Avalon lifted a brow. “You might say it’s something of a pen name.”
“How mysterious,” she purred. She reached out and laid her palm gently on his chest. “I imagine your closet is riddled with skeletons.”
He chuckled as he put his hand over hers. “You have no idea.” He slowly removed her hand but rather than cast her aside, he kept it within his grasp, as if he was laying claim to her, just as he’d promised.
Still, Drake didn’t appear to notice.
Fleur withheld a sigh. She was starting to despair that they would ever fulfill their personal commitment, especially if he didn’t care that another man was flirting with her. Unlike the harmless footman that he had acted willing to toss under the carriage wheels because of her kindness.
Tossing her head as the opera began to start, Fleur told herself that she wasn’t going to worry about Mr. Porter and his moodiness any longer. She had a handsome man beside her that hung on her every word and that was enough to ease the banishment she felt in her heart.
* * *
If Drake graspedthe edge of the seat any tighter, he was sure it would snap in his bare hand. He hadn’t liked the innuendo in Avalon’s eyes from the moment Fleur had walked into that box, but if he wanted the protection of the underground that he would provide, he had to play by the rules. Jealousy was not one of them. Although Drake had no doubt that they would be evenly matched in a physical altercation, he didn’t care to have the thunder from his gang raining down upon him should things turn sour. He was trying to turn over a new leaf by straying away from trouble, not actively engaging in it.
Especially when it came to Fleur.
He knew what she was doing. It had been obvious from the moment she’d offered that poor footman more than a crumb of her acknowledgment. The reason, he could only surmise, but he knew it had something to do with his lax demeanor toward her. She was confused and the last thing he wanted to do was add to her despondent spirit. She had lost enough. He was trying to give her control over something in her life but it appeared her virtue was not something she cared to protect. The way she was acting so boldly toward Avalon told him that she was eager to toss it away on the first man who showered her with any sort of regard.
Well, Avalon could just piss off. There was an unspoken rule in the underground, honor among thieves. And that was one didn’t go after another’s woman. That was the sort of property that remained on neutral ground. Unless Avalon didn’t wish to be the leader of the Blue Boys any longer, then he had best remember that Miss Davies had arrived on Drake’s arm and not his.
Drake ground his teeth together. He wished he had a way to obtain something from Avalon’s past to use as a threat against him but the man was effortless at keeping all aspects of his life carefully hidden. He was obviously a master of disguise to have evaded detection after more than three years. From the moment he’d erupted onto the scene in the underground he’d been a force to be reckoned with. He had gained the grudging respect of the most hardened criminals, even Amos, who was one of the most difficult men when it came to trusting others.
Other than himself.
As the first half of the Opera droned on in Italian, Drake tried to adopt a bored countenance but his attention was completely tuned to the couple chattering animatedly at his side. He wanted to yank Fleur up from that seat and send her home and directly to her chamber—where he intended to join her. However, he had no choice but to see this little play unfold. Oddly enough, most of the drama was in this box and not on the stage.
When the lights were lit and intermission was upon them, Drake could only pray that the second half was not filled with the same torture that the first half had been. He started to get up but Avalon waved him back down as a figure appeared at the rear of the box. “Miss Davies has expressed her interest in the ladies’ retiring room and I have summoned Reynolds to escort her.”
Drake narrowed his focus slightly on Avalon, not sure if he was comfortable with Fleur going anywhere without him. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he said slowly.
Avalon leaned toward him. “I give you my word that she will be back unharmed, at our side, momentarily.”
With a curt nod, Drake gave in, but his eyes burned a hole in Reynolds. He had never cared for the man and knowing that Fleur was going to be alone with him made him more than slightly uncomfortable.
Once they had departed, Avalon turned to him. “Shall we smoke?” He withdrew two cheroots from his vest and handed one to him.
Drake was eager to light the tip. He needed something to calm him down so he didn’t make a drastic error in judgment. He wondered if it might be too late for that. “What are you doing, Avalon?”
He released a plume of white smoke. “I call it entertaining a beautiful woman.”
“You know the rules.”
“I am aware, yes.” Avalon regarded him shrewdly. “As do you. If you want my assistance, you will allow the evening to progress as it is. I find Miss Davies very engaging.”
“I will not deny her appeal, which is why I spent five thousand quid to obtain her.”
Avalon smiled at the warning Drake couldn’t hold back. He had never allowed his emotions to get the better of him before. He didn’t understand why a woman, when there had been plenty before Fleur, that was causing him to act out now. “I never thought I would see the day that Mr. Drake Porter was besotted with any female. Be careful that you aren’t felled by her many charms.”
Drake smiled tightly. “I know my mind. I let nothing—and noone—stand in the way of what I want.”
Avalon leaned forward and mumbled. “I shall remember you said that.”
He glanced toward the entrance to the box and Drake slid his focus in that direction. When he saw Fleur, he hoped she hadn’t been standing there long, but by the stunned look on her face and the utter betrayal in her eyes, he could tell she had overheard what he’d said.
Bloody hell.
* * *
