“Fell into place?”Disbelief colored his words.He tookup her hand, his fingers warm around her own, giving her a comfort she hadn’t expected to receive.“I think you underestimate the strength of character it took to forge ahead when it seemed the world was against you.”
Which was so unexpectedly kind, she was unable to speak for several long moments.Flustered, yet unable to bring herself to remove her hand from his, she continued.
“Anyway, though it was not a love match, we grew to become good friends.The time I spent married to him and working alongside him in his salon was a blessing.”Then, to remind herself why she was here in the first place, she said a bit louder, a bit more forcefully, “And I gained true family in the form of Gregory’s sister.I would do anything for Julia.”
Which naturally guided her to her next question.Shewantedto ask him how he had nearly died.Shewantedto ask him about the brother he had lost.
But this was not about what she wanted, was it?
“And now it is my turn once more,” she declared.Then, taking a deep breath, she asked, “Will you bring me someplace within Dionysus I haven’t been before?”
His eyebrows shot up, his surprise at the request evident.“That question is hardly within the rules of the game.”
“I said we may ask the other anything we may wish, and if the other refuses, they must pay a penalty.I did not specify that the thing we ask must have a verbal answer.”
A bark of laughter escaped his lips.“You’re a sly minx, aren’t you?”he murmured with more than a hint of admiration.He stood and held out a hand to her.“Come along, then.”
Heart pounding in her ears, she took his hand and rose, and together they made their way from his office.
18
As it happened, the place Ethan brought her was somewhere she had already been.He, of course, wouldn’t know that, seeing as she had been hidden behind the velvet sofa for the majority of her previous visit.
Yet she couldn’t bring herself to dredge up even the slightest bit of disappointment.She told herself the warm glow of pleasure she felt as he guided her into the owners’ suite with a gentle hand to the small of her back was from triumph.After all, her plan to infiltrate the inner workings of the club via becoming his lover was working splendidly.
But she knew, deep down, that wasn’t what had her chest filling with emotion.No, it had nothing to do with her schemes, and everything to do with the fact that he was letting her in.Something she felt instinctively he did not do easily.
A pang of guilt wormed its way in then: Wasn’t she going to betray him in the end?Wasn’t this all heading toward complete destruction?
She flinched, an unconscious reaction to the battle being waged in her, so violent it caught his attention.He stilled at her side.
“Is something wrong?”
Ah, God.At this rate all her efforts would be for naught, her damn conscience threatening everything.Pull yourself together, Heloise.Forcing her lips up in a smile, she gazed about her as if seeing it for the first time.Which, as far as he knew, she was.
“I’m just shocked, is all,” she replied.“I never imagined a place like this existed.You can see the whole of the casino floor from here.”
And she could.Walking to the large, tinted window, she took in the scene before her.While she had seen something of this view on her previous visit, it had been nothing like this.Then, the gaming floor had been quiet, the tables empty, the chandeliers dark.Now, however, the whole scene was lit up with the brilliance of the sun, the floor crowded with people, each table surrounded by men who laughed and shouted and talked in a cacophony of sound.It was an undulating mass of fine black wool and jewel-colored silk, like the constant churning of waves against the shore.Placing her hands flat on the glass, heart pounding with a strange excitement, she peered down.
“Goodness,” she breathed.“It’s… it’s…”
“Chaotic, I know,” he murmured, coming up beside her, humor coloring his words.
She looked at him then, saw the pride in his eyes as he took in his kingdom.“Actually,” she said with utmost honesty, surprised at how true the words were, “I was going to say it’s beautiful.”
He blinked, looking at her.“Beautiful?”
“Certainly.”She indicated the whole of the scene with a sweep of her hand.“The excitement, the drama, the richness and the splendor.”She paused, surprised at how much she meant it.Then, because she couldn’t help herself, she said, “It’s a work of art.”
He considered her for a long minute, the muted gold light of the chandeliers that soared over the gaming floor catching in the angles of his face, casting dancing shadows across his features, making it difficult to distinguish whether her words pleased or offended him.She soon had her answer as, giving a low groan, he hooked a hand behind the nape of her neck and pulled her against him, claiming her lips with his own.The muted taste of brandy washed over her tongue, making her mouth water.The next minute, however, she gasped, pulling back sharply.
“Someone might see,” she managed, sending a meaningful look at the glass wall and the mass of men below in all their evening finery.A familiar burly figure caught her attention, Mr.Copper, the floor manager, deep in conversation with someone.Just then he glanced up, toward the window, towardher.Did he see them?Surprised, she involuntarily took a step back.
When she looked toward Ethan, however, her worry melted away like ice on sunbaked pavement.There was no mistaking his expression for anything but what it was: a hot, intense desire.For her.She shivered, though her body felt consumed by flames, and gripped her hands tight together to keep from reaching out for him.
“We keep the lights low in this room,” he explained, “to prevent those below from seeing in.That, along with the bright lights of the casino floor and this tinted glass, is enough to keep it quite private in here.”
She cast a glance about the room, but there were no gas lamps here.No, there was only a low fire in the hearth, hardly giving off a glow, casting most of the suite in shadow.It gave the space a surprisingly intimate feeling despite the crush of humanity on the other side of the window.Her heart pounded in her chest in a strange anticipation.
