Page 25 of Ruthless with a Rogue
She shot him a pointed look and winged a brow.He arched one back.A battle of the brows.Laughter fluttered through her chest.She tried to hold it back, tried to remain unfazed, but an embarrassing wheezy snort escaped her.Any mortification was fleeting, eclipsed by the soft, genuine amusement alive in the enigmatic irises fixed on her.She wondered how often this sardonic man laughed.Laughed in truth.
Then he let his fingers trail down her neck to cradle her nape.Her head instantly tipped back, like he had some invisible pull in the palm of his hand.Her mouth flattened.How in the fractions did he manage that?She glared at him.And the man had the nerve to chuckle.
Then he stepped away, and cold air swirled around her.“I’ll leave you to get ready.”
He strode to the door and opened it.A maid stood in the hall; she instantly curtsied.
“Please assist my guest in getting dressed.Ring for me when she’s ready.”
“Yes, milord.”
“Ready for what?”Livy called.
Lord Dunmore paused in closing the door, gaze clashing with hers.“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
17
Derek
Derekpacedthehalloutside his private rooms.He’d already gone downstairs and had a quick drink.He glanced at his pocket watch.Twenty minutes.How long did it take women to get ready?Normally, he’d guess hours—having to prep and primp in front of a looking glass while they admired themselves.But he had a feeling that didn’t apply to Miss Forester.He doubted she even realized how beautiful she was.If she did, she would weaponize it.
He couldn’t wait to see her in the dress he’d selected.Not an easy task to procure on such short notice, but enough coin at London’s most sought-after modiste tended to quicken deadlines.That and Lady Rutledge likely funded the entire establishment with her frequent patronage.All he’d had to do was mention he was a friend of the Rutledges, and he’d been welcomed with open arms.
The snick of the door echoed in the hall, and he froze.
The maid slid from the room and closed the door behind her.Her eyes glimmered mischievously as she bobbed a curtsy.“She’s ready, milord.”Her lips pursed in a knowing smile, and then she sauntered off.
Derek’s heart drummed against his breastbone.Anticipation skittered through his veins, fingers shaking slightly as he pushed the door open.He stepped in and quickly shut the door behind him.Miss Forester was facing away from him, but he already knew he’d made the right choice.The black silk clung to her like his hands itched to.He could see the exact spot her hips curved, where her arse curved.He groaned.
Miss Forester spun—
And he lost all ability to speak.All he could do was gape.
The black silk of her gown was lined with gold piping over the bodice, a gold that matched her mask perfectly.A bodice that pushed up her small breasts into a mouthwatering display.A single teardrop pearl hung in the center of the heart-shaped neckline.Like the modiste was determined to force a man’s gaze to those breasts.
Had he said they were nothing special?Fool.
But it wasn’t just the bodice.A gold ribbon was tied just under her breasts, and from there, the black silk parted to reveal an ivory underskirt.He swallowed hard and took a steadying breath.A sheer ivory underskirt.Because he could see a teasing hint of the black stockings Miss Forester wore beneath it.Legs.For.Days.Legs he needed wrapped around him.
Tonight had been a carefully plotted step in his game with Miss Forester.He’d needed to see her mind work over the card tables, to see the spark flare in those blue eyes with every calculation.He could only imagine what would happen when he let her loose on the floor.He’d be the one to bring her that excitement—harness it, then turn it around until all that thrill was directed at him.
He’d meant to seduce her.
He'd seduced himself instead.
Which he supposed wasn’t a bad thing.But bloody hell, the night was going to be torture until he got her back here later tonight.
A soft pink bloomed beneath the gold, diamond-studded mask that flared over her cheeks like wings.Another excellent choice.He’d known those stark blue eyes would look stunning surrounded by the intricately swirling gold.Diamonds studded the bottom edges, curving over her cheeks, sparkling with every subtle shift of her head.The top was ornately shaped, reminiscent of a crown—fit for a queen.A line of diamonds trailed from each brow to meet at the ridge of her nose.The mask didn’t hide her.It transformed her.It drew the gaze, made it impossible not to see the exquisite beauty she possessed.
“Is it… Do I look presentable?”
He blinked.Fuck.He was an imbecile.He was gawking at her like he wasn’t the notorious rogue he was.Seduce, you idiot.
“No,” he purred, the word nothing but a heated rumble.
Something flashed in those blue eyes.Hurt…more than hurt.It was a shattering.
He was in front of her in the next instant, tilting her chin up to his.“No, Miss Forester,” he clarified, “presentable is much too inferior a word to describe you.It shouldn’t even be allowed to be uttered in your presence.You are…” Mysterious.His pulse fluttered in his throat.Dangerous.His lungs struggled for air.“Otherworldly,” he whispered.
