All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue (The Debutante Files #2)(7)

She toyed with the edges of her cards, bending them slightly, as she was not supposed to do. Not that any man at this table would correct her. No, she was by far too mesmerizing in her shocking gown, her breasts on full display.

Max’s fingers clenched around his cards, the knuckles whitening. “Be quick about it. We haven’t all night.”

Her gaze shot to him. “I’m sorry. Am I keeping you from more diverting sport?”

“You’ll be free to go about your diversions soon enough,” the stranger smoothly inserted, locking gazes with Max. “Once the lady and I adjourn to one of Mrs. Bancroft’s chambers upstairs.”

“Awfully confident, aren’t you?” Max asked, the silky edge to his voice deceptively calm.

The stranger smiled widely, revealing yellowed, furry teeth. “Our friend here is impatient, my fine lady. Shall we put him out of his misery and let him face his defeat?”

“After you,” Aurelia insisted.

“Why not?” Furry Teeth shrugged. “Let us be done then. And on to more pleasant pursuits.”

Apprehension finally flickered within her eyes. The emotion was visible for just a moment through the eyeholes of her scarlet domino. Now she feared she might have overstepped, did she? When it might be too late. Fool. Did she expect him to save her? Blast her, he should leave her to hang herself. Let the brute take her upstairs.

Furry Teeth fanned his cards out before him with a flourish. Applause erupted around them. Max stifled a curse and flung his cards down on the table. He’d lost.

Furry Teeth chuckled and wagged a finger at him. “You, my friend, best undress yourself whilst I take this little morsel upstairs and collect my winnings.” Rising, he extended a hand toward Aurelia. “Come, sweetings. A wager is a wager, after all.”

Aurelia lifted her bowed head just as Max started to rise. Not to undress himself but to stop that filth from touching her. Wretched girl or not, he would not let this vermin take her. He could not. Even if that meant reneging on a bet. His friendship with her kin demanded he protect her.

“Do you not wish to see my cards?” She queried softly.

All eyes turned to the table as she spread her cards in an arc. Surprised gasps rippled all around them.

She’d won.

Furry Teeth let out an oath.

She leaned back in her chair in the manner of a victorious queen and leveled her gaze on him. “A wager is a wager,” she echoed. “I believe I’ll collect my winnings now.”

Furry Teeth began stripping off his clothes in angry movements, revealing his pale skinny limbs. Entirely naked, he quickly sank back down in his chair and sat there sulking much like the other two men who had already shed their clothes.

Aurelia lifted an eyebrow at him. “Well, my lord? Do you not honor your bets?”

“Honor?” He chuckled low and deep, the sound raw and prickly in his throat. “That is not a word I expect you to understand.”

Her smile turned brittle. “Are you delaying on purpose? The hour grows late, my lord.”

Max shoved himself to his feet, sending the chair skidding backward. He yanked off his jacket, cravat and vest, his eyes never leaving her face. Reaching behind his neck, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside in one smooth move.

A woman nearby made a hissing sound of approval.

The corner of his mouth kicked up in acknowledgment. He knew he was well-formed. He spent a goodly amount of time riding, fencing, swimming, fighting. He was not ashamed of his body. That said, he did not appreciate being forced to undress so that he could be ogled and made a spectacle of.

Anger, hot as molten rock, poured through him. It was in his every hard movement. The crowd fell silent around him as he removed one boot, then the next. His hands went to the front of his trousers and hesitated.

She watched him, her throat working as she swallowed.

“Is this what you want?” he demanded.

The color rode high in her face, crowding the edges of her domino. She was getting more than she bargained for. She realized that now.

He leaned across the table, flattening his palms on the baize surface and bringing his face inches from her. “This is what you’ve been so curious about? Is it not?”

Her breath escaped in a sharp hitch. “You flatter yourself.”

“You set the stake, not I. Shall I satisfy your curiosity at last?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Now you can infuse some reality into your artwork. That will be a refreshing bit of change, won’t it?”

Her nostrils flared. Her words escaped in a low hiss for his ears alone, “There is truth in my drawings.”

Her words struck him like steel striking flint. She was that same little witch who’d created that caricature and left it for public ridicule. He laughed once, hard and unforgiving. “You’re about to witness the truth. Pay close heed so next time I expect you to get it right.”

“I’ve drawn you once. No need to repeat the task.”

He tsked. “Come now. I fascinate you as a subject. You know it. I know it.”

“Rubbish,” she spat, her gaze sparking fire through the eyeholes of her domino.

“Shall I prove it?” Shoving back off the table, he dropped his hands to the front of his trousers. Tearing loose the buttons, he shoved them down and stood naked before the room. Unlike the other men, he did not sink into his chair. He let the room have a long look. He let her drink her fill.