by Loyd, Sandy
“I could be bluffing.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think so,” he said confidently. “Let’s see your cards.”
“Smart man.” She turned over two aces and two tens. “What do you have?”
He flipped his cards, showing only a pair of fives. When she started to rise, he put his hand on her arm, effectively stopping her.
“One more and we can raise the stakes,” he goaded, with a closed expression sliding over his face.
“I already have what I want,” she said, shaking her head. “Why should I take a chance on losing again?”
“Same reason I took your first bet. Because you’re a gambler at heart and can’t resist the challenge I’m throwing out.”
She sat back down, considering his claim while meeting his eyes. “Oui. If you lose, you lose not only my company, you will have to spend time with Minnie and Maizie.”
“All right. I can agree to that.”
When he didn’t say anything further, she prodded, “What is your bet, Simon?”
He shrugged. “I’m going for broke. You may not like it.”
“I will not know until you tell me, will I?” she threw out haughtily. After another long pause, Giselle urged impatiently, “Well?”
“I want a night with you. Not just the evening, but the full night.”
She laughed. When she could speak again, she said, “Let me see if I have this correctly. You want me to bet my company for full night against your spending a little time with Minnie and Maizie? I hardly think the two are comparable.”
“You asked and I bet,” Simon explained, shrugging nonchalantly. “You certainly don’t have to take me up on it. I merely thought to make it more interesting…up the ante, so to speak.”
“Oh, it definitely does that,” she agreed. “I have never done anything so outrageous in my life and I am not sure if I want to, not for one measly evening with Minnie and Maizie. It hardly seems a fair trade.”
“Then think of something so it is fair. That is, if you’re not too afraid to take me up on a real game with real stakes,” he dared, taunting her further, causing her eyes to narrow while her gaze seemed to be searching for some answer in his face.
“Let me think.” Finally, she glanced at him, her expression curious. “If I spend the time with you, what will be expected of me?”
“Nothing but your company. But I reserve the right to change your mind about certain aspects of your visit.”
“You mean you will try to have your way with me?”
He chuckled. “Something like that.”
“And if I do not want to, you will accept my decision?” she asked tentatively, her expression becoming guarded.
“Of course. I only want willing women in my bed. There’s no thrill in forcing myself on someone, even though some find the idea sporting.” His gaze pierced hers while he added, “Make no mistake, Giselle. I do want you willing in my bed and that will be my goal for the night.”
The blush spreading up her face told him she was probably still an innocent. It also made him rethink the craziness of this game. But once he put the offer out on the table, he wasn’t about to back down. He wanted her too much, and his reasoning where Giselle Franklin was concerned had taken a holiday long before this.
Giselle licked her lips in a nervous fashion. “I see. And you would do this, despite what you saw and heard this afternoon.”
“That’s between you and Bradford,” he whispered solemnly, his expression hardening. “This is between you and me. The two have no connection.”
“You are willing to spend the night with me, ply me with sweet words to gain my acceptance, and you are not concerned I may have feelings for someone else?”
“Do you?” he asked a little too quickly.
“Do I what?”
“Have feelings for Bradford,” he clarified, leaning back in his chair, holding her gaze. “I couldn’t quite make that out from your words. It’s obvious he does for you, but are they reciprocated? Are you going to marry him?”
“What if I said yes?” Giselle asked quietly, swallowing hard with a searching expression.
“Then I would fight doubly hard to have you.”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion. “That does not make sense.”
“It does to me,” Simon stated firmly. “I asked a few simple questions. Are you in love with Bradford and are you going to marry him? How hard can they be to answer?” He asked his impatient questions in a curt voice as irritation spread along his spine.
“You do not ask much, yet you ask too much,” came her tormented reply. “I cannot tell you how I feel about Bradford, nor can I say I will ever marry him at this point. But my question for you is why does all this matter if I am but a game to you?”
He gave a self-deprecating laugh and answered honestly. “Who says I have to be rational in my dealings with you? Look at it this way. I’m wagering a night with an inexperienced virgin in the hopes I may sway her into making love with me. I must be mad. How many men have you flirted with over time, Giselle? How many men have tried and failed to woo you? One hundred? Two hundred? Are you worried that I could succeed where others have failed?”
His words caused her to look closely at his face again, but he still allowed his expression to yield nothing.
“Why are you doing this? I do not understand.”
“Neither do I,” Simon said, sighing. “Are you going to take the bet or not?”
She remained silent, the entire time Simon held his breath, not totally sure of her answer. He gave a sigh of relief when she said, “I cannot take it for the original bet. You would have to agree to leave me free every evening you are here.”
“Done,” he said quickly, then picked up the cards and hesitated. Snaring her gaze, he asked, “You’re sure you want the bet? I don’t want you to cry foul if you lose.”
She stiffened and threw her shoulders back. Her expression resolute, she took a long swallow of her drink, almost choking on it.
“I will honor my bet, if you will,” she said, once her coughing fit ended. “Now, deal the cards.”
“Anything you say, my dear.” Simon smiled at her confident expression and the bravado voiced in her words. “Good luck.”
He shuffled the cards thoroughly before dealing them. When he was done, he put the deck facedown and picked up his hand, keeping his face blank while arranging his cards.
He took three cards out of his hand and laid them on the table. Glancing at her, he raised a brow. “How many?”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Three.”
Simon dealt her three cards as well as himself. He lounged back in a nonchalant pose, his serious gaze meeting her wary brown one.
“What do you have?” he asked, his voice coming out in a whisper.
“Nothing.” She laid her cards facedown, looking at him with a turbulent expression in her eyes.
His breath came out slowly as he laid his cards on the table. “Looks like a pair of fours beats nothing.”
She stood and said softly, “Can I honor my part tomorrow night? I need some time to come to terms with my folly.”
He nodded and watched her walk proudly from the room, wondering the entire time if he’d gone completely mad. What had possessed him to suggest such a thing? He leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes, seeing only her laughing brown-eyed stare dancing around in his brain, mocking him. And he knew nothing short of having her would erase the image from his mind.
Amazon Link to Games – http://amzn.to/13fG635
Bonus Read #2
Below is an excerpt from TEMPTATION, where Parker Davis, Simon Harrington’s partner in GAMES, meets his match in the Lady Penelope Lytton, who is running from her past and traveling to America under the name of Penny Layton.
Days turned into a week. The weather cooperated and graced them with clear, blue skies and steady winds. The ship progressed, but not quickly enough for Parker.
True to his word, he’d stayed away fro
m the enchanting Miss Layton as much as he could. The only time he allowed himself in her presence was during meals or when on deck with the bevy of activity or seamen surrounding them. Those times proved the hardest to endure, because the fascinating woman would hold them all spellbound with stories of her adventures with her two friends in their younger years. She’d have them laughing and jesting in no time. Most of the men, including him, were half in love with her, yet all stayed within the bounds of propriety. If someone said or did something she disapproved of, she had a way of cutting him to the quick with a word or a look.
Parker was no more immune to Miss Layton now than that first night and went to great lengths to avoid her. If he happened to find himself alone with her, he’d offer an excuse and leave. He’d long grown accustomed to the steady arousal he felt around the lovely lady, easily hiding the desire ever present and humming through his system. Still, every now and again, a yearning would overtake him and he’d have to fight harder to ignore the stirrings, especially if she happened to catch him secretly watching her.
She’d then bestow a knowing smile, as if speaking directly to him, telling him she knew his thoughts and was amused by them. More and more, the desire to wipe that siren’s grin from her face to replace it with one of pure pleasure pervaded his senses. He could barely eat, could barely think, and when he slept, his dreams were erotically disturbing. Dreams in which she would come to him and yield all that he wanted. He’d wake up in a cold sweat, fully aroused, and with urgent need—one that would never be filled.
It was this need that had him standing on deck at the stern of the ship, seeking solace in the middle of the night. Staring into the black waters and seeing nothing but darkness because billowy clouds covered the light of the moon, Parker wished for home. The journey was more than half over, yet every day spent on board the ship was agony.
He turned at a noise and spotted the only thing that could make his nightmare worse step onto the deck. He bit back a curse as the object of his desire floated toward him.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” he snarled, in no mood to confront her. Raging desire coiled in his gut, waiting to spring forth at the slightest provocation. He was tired of fighting it.
“I couldn’t sleep and came out for a breath of fresh air. My cabin was too stuffy.”
Her soft, melodious voice filled the space around them, wafted unseen through the air forming invisible tentacles that reached out and wrapped around his soul. Ignoring the siren’s pull, his tone became more vicious. “I’m warning you, ’tis a bad idea to be out here alone like this.”
She paid no heed to his warning, walked serenely to the railing instead and flashed a smile.
“Well?” He didn’t bother to keep the harshness out of the word.
“Well what?” She lifted her chin at a stubborn tilt and met his gaze.
“Why aren’t you leaving? Are you goading me?”
“Maybe.” Her soft chuckle knotted his insides. Mocked him. “I’m not afraid of you Parker Davis.”
“Then you’re a foolish woman. I’d be more than afraid, were I you.”
She moved to stand beside him, so close he felt her shrug. His hand clenched into a fist to keep from reaching out and touching her. He could barely make out her features in the moon-hidden night, but he didn’t have to see her to know she looked like an angel who’d come to earth to make his life a living hell. The dark that dulled his vision sharpened his other senses. He caught a whiff of her essence, flowery with a hint of muskiness. The scent more than made up for his lack of sight.
“Then, foolish I’ll be, for I find I like being in your company and you’re always avoiding mine.” Her clipped English accent invaded his senses further and sent more signals to his groin.
“There’s a reason for that,” he hissed. “You pretend innocence, but you have to know this is not a good idea.”
“I feel safe enough with you,” Penny said, offering another shrug, her gaze remaining on the black waters. “I’ve never been one to run from mischief, and I know I’m skirting convention, that I shouldn’t be here with you, but here I am.”
Parker closed his eyes, sending up a silent prayer. He should just walk away. As much as he knew he should leave, he truly didn’t want to. She held him spellbound as usual, the urge to find out more about her—to see what was deep inside of her—too great to subdue. Instead of leaving, he opted to satisfy his curiosity and asked about the subject that interested him the most, her fiancé. “So, you’re to be married?”
“Yes. I am,” she replied in a voice filled with relief.
“Tell me about your intended.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Whatever you wish to tell me.”
Penny thought for a moment. “Well, he’s handsome and funny and we get on well.”
“I should hope so,” Parker said, grinning at how unenthusiastic she sounded.
“Why’s that?”
“I would hope you get on well, if you’re getting married.” When she shrugged and didn’t add anymore to the conversation, he prodded, “That’s it? That’s all you have to say about him?”
“He’ll be a faithful husband?” At his bark of laughter, she grinned and said, impishly, “What more would you have me say?”
“That you’re madly in love with him and can’t wait ’til you’re together.”
“Of course I’m madly in love with him and I can’t wait until we’re married.”
Amused, he chuckled softly, remaining silent. The clouds shifted. A sliver of moonlight escaped, illuminating the deck. He kept his focus on her before hers returned to the water. In the added moonlight, he’d caught a glimpse of ambiguity. He sensed something else. Annoyance. She obviously didn’t like that he saw more than she wanted him to see. At this point, he doubted she had such a fiancé waiting.
After several uncomfortable moments, she lifted her chin higher, purposefully seeking his eyes, her glare turning defiant. “What?”
His smile deepened. If the lovely Miss Layton had any idea of the vision she presented to him, with her hair flowing freely and her night clothing covering but not hiding her luscious curves, she’d run from him. The thought of nothing impeding what he craved underneath her night rail and dressing gown was too heady to imagine. His calm restraint amazed him. Schooling his errant thoughts, his gaze roamed over her features.
“He’s not the love of your life,” he taunted, if only to wipe that sudden appearance of overconfidence from her face. “I realize that now.”
“Oh?” Like quicksilver, her expression changed to one of vast amusement. Still, she quickly lowered her eyelids, clearly uncomfortable with his scrutiny.
Parker bit his cheek to keep from laughing outright. “Yes. I’m certain of it.”
“What makes you so certain?”
“Your eyes tell me so every time I gaze into their fiery depths.”
“That’s preposterous. My eyes say no such thing,” she said, dismissing the idea with the wave of her hand.
“Liar,” he whispered, leaning closer. “I bet if I could see them now, they’d be shouting.”
“No.” Shaking her head, Penny took a step away. “You speak in riddles.”
To stop further retreat, Parker gripped her face with a thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at him. He smiled, noting in those oceanic liquid pools what she couldn’t hide. Attraction. “Then, how about what this tells me?” he murmured softly, just before his lips descended, covering hers.
He tamped down a raging hunger and kept his pace unhurried for one simple reason, to quell her concerns. When Penny narrowed their distance, Parker swallowed triumph. Need, want and desire exploded inside him when her hesitant hands reached around his nape.
She kissed like an innocent angel, and God help him, he wanted more. Softening his lips, enticing her to yield all to him, his tongue slid inside her mouth. Her moan floated somewhere above him, unleashing more yearning. By their own volition, his hands found her
breasts, cupping their unbound fullness. His fingers stroked and circled. Her nipples hardened into nubs and another soft moan sent a shot of lust straight through him. He groaned in pure delight.
Desperately, he fought to keep his rampant yearning in check, for he had no intention of letting her bolt. Not now when she was exactly where he’d dreamed of having her since the moment he’d spied her that first night on board ship.
He continued, leisurely stroking with his hands, and using his lips, mouth and tongue as expertly as he could in efforts to mark her with this kiss. Branding her, so that she’d somehow remember him. Finally, before he lost all reason, he tore his mouth away. He glanced at her face and what he could see in the darkness had him closing his eyes, reaching deeper for control.
Disappointment and confusion were evident in her passion-filled gaze. The innocent look laced with the heat of desire, sent another jolt of need pulsing through him. Ignoring the longing to lay her down on the deck and have his way with her, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, gaining more control.
“Now I know so,” he whispered seconds later. His chin rested on her head; her dainty body nestled in the circle of his arms. “You’d never kiss like that if you loved another as you claim.”
She stiffened and tried to pull away, but he held her steadfastly in place.
“Please, release me,” she begged, her voice barely loud enough to carry over the splash of the water hitting the boat.
Parker heard self-loathing in her tone. Recognized it because it’s what he felt for himself at this very moment. He’d promised Lucas and for one crazy moment he’d almost given into his need to have her. For one crazy moment he’d lost all honor.
“I’ll let you go, but not before imparting my warning. I gave my word you’d be safe from me, and I’ve no intention of going back on my promise. Be wary, Miss Penny Layton, for I only have so much restraint and your taunts have already pushed me beyond those restraints.”
“You lay the blame for this on me?”
“No. I took what I wanted just now, and I know I’m more at fault; but I only finished what you started. Leave it alone. Don’t keep pulling the tail of the tiger unless you’re willing to ride because if you don’t stop, I can assure you, you will receive the ride of a lifetime.” When she didn’t move and stood silently staring at him as if he’d grown a second head, he nodded toward the stairs. “I suggest you go back to bed. Leave me be and I’ll return the favor.”