Charmed By Knight (The Fielding Brothers Saga) Read Online Free Page B

more.”
    “Go ahead.” He leaned back in his chair, his grin broadening. “Ask for anything you like.” He waved his hand through the air. “I do not plan on losing.”
    Smokey blue eyes penetrated hers and a reckless thrill ran through her. He brought her hand to his mouth, and his lips whispered the lightest of kisses against her knuckles. She held back a sigh from the sweet caress of his tender lips.
    “Now the rules are set, shall we begin?” His voice came out low and husky.
    “I fear this is a most improper game.”
    Mild laughter rumbled in his chest as he released her hand. He picked up the cards and shuffled. “It is, but that is the kind of game I play. The proper games the debutantes play nowadays bore me. I need something with a little more excitement.” He met her gaze from across the table. “I’m certain you’re tired of the staid life you have been leading also, or have I misjudged you?”
    Had her heart stopped beating? He practically confessed he was no gentleman. Her mother assured her he was, but here sat an entirely different man. Megan couldn’t decide if that were a good thing, or bad.
    With her back straight, Megan gave him her most daring smile. “Deal the cards, Your Grace.”
    “I’m happy to see I have not misjudged you.”
    She tried concentrating on the game, hoping to win – hoping he would win – just as long as there was a kiss. Fear shook through her just thinking about it. The heat inside her boosted a few notches in anticipation.
    Every card she picked was a high card, and it surprised her to see four Aces in her hand. If what he told her about the game was correct, she had won. Lifting her chin in triumph, she smiled.
    He chuckled, shaking his head. “You, my dear, don’t have a face made for this sort of game.”
    “Whatever do you mean?”
    “By the wide smile stretched across your mouth, I assume you have an exemplary hand?”
    She shrugged one shoulder. “How do you know this is not a deliberate attempt to mislead you?”
    “No, I’m certain it isn’t.”
    “Then do you call?”
    He laid down five cards, all the same suit, numbered in order. “If you can beat a small straight, then you have won.”
    With shaky hands, she laid her cards on the table. “I have four Aces and a five of clubs. I suppose that means I win.”
    “Yes, you do.” He shrugged, the corner of his lips lifted in a crooked grin. “I’ll now have to forfeit something.”
    By his creased forehead and shadowed gaze, he appeared deep in thought. She observed his meditations in keen interest, but his eyes revealed none of his innermost thoughts. Finally, he smiled, reached up and loosened his cravat.
    “It’s up to you. My cravat or a kiss.”
    A cravat? What would she do with his cravat? Yet she knew what she would do with a kiss. She swallowed hard, deciding to let the teasing game play on.
    “I will take your cravat.” She grinned and took the article of clothing handed to her, its silky smoothness still warm from his throat. She placed it on her lap, and his musky scent wafted around her, heating her that much more. He gathered the cards and shuffled again.
    The next game went as before, and she held four Kings. Amazing. She was better at this game than she thought. It was time for him to forfeit, and he once again pondered on this, biting his bottom lip during the silence.
    A grin tugged on his lips. “My waistcoat or a kiss?”
    “Your waistcoat.”
    With a nod, he smiled and shrugged out of the garment. She knew his game. He was purposely losing.
    “Why are you forfeiting your clothing?” she asked in a mocking tone.
    “As I see it, you have more need for it than I. Doubtful your riding habit is dry as of yet.”
    Accepting his explanation, Megan nodded.
    Once the third hand was dealt, she held a royal flush. He’d tricked her! What other excuse could there be? She decided not to say anything, just to see where this led. As he unbuttoned his shirt and tugged it out of the