Page 67 of Every Rake Has A Silver Lining

When he stepped inside, his breath hitched in his throat.

At the window, Charlotte stood in silhouette from the bright full moon, giving her an unworldly appearance, like a fairy queen. Warm and inviting, the moonlight glowed against her skin.

“I brought dessert.” He cringed as his voice cracked like a boy transitioning to manhood.

Charlotte spun toward him. “I thought you were Rose.”

After placing the tray on a table, he grinned. “I’m not as pretty as Rose.”

A laugh sounded behind him, and the door closed with aclick.

“Is she gone?” he whispered.

“Yes. And I believe you may have finally won over my maid. Have you actually looked at Rose?”

“To me, all women are pretty. Some”—he stared pointedly at her—“are beautiful.”

“Flattery is not on my list of things to win me over.”

He pulled out a chair and motioned her over. “It’s not flattery if it’s true.”

Her gaze drifted to the dessert tray. “Is that trifle?”

“Yes. I didn’t want you to miss it. Now come.”

As she took the offered seat, she studied him from under thick lashes. “Don’t you ever give up?”

“Hopeless causes are my favorite.” He made himself comfortable in the chair across from her.

“Enjoy disappointment, do you?” She spooned up some of the orange trifle. Those lush lashes drifted down as she closed her eyes, and an expression of bliss slid across her face as she savored the dessert.

Mentally, he patted himself on the back for the idea. “If this is disappointment, I’ve been avoiding it unnecessarily.” He propped his chin on his hand and waited for her to open her eyes.

“What are you staring at?”

“You. The way you licked that spoon . . .”

“Wipe that stupid grin off your face. Don’t you tire of looking like a fool?”

“I’m just appreciating how you enjoy your dessert. Last year at the house party, I noticed you favored it. So I asked Cook to make some.”

Her mouth formed a littleOhe found rather erotic.“Because I enjoy it?”

He pressed his lips together, fighting what she called the ridiculous grin.

Before he could respond in a manner she would find more dignified, she cocked her head. “Oh. I see. You thought I would be so overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness that I would swoon at your feet.” She waved a hand around her. “Conveniently in my bedroom.”

She jabbed at the trifle with an aggression that would have had the thing fleeing for its life had it been alive, then spooned it into her mouth. After she swallowed, she said, “But if you had really taken notice of my preferences, you would know I like my orange trifle with chocolate shavings on top.”

He tucked that away for a later date. At the moment, he simply enjoyed watching her eat.

Finished, she pushed the dish away. “Aren’t you going to eat yours?”

When her gaze slid to his still untouched dessert, he pulled it closer. “Yes, and I would ask you to stop lusting after it. I see the hunger in your eyes.”

“You’re in—” She snapped her mouth shut and huffed.

Laughing, he spooned up some of his dessert, enjoying it with dramatic flair. “Mmmm. So good.” He licked his spoon, his tongue lingering on the back of the bowl and his eyes never leaving hers.

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