Valiant (Gentlemen of the Order #3) - Adele Clee Page 0,52
stumble back, terrified. “Odd this isn’t the first time I’ve been accosted by the smell of your cologne in this room.”
He stretched languidly and crossed his legs at the ankles to ease the ache in his loins. “I’ve been waiting for some time.”
“You entered my bedchamber last night while I slept.”
“Is that a statement or merely conjecture?” He threw a pack of playing cards onto the bed. “Pick a card, Vivienne. Let’s see who will be the question master and who will bare their soul.”
“It seems I have the devil’s luck, sir. Are you sure you want to play?”
“The law of averages suggests you will confess a secret at some point. You can pick my card. I have the utmost faith you will do what is right.” It was time she knew she had his trust and respect.
He felt the spark of excitement in the air before hearing her light laugh. “Very well. Be warned, this is a game of truths. Play only if you’re brave enough to speak from the heart.”
“It’s also a game of forfeits. Play only if you’re willing to do as I command.”
The hitch in her breath fed his growing desire.
“Perhaps I’ll be the one issuing commands,” she said. “In the absence of a maid, I might have you light the lamp and pull back the coverlet.”
And he would do both willingly, for he would have every inch of her naked body bathed in light when he lowered her down onto the bed.
She removed her gloves, though did not slip them down slowly to seduce him into submission. She tugged them off as if braced for a challenge. He liked that. He liked the fact she aroused him without the fake artifice. And while she shuffled the cards like a novice, she drew with the skill of a cardsharp.
“The ace of spades.” She flashed the card, though it was impossible to see it clearly against the dim firelight. “There is little point drawing a card for you. Do you concede?”
“An ace? Madam, let us hope you’re not about to rob me of my pocket watch while my attention is diverted.” Another ace would force her to draw again, but he wasn’t playing to win the game of questions. He was playing for a far greater prize. “But yes, I concede.”
“Excellent.” She paused while deliberating, yet he knew the question she longed to ask. “Why did you enter my bedchamber last night without seeking permission?”
The truth filled him with the same warm—yet confounding—tenderness he’d experienced last night. “I was drawn here, drawn by a feeling I cannot explain. But the need to see you sleeping peacefully after the stresses of the day brought surprising comfort.”
She touched her hand to her throat but didn’t speak.
“Draw again, Vivienne.”
After some fumbling with the cards, she pulled two from the pack. “Ten of diamonds. You have the seven of clubs. It’s my turn again, Mr Sloane.”
Evan rubbed his thighs. “Let me save some time. You want to know why I left you alone in the drawing room and came upstairs. Why I didn’t devour your mouth when I’ve hungered for you all day.”
She stepped closer and gripped the bedpost. “Have you? Have you hungered for me all day?”
“Is that your question?” he teased. “For it is unlike you to ask something which is so blatantly obvious.”
“A woman is often plagued with doubts.”
“Then why do you think I came upstairs?” He doubted she had the measure of the situation. Indeed, he had only just come to the logical conclusion himself.
“Seeing Mrs Worthing tonight brought a marked change in you.” She sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped, still holding the post as if expecting devastating news. “You must miss entertaining your friends, miss the freedom that comes with doing as you please. Know I will not outstay my welcome. Soon, I shall be gone, and you can continue as before.”
Gone!
The word hit him like an uppercut to the jaw. Gone. It meant to be left alone, lost and hopeless. Gone. Nausea bubbled in his stomach. His lungs screamed for air, yet he was still breathing.
Evan sat up straight. “Loneliness can make a man behave indelicately. A man might make excuses for the incorrect choices he makes when his heart craves companionship.”
“I know what it’s like to be lonely. I’m telling you I understand. You wish to surround yourself with people, and I am in the way.”
“I wish to surround myself with you, Vivienne, no one else.” He wanted her bare