“My little minx, if you can land him…why shouldn’t you? Opportunity comes in many forms. And if I can watch? All the better.”
He saw her intake of breath, her excitement at the idea. She caught the back of his neck and leaned in, kissing him deeply, passionately. She didn’t remove her mouth from his as she murmured, “You do know how to move me, Mr. Huxley.”
“I hope so,” he whispered back, his breath tickling her lips and making her body flex. “It is one of my greatest pleasures to do so.”
She laughed and he bathed in the sound of it, even as he leaned away. The carriage was slowing now, pulling up to a fine stone manor at the top of a hill. Hux looked out the window and nodded. Oh yes, there were treasures to be found at such a place if one were reckless enough. He felt like being reckless.
The carriage stopped and there was hustle and bustle as servants came rushing to greet them and help them down. Hux came first and reached back to take Zara’s hand. She winked at him as she stepped down and then swept past him toward the front door. It opened as she made her way and they were greeted by their host.
Hux could hardly breathe as he looked at the man. Richard Fitzroy was truly handsome, with thick, dark hair, a low brow that always made him look intense and a jaw that could cut glass. There was no doubt he had to garner the attraction of men and women alike. He had dark blue eyes the color of pure sapphires that always seemed to be watching. Even now they flitted over first Zara, then Hux, then back to their carriage, reading, judging, perhaps. What conclusion he came to was impossible to detect. He revealed nothing of it in his expression.
Immediately, Hux felt his hackles rise. A sense of…premonition filled him that he didn’t fully understand. He’d been in worse situations over the years, but he felt that thrill up his spine that said…danger.
He didn’t ignore it, but he didn’t allow it to be seen. He kept his expression relaxed, a friendly smile of greeting. Zara continued forward, her hand outstretched.
“Mr. Fitzroy,” she purred. “How grand to see you again. And this is a lovely home, I cannot wait to see the rest of it.”
Fitzroy offered his own smile as he caught Zara’s hand and raised it to his lips, lingering just a moment too long with his mouth on her skin. “Miss Cooper,” he said, and let his gaze slide to Hux. “Mr. Huxley. A pleasure to see you both. Please, come in.”
He motioned into the foyer and Zara stepped around him. As Hux did the same, he felt keenly aware of the presence of this man. Dominating, sensual, unreadable. His blood was on fire, he was on edge and he liked the feeling.
A perfectly liveried butler took their wraps and then Fitzroy led them to a pretty parlor off the foyer. A pretty, yet strangely quiet and empty parlor. Zara looked at Hux over her shoulder even as she took one of the seats Fitzroy motioned to as he went to the sideboard and began to fix drinks for them all.
Hux stepped behind Zara, resting a hand briefly on her shoulder. “As Miss Cooper said, this is a beautiful home, Mr. Fitzroy.”
Fitzroy chuckled before he turned and handed over a sherry for Zara and a whisky for Hux. “Thank you,” he said, sinking into a chair across from Zara. “I like it. How was your journey?”
“The carriage ride was lovely,” Hux said, glancing down at Zara. Her cheeks pinkened ever so slightly and he stifled a laugh. Even after all these years and all her experience, he could still make her blush. And it was a triumph every time.
Fitzroy arched a brow. “I imagine you two must have a great many rousingconversationsin a carriage. A perfect place to truly connect, without any eyes watching.”
Hux’s brow lowered and he took in Fitzroy. Was he being obtuse or speaking in double meaning? Strange to say, Hux couldn’t tell and that was fascinating in and of itself. He could almost always read others. It made this man all the more intriguing, certainly.
Fitzroy settled into a chair across from them. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, his drink dangling from his fingertips. “Won’t you sit, Mr. Huxley?”
Hux inclined his head and came around the settee to sit beside Zara. He slung an arm along the back of the couch, not touching Zara but insuring she knew his presence was near should she need it. It was a claim, he supposed, and perhaps he made it to test Fitzroy. After all, he was endlessly fascinated by the way the man’s blue gaze moved over both of them. Most men like this one weren’t so bold.
“To answer your question,” Hux said softly. “I suppose Zara and I do have interesting conversations when we are alone. Friends often do.”
“It takes a very special friend to have a truly deep conversation though, doesn’t it?” Fitzroy pressed, his gaze locking with Hux.
“Yes.” Hux didn’t elaborate. “You must have a great manyfriends, though.”
Fitzroy let out a little snort and turned his face. “And why would you say that? You hardly know me.”
“And you hardly know us,” Zara interjected as she took a sip of her drink. “And yet here we are. Sometimes the stars align, don’t they, and introduce like-minded individuals.”
Fitzroy was silent a beat, two and then he nodded. “I think we are like-minded, Miss Cooper. I felt it the first moment I saw you in the ballroom. And I look forward to getting to know you, and Mr. Huxley, during your stay here.”
Zara smiled at Fitzroy and Hux watched the spark between them crackle. This was the kind of man she had once seduced and been protected by. The kind of man who would take her to plays and art exhibits rather than use her charms to rob some poor fool of his blunt. The kind of man who could safeguard her in ways that went beyond Hux’s means, no matter how many riches he locked away. He shifted slightly as a faint gripped him. It was such a foreign emotion, one he normally didn’t allow himself to feel. He didn’t like it.
Zara tensed beside him as if she sensed his shift in mood and cleared her throat. “I’m sure we will have a great many opportunities to do just that, Mr. Fitzroy. Though I’m certain you will also be distracted by your other guests. Are we the first to arrive then?”
Fitzroy didn’t answer, and the emotions Hux had been allowing to rule over him were pushed aside. There was something…off about this situation. He knew it as well as he knew his own face in the mirror.
“It seems odd that we would be, as Miss Cooper and I are known for our always being fashionably late.” He arched a brow. “Did we misunderstand your invitation and somehow make the ghastly mistake of being early?”
Fitzroy’s cheek twitched in half a smile. “Neither late nor early, I’m afraid to tell you. On the contrary, you are right on time.”
