He took a sip of his wine, not breaking eye contact with her. “Do not be embarrassed. It’s always lovely to watch you. It makesme wonder what other expressions you can make. Let’s say… in other activities.”
Her breath caught in her throat, knowing he was implying something scandalous. She covered it up with a smile. “It’s a pity that you get to see all sorts of pleasure play out on my face, but I only see you scowl or smirk.”
“Oh? And here I thought you liked my face.”
“Your face is handsome enough. For a hawk, at least.” She could not help but smile slyly.
“So you still think I am a hawk, then?”
“Of course,” she said, standing up from the table. “Let’s go inside. It’s starting to get quite chilly out here.”
He nodded and followed her into the drawing room. He closed the balcony door and drew the curtains, which made the fact that they were alone more prominent. The thought didn’t scare her, however. Instead, it sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.
He approached her, a predatory look in his eyes. “You seem quite eager to be alone with a hawk, little mouse. Aren’t you worried about me hunting you?”
“Not particularly,” she said. “I feel quite safe with you, actually. You might look like a hawk, but you are really as docile as a lamb.”
This seemed to amuse him as he stepped closer to her until they were mere inches apart. “I would not be so sure about that. Especially with such tantalizing prey as yourself in my presence.” He reached out to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face. Joanna had to resist leaning into his touch.
He was leaning closer to her now, his lips almost on hers. She whimpered softly and took a step back. “Let’s play a game,” she said, turning away. “To pass the time, of course.”
He didn’t seem phased in the slightest by her evading his kiss. “Certainly. What do you wish to play?”
“I… I am not sure.” She felt at a loss for what to do here. “It is your drawing room, and you are the host. You choose.”
“Let’s play cards.”
She made a face. “Perhaps not that. It’s bad enough that there is one gambler in the family, isn’t it? We don’t need a second one.”
He grinned, looking positively devilish. “I don’t think we should play for something as banal as money. Let’s play for more interesting stakes.”
She laughed. “What would interest a man more than money?”
“Many things, my little mouse. Here’s what I propose: for every round you lose, you must take off one article of clothing. And for every round I lose, I take off a piece of clothing.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She looked him up and down in his suit and wondered what he would look like in a state of undress. Heat surged through her at the thought. “What happens when one of us is completely nude, without one stitch of clothing left?”
“Then she loses the game. And the victor can do whatever he wants with her.” His voice turned husky.
She felt her cheeks warm with the thought. “You seem quite sure of yourself.”
“I never enter into a game that I am not confident about winning, my lady.”
She lifted her chin to give him a determined look. “If you expect me to be scared away, then you sorely underestimate me. All that I require is my virginity to stay intact by the end of the night. Unless you change your mind about marrying me.”
He gave her a slight bow. “Your wish is my command.”
They sat down at the table in the drawing room, and he pulled out a deck of cards. Joanna could not stop her stomach from tying itself into knots. She knew she should stop this madness before it went any further. Despite all of his bluster about being a hawk trapping prey, he would let her go in an instant if she demanded it.
But she had to admit, she was curious. She had never seen a naked man outside of drawings from certain forbidden art books that Penelope and she would giggle over during finishing school. And Evan was more handsome than most. She was curious about what he looked like under his carefully tailored suit.
And if she lost… well, to hell with her rule about no kissing and touching. They were alone and he assured her that they were safe from scandal. This could be her only chance to kiss him and touch him, and he would surely make it pleasurable for her.
The first hand of cards went swiftly, with Evan being claimed the victor. He grinned at her. “Go on. What will you remove first? Your glove, perhaps?”
“Certainly not.” She reached up and took one of her earrings off. She showed them to him before carefully laying them on a nearby table, where they would not get lost.
He sighed. “That hardly counts.”
