"I think he's right there, love. " Monty had dropped out of the game an hour ago to simply watch, a wicked smile on his face the whole while. "Best pay up. "
She was feeling a little wild and reckless, but in a surprisingly good way. She leaned back against the pillows beside Monty, looting into Pagett's face. Now that he was no longer so grim he was actually quite handsome, and the premature lines only seemed to add to his appeal. He was going to make some pretty little mouse of a girl a most excellent husband. Unless he planned to spend his married life celibate as well.
"La, sir, I came out without my purse," she said archly. "Will you take my marker?"
"Don't trust her, Simon. She's got wicked wiles, and she'll run off without paying. "
"You can always take it in trade," she said.
The words hung there for a moment, and the impenetrable, stony expression was back on Simon's face, the one she couldn't read. Contempt and disapproval, no doubt. With a tinge of guilt?
"Don't look like that," she said gaily. "I heard something in church, once, when I wasn't daydreaming. "The truth shall set you free. ' Isn't that right? You think I'm a whore and you said so. I'm not arguing, I'm simply offering you my wares in exchange for the gambling debt. "
"Don't. ” The word was short and sharp.
She'd gotten a rise out of him. Not the right sort, of course. She suspected that particular part of his anatomy no longer worked, not if Simon Pagett told it not to. Her smile widened. "Oh, yes, that's right, you don't partake of pleasures of the flesh. Well, then, I'll simply have to owe you. "
He'd moved down off the bed, reaching for his black coat, and Lina slid off beside him, her wide skirts rustling. She put a hand on his arm. "Oh, don't sulk. Admit it, we've had a pleasant night of it Quite the best night I've had in years," she said with a yawn she couldn't quite control. "We haven't fought, and clearly I've forgiven you your earlier gaucherie. "
"Clearly," he said with a grim twist to his mouth. "It's late. I should go to bed. "
"It's early. In the morning," she amended. She suddenly realized she was standing too close to him. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but for some reason his accidental nearness brought up strange feelings inside her. He was tall, yet he didn't make her feel weak, something that always brought out the worst in her. He gave the impression of quiet strength, when she was lured by noise and brightness. He was waging a battle for Monty's soul, and she fought with the devil on the other side. And yet. . .
She dismissed the odd, vulnerable feeling brutally. "You can always
come to my room and I'll give you my voucher," she said in a silken voice. "For the debt I owe you,” she added, giving her most seductive smile.
“Don't. " The word was short and sharp.
She'd gotten a rise out of him. Not the right sort, of course. She suspected that particular part of his anatomy no longer worked> not if Simon Pagett told it not to. Her smile widened. "Oh, yes, that's right, you don't partake of pleasures of the flesh. Well, then, I'll simply have to owe you. "
He'd moved down off the bed, reaching for his black coat, and Lina slid off beside him, her wide skirts rustling. She put a hand on his arm. "Oh, don't sulk. Admit it, we've had a pleasant night of it. Quite the best night I've had in years," she said with a yawn she couldn't quite control. "We haven't fought, and clearly I've forgiven you your earlier gaucherie. "
"Clearly," he said with a grim twist to his mouth. "It's late. I should go to bed. "
"It's early. In the morning," she amended. She suddenly realized she was standing too dose to him. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but for some reason his accidental nearness brought up strange feelings inside her. He was tall, yet he didn't make her feel weak, something that always brought out the worst in her. He gave the impression of quiet strength, when she was lured by noise and brightness. He was waging a battle for Monty's soul, and she fought with the devil on the other side. And yet. . .
She dismissed the odd, vulnerable feeling brutally. "You can always come to my room and I'll give you my voucher," she said in a silken voice. "For the debt I owe you," she added, giving him her most seductive smile.
“Don't. "
'There's that word again. It must be one of your favorites. Don't. No. Shall we add never to the list?"
Monty was sound asleep, and they both knew it. "Never is a dangerous word. Lady Whitmore," he said in an even voice. "And you know as well as I do that our stakes were artificial. "
Author: Anne Stuart
For a moment she didn't move. She wanted to be closer to him, to press up against him and have him put his arms around her, holding her. He was strong, in ways she couldn't even begin to comprehend, and that strength drew her to a dangerous degree. She wanted to bury her face against the somber black cloth of his coat, she wanted to stop smiling, stop laughing, stop dancing.
She wanted to run as far and as fast as she could.
She took a swaying step toward him, her most seductive smile on her lips. The carmine red had worn off hours ago, but she knew her mouth was one of her best features, full and inviting. Men loved her mouth, and Simon Pagett, beneath everything, was simply a man. "Our stakes were artificial," she murmured, "but my offer is entirely genuine. " She reached out and gently stroked his chest, her fingers dancing on the thick wool. He caught her hand, stopping her. But he didn't release her fingers.
"Lady Whitmore," he said, and his voice sounded weary, "there is very little about you that is genuine. You aren’t the strumpet you wish you were. In feet, you are a kind woman who loves Montague very much, and for that I'm grateful. "
"You have no cause nor right to be grateful," she said, her languor vanishing. "My affection for Monty has nothing to do with you. " She tried to pull her hand free, but his grip lightened, and she was right. He was quite strong.
"True. But my feelings are my own. I reserve the right to feel anything I wish. Gratitude, disapproval. ”