Page 15 of Lord of Mischief
Chapter Eight
The moment Eve walked into the ballroom she knew she was being watched.The chill that ran down her spine had her searching for hidden eyes.
She caught a glimpse of a tall figure, in part shadow, near the entrance to the supper room.She sucked in a startled breath, then quickly turned her head, pretending not to have seen Freddie.
With a glass of champagne in her hand, she moved to the other side of the room.Much as she was tempted to cast a backward glance she kept her gaze forward.Patience, Eve. Patience.
She had learnt enough from Lucy’s ill-fated plans to make Avery fall in love with her to know she should not appear to be overeager to gift Freddie with her attention.He would have to come to her.
“Good evening, Miss Saunders.”
She turned, and feigned surprise.
He had followed her across the floor and sought her out.She liked that he appeared to be eager to see her again.“Mr.Rosemount, when did you arrive?I have been here for some time and did not notice you before,” she replied, coolly.
Freddie bowed.As he did, she caught him looking up at her, a sly smile painted on his lips.A bubble of excitement began to dance in her stomach.He was just what she had been looking for all these years.“I must have arrived after you,” he replied.
Eve laughed, and gently tapped him with her closed fan.“Oh, you liar!I saw you as soon as I arrived.Don’t pretend you weren’t trying to be the dark and mysterious stranger hiding in the shadows.”
Freddie gave her a look of mock horror, then settled into a playful chuckle.“Ah, you have me.How are you this evening, Miss Saunders?”
“I am well, but I would be better if you called me Eve.My sister likes to be called Miss Saunders; it helps to keep a distance between her and her crush of admirers.For myself, I prefer to bestow a little familiarity on my friends.It makes cultivating relationships that much easier.”She met his soulful gaze, swallowing deeply as she felt herself drawn to him.Freddie wasn’t like the other young men she knew.There was depth to him … a certain mystery that enticed her.
Her imagination fleetingly took hold and she wondered what it would be like to wake up beside a man such as him every morning.Those eyes and that hardened body would keep her abed until late after the dawn.
She licked her lips.When she blinked back to the now, she saw that he was staring at her.She wasn’t alone in the moment.
He cleared his throat and looked away briefly.“Do you recall our discussion of the other night, when I mentioned the secret game I am currently playing?”
Eve licked her lips a second time.She had thought of little else but Freddie over the past few days.In bed at night, she had lain awake thinking of all the wicked things they could do to one another.Her imagination had run to the edge of her knowledge of sexual matters.
What the man standing opposite her would say if he had any inkling of the effect he had had on her, she dared not think.Her nipples grew hard at the memory of how she had stroked herself when she had let her mind run wild with thoughts of Freddie’s naked body.
“Yes,” she replied through a sensual haze.
A strange look appeared on Freddie’s face.A worried look.“Are you alright?You appear a little faint.”
Eve snapped immediately out of her erotic daydream, then died a little of embarrassment.“Oh.Ah.It must be the champagne.I sometimes drink it a little too fast and it goes to my head.”
She looked around and, finding a nearby footman, offloaded her glass of champagne onto his tray.She returned to Freddie, desperate to salvage the encounter.“You were saying about the secret game.Do go on.”
Relief flooded her mind when his countenance returned to its previous state.“Yes, well, as I was saying.The game I am playing has entered a new phase.One in which I am going to need a partner.I was wondering if perhaps you might be interested in helping …”
“Yes!”
They both chortled at her overly enthusiastic response.
“I am so sorry.I don’t seem to be able to put two sensible words together tonight.You must think me a complete ninny,” she said.
He reached out and placed a hand gently on her arm.“No.I find it rather charming.I am going to assume it’s because you find me devilishly attractive, and even now you are falling hopelessly in love with me.”
Eve prayed her cheeks were not bright red.Her heart was racing as she felt herself slowly die inside.How could he possibly be able to read her mind?She could not think of a moment in her entire life when she had been more embarrassed and awkward.
He released her arm.For a moment, she could have sworn he wore a worried look, then it all changed.A wicked grin appeared on his lips.“I’m only in jest, Eve.I was testing to see how good a player of the game you will make.I need someone who can keep a straight face while the farce is played out in front of them.You passed the test.”
A player?He was asking her to join him in the game.
“Really?You want me to help you in the secret game?I didn’t know if they would let girls play,” she replied.
