We turned our heads at Prudence’s shout to see all three Talyn sisters lined up in the hallway, along with Fitzgibbons, all of them regarding us.
I could have guessed it, but I’ll run it down anyway.
Chastity was in a light-blue-shot-with-silver, off-the-shoulder confection reminiscent of the dress Princess Diana wore when she was snapped sleeping in a chair at some event, except it was much more princessier and exponentially girlier.
She accompanied this with diamonds.
Temperance wore a black, strapless tube dress that clung to every inch of her, and on her feet were a pair of killer, red slingback pumps.
She accompanied this with rubies.
And Prudence wore a shapeless, but stunning, flowing marbled black, white, and gray silk kaftan, which was fashioned so it had a dramatic cape in what appeared to be all black at the back. And she had a bizarre black fascinator on her head that looked like a plate with a veil that came down over her eyes.
She accompanied this with ropes and ropes of pearls.
“My, my,” Temperance drawled, her lips curving meaningfully.
Pink hit Chastity’s cheeks, and her eyes darted over our heads.
Fitzgibbons was having a hard time fighting his grin.
Prudence wasn’t looking at us.
She was chastising a fluffy white Persian cat with green eyes who was sitting, faux innocently, on the carpet runner a couple of feet away, her poofy tail sweeping the rug.
“Naughty girl,” Prudence admonished the cat.
The cat, as all cats do, remained visibly unrepentant.
It was important to note at this juncture that Battle didn’t move.
Thus, I looked up at him again.
“I’m okay,” I whispered.
For a second, it didn’t seem like he heard me.
And it was important to note at this juncture, he was again staring at my mouth, and his long body was both very warm and very hard.
Then he nodded, and with exquisite slowness, he traced his large hand over the small of my back, my hip, and only then did he step away.
I gulped back a breath, hoping no one would notice me gulping back a breath.
“Shall we get that drink, Vivienne?” he asked.
Not trusting my voice to come out as more than a squeak, I nodded.
He offered his arm, a gesture both chivalrous and hot, and one I accepted because I didn’t want any more incidents to happen.
Not at all.
Especially not with Battle Talyn, the Duke of Burleigh in attendance.
We made it into the parlor further unscathed.
And for this, I was grateful.
CHAPTER 5
