoyed it, he would have immediately stopped the lessons.”
“So, you made sure to complain?” At my nod, she smiled. “I play as well, but do not have half your talent. Will you play something for me?”
She’d heard me playing. Her interest and her compliments made me uneasy. “I only play for my mistresses.”
She sighed in exasperation.
I flipped two cards. She won.
“Did you truly try and kill your father?”
I wasn’t startled by her question, wasn’t surprised she’d heard the gossip. “No. If I’d wanted him dead, I would have succeeded.”
“Not amusing,” she muttered.
I’d never really discussed what had happened, because I hadn’t cared what people thought. “I didn’t try to kill my father. It was a hunting accident. Poachers, they believe, shot off a gun. It grazed his head, made him fall. He hasn’t been the same since.”
“Why do they think you did it?”
I shrugged. “Perhaps because my father and I never got along. There is also the fact that my father most likely killed his own brother for the title, and everyone knows it.”
Ginny gasped.
“Yes, I have a lovely family. Now, my turn.” I hesitated, studying the soft curves of her face, the way her skin glowed under the light of the fire. Did she have gypsy in her? It didn’t matter. “Can I kiss you?”
I could see the look of indecision in her gaze, right before she dropped her attention to the floor. A heated desire that warred with fear. She wanted me; however, she didn’t want to want me.
“Answer the question, Ginny, or take off your gown.”
Her gaze met mine. There was no hesitation there. She was bold, daring and completely seductive. “Yes. You can kiss me.”
My chest grew tight. Blood pounded in my veins. I reached out, resting my hand on the side of her face. Lord, she was soft. So damn soft. My lips found hers. She tasted of tea, of lemon, of sugar. Blood surged to my cock. My thumb brushed her chin, urging her to open for me. When she parted her lips on a sigh, I made quick work of sliding my tongue into her mouth.
I slid my arms around her back and pulled her onto my lap. Desire roared between us. The hard points of her nipples pressed into my chest, our clothing a pathetic buffer. The moment her bottom settled on my erection, she gasped. There was no hiding how much I wanted her. My body pulsed with heat. It was so damn difficult not to take her then and there.
“God, you feel good,” I muttered against her mouth.
She didn’t hold back, but slid her fingers into my hair, tugging almost painfully at the strands. The seductress nipped at my bottom lip as she shifted on my lap, rubbing against my cock. She was feral. So damn tempting. She was killing me. I knew she would not cower or whimper. Oh, the many things I wanted to do to her.