Josephine, clad in another borrowed coat and a pair of breeches far tighter than the ones she’d previously worn, marched around the chair to stand before him. She placed her hands on her hips.
Blood surged between his thighs. Marcus became somewhat light-headed.
The coat, unlike before, was unbuttoned. Josephine wore nothing but a shirt of fabric so bloody sheer, he could make out the dusky hue of her nipples. And the breeches. The leather pulled so tight, he could see the outline of her?—
Marcus cleared his throat. Crossed and uncrossed his legs to try to ease the ache in his cock.
She looked at the brooch. Then at him. “My father wagered the brooch, did he not?”
“He did.”
“I’ve no idea why he would do such a thing. He was not a gambler.”
He knew exactly what Kenbrooks had done. The old duke had wagered that Marcus would be unable to resist Josephine and deliberately lost the brooch, then sent his daughter to retrieve it.
Yes, because I refused to entertain the notion of meeting her.
“Father knew the jewels in the brooch were valuable. The piece belonged to his mother.”
Marcus made a derisive sound. “Paste and glass, Josephine. A clever fake.”
Surprise rippled across her features. “Worthless?”
He nodded. “I knew your father, not well mind you, but on occasion, he would visit Brooks’, and we would share a glass of claret. That night, we consumed…a bottle. Or two.”
“Father was never much of a gambler,” she said.
“I disagree.” Kenbrooks had wagered that Marcus would want Josephine, and God help him, he did. Apparently, there had been no plan if she didn’t desire him in return. Though given her attire, Marcus might put that fear to rest.
She stepped forward and picked up the brooch and the shirt she wore gaped open. Marcus could see…well, damn near everything.
Dear. God.His cock felt like a piece of marble between his legs.
“I’ll play you for the brooch.” She smiled. “You won it fairly from my father. It was wrong for me to simply ask you to give it to me.”
“Not at all.” He sighed catching sight of one nipple.
“I disagree. You have something I want, Your Grace.” Josephine leaned over just a bit more, breasts swaying gently. “And I believe there is something I have that might pique your interest.”
She is trying to kill me.
“No,” he choked. “Take it. I give it freely, expecting nothing in return. No need to…”Tempt me more,he nearly said. “Do anything you may regret.”
“Regret?” Her breasts bounced in an enticing manner. “Do you like the outfit, by the way, Your Grace? Willa’s brother Isaiah refused to lend me anything after what happened before. So I had to bribe one of our footmen. Abe is a bit skinnier than Isaiah. Things are much…tighter.”
I am going to faint.
She reached into the pocket of the coat and withdrew a deck of cards. “One and twenty. Five rounds. If I win the majority, I get the brooch.” Josephine gave him a saucy look.
“And what if I win a hand?”
“You get to cut a piece of clothing off of me.”
Josephine’s voice didn’t even tremble as she stated the stakes to Lavisham. She had no intention of even winning one hand since she wasn’t very good at cards in general. In the days since he’d kissed her at the ball, she’d done a great deal of thinking about her scandalous duke and why he’d been so upset.
Lavishamdidwant to bed her, that was the whole point of Josephine wagering herself, but it had not occurred to her until much later that he might want more. Or that Lavisham would come to the insane conclusion Josephine didn’t wanthim.
One of her sisters, she couldn’t recall which, often said men could be thick-headed.
