Page 20 of Gentlemen Prefer Heiresses
“But you can’t learn to play well if you get no instruction at all. Show me.”
She gave him a pointed glare. He tossed down his cards, face up.
“Oh,” she said. “I was wise to fold.” She turned over her cards. Four, five, six, eight.
“Never draw to an inside straight,” he told her. “The odds are against you.”
“They’re always against you.”
“But more so in that instance.” Reaching across the table, placing his hand behind her ear, he brought it forward and flicked a seven of clubs at her.
She released a tiny squeal. “How did you do that?”
“It’s one of the cards I discarded.”
“But where did you hide it? Your sleeves are rolled up.”
“How I managed it is of no consequence. What matters is that it was no longer in the deck when you were in need of a seven. I need to stretch my legs. Come with me.”
Grace furrowed her brow. “What are you up to, Andrew?”
Gina smiled. “You’re going to teach me to cheat, aren’t you?”
He chuckled. “No, but I am planning to teach you something.”
“You will behave,” Grace admonished.
“Dear Sister, why would I not?”
She exchanged a questioning look with Minerva, as though they both thought him up to no good.
“She’s safe with me,” he said curtly, irritated the words needed to be voiced aloud, more irritated that he wasn’t absolutely sure they were completely true.
When he and Gina were out in the hallway, she asked quietly, “Are you going to give me a lesson like you did last night?”
“No.” Fighting not to think of last night, he escorted her to the balcony that looked out over the gaming floor.
She wandered to the edge, peered down. “I love the sounds. Very different from those made in a brothel. I found myself contemplating them several times today.”
“Don’t.”
Turning slightly, she studied him. “Don’t...?”
“We’re not here to discuss past adventures.”
“Then why are we here? Is there another adventure you’d like to take me on?”
One between the sheets.He shoved that image back into the corner of his mind. “Have you noticed how often people are folding in there?”
“Indeed, yes. They must not be receiving decent cards.”
“You telegraph with your facial expressions when you’ve received what you believe will be a winning hand.”
“I do?”
Placing his hand on her waist, he urged her into the shadows. He skimmed his fingers over her eyebrows. They were darker than her hair, with a delicate arch to them. “You raise your eyebrows just a tad.”
He glided his forefinger along her temple, down to her cheek. “Your eyes sparkle like emeralds reflecting sunlight.”
