Luck Is No Lady(79)
He leaned toward her to murmur softly against the curve of her ear. “In more ways than one.”
Twenty-five
The table Emma chose to join was occupied by seasoned players, men who took their card games very seriously. Roderick realized after only a few hands that Emma had made her choice quite intentionally. It was evident her level of focus rivaled that of the other players. She quickly gained their respect, and Roderick’s as well.
The game was commerce, and Emma was a natural.
It took only a few times of her making it to the final sweep for Roderick to realize this was no beginner’s luck. She knew the game well and played with a relentless sort of grace he had never witnessed in anyone else before. She took a measured number of risks and seemed to know exactly when to play it safe.
Whereas he always played with a reckless sort of gut instinct, never knowing what he intended to do until he was doing it, she played in a completely intentional fashion. It appeared as though she could calculate her odds with surprising accuracy and played only to the limit of what lay in her favor.
Her ability to conceal her thoughts and emotions worked undeniably to her benefit as the other players caught on to her prowess and began scrutinizing every aspect of her expression and manner.
But she gave absolutely nothing away. In the same way he had admired on the day of her interview, her every movement was perfectly economical. Every smile was intentional, every comment in direct response to someone else. Her movements were executed strictly out of necessity. She did not fidget or fuss. She had not a single tell Roderick could detect.
She was magnificent.
And then there were those brief moments when she would glance over her bare shoulder at him as he stood as sentry beside her. Then and only then would he catch a glimpse of something bright and thrilling in her gaze. And he wondered if it was the game play or something else that sparked her pleasure.
Those innocent fleeting glances threatened to bring him to his knees. Roderick could not recall another time when he had been so entirely consumed by his attraction to a woman. He stood stiffly behind her, feeling the insistent ache in his loins and the heavy thread of his pulse through his veins. He wanted her so badly, his entire body hurt from the effort it took to resist his need.
His duty tonight was to protect her from such attention. To indulge in his own craving would be the greatest hypocrisy.
Finally, her time at the table wound to an end. As she stood and offered her good-byes to the gentlemen she had practically fleeced, it was all Roderick could do not to rush her along.
Once she slid her arm through his, he began to lead her from the gaming room to the next antechamber.
“Where are we going?”
“I need a drink,” he replied, hearing the tension in his own voice.
She sighed with heavy relief. “I would love some more champagne.”
He realized then, for all the anxiety he had experienced in watching her, she had gone through worse.
He softened his tone. “You do not have to continue. You have won a hefty sum tonight.”
“I cannot leave until I have the full amount. I am still quite short.”
“Emma, I can give you what you need.”
“No.” Her tone was stern. “It is my responsibility. I will not accept a loan from you to pay off another. I must do this myself, or we will be in no better position than before.”
“I did not say I expected repayment.”
She stopped then and turned to face him. Shadows, previously hidden in her gaze, became visible. “You would give me the money? Why?”
“Because you need it.”
“If I did not pay you back, I would feel beholden to you forever.”
He smiled, trying to lighten the weight of her tone. “Would that be so terrible?”
Her gray eyes darkened even more as her gaze dropped to his mouth. He could practically feel her body warming, though they touched nowhere else but where her hand rested on his forearm.
“Not terrible,” she whispered as she lifted her gaze again to his, “devastating.”
A thrill like a lightning strike ran through him from top to toe. He knew exactly what she meant.
“Come, let’s get a drink,” he said gently as he took her hand again and led her through to the next room.
The next two hours were more torturous than Roderick could have imagined. He remained faithfully at Emma’s side while she continued on a winning streak unlike anything he had ever seen before.
She needed absolutely no help from him when it came to placing her bets or choosing her next game. But he was grateful he had insisted on playing escort as she continued to draw the kind of interest from other men that made Roderick want to smash their faces in.