Page 49 of A Tempest of Desire
But her revelation had rocked him to his core.
When he’d jerked his gaze to Marlowe, she’d averted her eyes but couldn’t have appeared less bothered if Poppy had said,Oh, look, a pea has fallen off my plate.
She’d known about the betrothal.
When she’d given him a sultry glance, when she’d looked as though she might ignite if he touched her, she’d known.
Last night when he had pleasured her with his mouth, and she’d cried out, when he’d felt her pulsing against his tongue... she’d known.
She could have told him at any time and it might have changed things between them. Had she feared that it would... or that it wouldn’t?
“Your entire family cheats at cards.”
Unable to help himself, he smiled as Marlowe’s soft voice reached his ears, but he didn’t turn toward her, not even when she came to a stop beside him.
“The whole point of the game is not to give yourself away.”
Following dinner, they’d all gone to the billiards room, which included a baize-covered table for cards, as well as several sitting areas where people could gather for smaller conversations.
“I think they were taking pity on me, as I won a few hands. Your mother seemed surprised to win as well.”
“She never manipulates the cards, although I’m fairly certain Father taught her how.”
“Is that the reason you didn’t join us—because you’re more skilled than all of them?”
He’d seen a spark of disappointment in her features when he’d declined and instead had opted to sit nearby and watch. Until he’d begun to regret that he couldn’t join them. Because as Marlowe had noted, when it came to cards, his family had noqualms about cheating, regardless of whom they were playing. And he’d yet to reveal that since the railway accident, he’d lost his ability to cheat. He could no longer decipher the cards nor were his hands as quick as they’d once been.
He’d known that when his family noticed—and they’d have noticed—they would have demanded an explanation, and he wasn’t yet ready to give one. He held out hope it was a temporary loss and yet of late, nothing felt temporary. “I simply wasn’t in the mood for cards.”
“What were you in the mood for?”
He looked at her then, captured her gaze, and held it, all the while daring her to acknowledge the answer. “I think you know.”
Chapter 21
God help her, she did know. She wanted it, too. She tested her lip. A kiss wouldn’t hurt too terribly badly, and she suspected the pleasure he’d deliver would far outweigh the pain she’d experience. The challenge would be producing the smile he required without grimacing.
“Much more than a kiss,” he said darkly, before turning his attention away.
“But it starts with a kiss.”
“It doesn’t have to.”
He hadn’t needed to kiss her last night to send her soaring. She hated to admit that she wasn’t looking forward to sleeping alone tonight. Strange how after only two nights, the notion of not having him with her in bed made her feel that something important was missing.
Stepping back, he faced her and traced a blunt-tipped finger lightly along her cheek, careful not to touch any of her injuries. “Poppy’s announcement during dinner came as no surprise to you.”
She’d hoped he’d let the entire matter go, ignoreit, give it no credence. She should have known he wouldn’t. With barely a shake of her head followed by a nod to shore up her resolve, she forced out the words that she’d been striving to escape ever since she’d read them, words that in a way had delivered her to his island. “The day of the storm... theTimesincluded an announcement regarding... Hollie’s betrothal.”
She was rather proud of the fact that her voice had come out neutral, giving away none of her riotous emotions concerning the matter. The shock of it. She hadn’t anticipated they’d stay together until their hair turned silver, but neither had she expected a parting to come out of the blue. Rather like a storm that had arrived without warning. One minute the sun was shining, and, the next, black clouds obliterated it.
“Why didn’t you mention it?”
“I’ve been striving to determine exactly how I feel about it.” And it was convenient to have Hollie as a buffer between them, saved her from doing what she ought not with Langdon. But she’d done some of it anyway. And she suspected she was on the verge of doing a good deal more.
“Is that the reason you went up in your balloon in spite of the dangers?”
“To be honest, the dark clouds were so far in the distance, on the horizon, I was certain I’d descend before they became a problem. However, I became so lost in thought that I was being swept out over the sea before I even realized how far I’d actually traveled. Then I got into a spot of bother and... well, you know the rest.”
