Page 42 of One Scandal Too Many
He sighed. “I could still win this hand.”
“You could,” she agreed. “But it all depends on what you decide to do next.”
He glanced at the cards and then back at her. “I think I am going to take my chances.” Declan smiled. “I don’t want another card.”
She smiled and then flipped the card over next to her ten. It was a three. “All right,” she said. “I’ll flip another card.” Charlotte laid another card next to hers. It was a nine. “Well,” she said. “I guess I lose.”
Now to decide what to remove. She didn’t have any smaller items of clothing to remove. There were the pins in her hair, andshe could start with those. They were technically an item she was wearing. She wasn’t quite ready to remove her gown, and when she did it wouldn’t be something she could do herself. He would have to help with all the tiny clasps at the back.
“Yes,” he agreed. “Now it’s time to pay your debt.”
He was enjoying this far too much. “And I intend to.” She started pulling all the pins out of her hair until her golden hair fell over her shoulder in soft waves. Charlotte had thought he would complain about the choice she had made, but when she met his gaze, it was filled with even more desire than it had been before. He clenched his hands to fists as if he was barely restraining himself from touching her. Charlotte held out the pins. “I believe these are yours.”
He held out his open palm and she dropped them there. “Thank you,” he said. His voice was hoarse as he spoke. “I’ll keep them safe.”
“It’s your turn to deal,” she told him.
Declan took the cards and shuffled them and dealt. She had a four and a six. He flipped over one of his cards and showed an eight. “I’ll take a card,” she said. Ten wasn’t terrible, but not a winning hand.
He flipped over another card and gave her a nine. “I’ll stay,” she told him.
Declan flipped over his other card. It was a four. He flipped another card, and it was a ten. “I lose this time.”
“It looks like the dealer is having the bad luck tonight.” She grinned. “It’s your turn to give me an item.”
“It will be my pleasure,” he told her. He loosened his cravat and unwound it from his neck, then dropped it in her lap. “There you are, darling,” he said playfully. “Hold on to that. We might want to use it later.”
“Whatever for?” She frowned. Perhaps she shouldn’t ask too many questions. Though the idea of using his cravat forsomething it hadn’t been intended for seemed... oddly appealing. She shook her head. “It’s all right. I don’t wish to know.” At least not yet. “It’s my turn to deal.”
She shuffled the cards and then dealt them. This time she won again, and he removed his waistcoat. Charlotte cursed her desire to see him naked again. The last time he hadn’t been this close, and she wanted to get her fill of that blessed sight. If he lost one more time he’d have to remove that shirt. She was turning into a wanton woman, and she couldn’t find a reason to care. Charlotte wanted him, and she wasn’t going to chastise herself any longer for it.
They played another hand; Declan lost again. He was really not having a lot of luck. He grinned. “I owe you another item of clothing.” He pulled his white linen shirt out of his pants and slowly lifted it over his head. He tossed it over to her and leaned back against the settee. He was perfectly comfortable in his nakedness. And why wouldn’t he be? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t already seen him naked before. “Perhaps this time I won’t lose.” He raked his gaze over her. “You’re still far more dressed than I am.”
She swallowed hard. “You’re bound to win again. The odds cannot be totally in my favor.”
They played again, and she lost. It was bound to happen. That didn’t mean she wasn’t anxious at the idea of taking off her gown. She stood and looked at him over her shoulder. “Care to help a lady out of her gown?” She lowered her lashes and licked her lips. “I can’t reach the clasps on my own.”
Declan stood, and he towered over her. He lifted his hand and trailed a finger down her back. “I’ve imagined undressing you so many times,” he admitted. “This almost doesn’t seem real.”
“Well,” she said in a husky tone. “It’s only my dress. I’ll still have something on.”
“Still,” he began. “It’s more than I’ve seen before.” He leaned a little closer. “It’s more than I’ve hoped for.” He began to unfasten the clasps slowly as if he was savoring every second of removing her gown.
She held her breath as desire flooded her. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to remove her stays too. Then all she would have was her shift—that would not be much of a barrier. Finally, he undid the final clasp and pulled her gown loose. She stepped out of the gown and turned to face him. His breath hitched, and he started to step closer to her. This was it. The final step that would make her truly ruined, and Charlotte wanted nothing more. Her heart belonged to him, and she wanted to be completely his—body and soul.
*
Declan’s hand shookas he lowered her gown away from her body. Her hair fell down her back in soft waves that tempted him. He wanted to touch her. Not just those glossy locks, but every inch of her soft skin. Her allure pulled him and kept him riveted. He should tell her that it was time to play the game again, but he forgot his reasons for insisting on doing anything other than stroking her to the brink of pleasure, then starting all over again until she begged him for release.
“Darling.” His tone was gravelly as he uttered that word. Declan was on the edge of losing all control. “I need to kiss you.”
“Yes,” she replied breathlessly. “I need that too.”
Somehow he had to regain control and slow this down. He didn’t want to rush her. Instead of claiming her mouth as he wanted to, he trailed kisses over her shoulder. Declan could kiss her like this all night. She curled against him, and nothing had ever felt more right. He lifted his hand and curved it around her waist, then pulled her even closer to him. There were still far toomany clothes between them. He wanted them gone, and as fast as possible.
“We can play more vingt-et-un,” he said. His voice so hoarse the words weren’t more than a whisper. He didn’t want to play the game anymore, but he had to give her choices. She meant too much to him not to allow her to make decisions for herself. She was an innocent. Declan shouldn’t even be touching her. At least not like this. He hadn’t even made her any promises.
“Do you want to?” she asked breathlessly.
