A Little Bit Scandalous Read Online Free Page A

Rodale’s. But it was the only gaming hell Millie would even consider allowing Caroline play in. She’d had to beg the woman not to alert Justin.
    Boomer nudged her under the table. They’d developed a secret code so that people wouldn’t know he was here to protect her. She scratched her cheek, letting him know all was well and she didn’t need to leave. She would stay right where she was and play Roe. She could beat him.
    Then maybe he’d notice her .
    No, that wasn’t the reason she was here. She didn’t need him to notice her, she reminded herself. Despite the wounded pride of the girl she’d been, she was an adult now. Soon, she wouldn’t need his protection, or his money, either.
    She also enjoyed the playing, she couldn’t deny that. And damned if things hadn’t gotten bloody boring in the country. She knew she could have come to London at any time and had Millie re-introduce her into Society so that Caroline could find herself a husband. But she wasn’t about to traipse around London in pretty dresses and pretend she was searching for a husband when all she wanted to do was play cards and be dependent upon herself and no one else. She was here to win. Those monies would go a long way in restoring her family’s townhome so she could finally live on her own.
    Roe stepped over to the table. Cabot still stood, and Finley also came to his feet. They looked ready to bolt. “Sit, I won’t bite. I merely want a friendly game.” He took a seat and laid his monies on the table.
    He looked over at Caroline, but she kept her head down, trying to hide much of her face under her cap. He was looking at her too intently, studying her. But it had been years since he’d seen her. She’d grown and her face had changed somewhat, as most people’s did when they aged from youth to full adulthood. With the current disguise, there was no way he’d recognize her. Still, the thought niggled in the back of her mind: What if? What would happen if he called her out, told everyone here she was a woman?
    His eyes narrowed. “What’s your name, boy?” Roe asked.
    “Grey,” Caroline said after clearing her throat. She spoke softly and did her best to lower her voice so that she appeared to be somewhat masculine. She looked up at Cabot and Finley and nodded, encouraging them to stay. She’d feel more comfortable if they were here. Especially if Roe and Cabot had some sort of previous relationship, perhaps it would take the onus off her.
    “Well, then, Grey,” Roe said. “I’m told you’re quite talented at this game. I came to see for myself. You may call me Roe.”
    Cabot and Finley took their seats, yet, still there was utter silence at the table, as if everyone held a collected breath.
    “Deal, man,” Roe said loudly.
    The dealer popped the cards on the table, then quickly shuffled the deck, beginning the game anew. Perfect for Caroline to begin counting again.
    Roe had taught her to play when she was fifteen and she’d come to live at his estate. He’d sat her down in his study one day and dealt the cards. She’d been a quick study for the game. He had never once mentioned the art of counting the cards so she could predict the odds of each hand. She’d struck on that notion on her own, though she’d never told him. But it was a skill that came quite easily to her and it enabled her to win. And to win a lot.
    The cards were dealt, and she watched each player as they checked their hands and made their requests. She looked at her own hand. Twenty-one. A perfect hand.
    There was a ghost of a smile on Roe’s lips when Caroline turned over her cards. Then the next hand was dealt.
    “What the devil do you want with Constantine’s Shield?” Cabot asked abruptly.
    Roe looked up over his cards and eyed Cabot, but said nothing.
    Cabot shrugged. “Merely curious.”
    Fascinating how suddenly Finley was the one who had grown stone quiet and Cabot was so talkative. His words surprised her, though. She would have