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Victoria chuckled. “May I deal this time?”
He handed her the deck of cards, and Victoria eagerly dealt another hand.
This time, despite Victoria’s best cheating efforts, William was victorious.
“Now you must pay the forfeit. What shall it be?” Victoria asked, trying to calm her racing heart.
William’s mouth curled in a roguish grin. “I choose a kiss as well.”
As Victoria leaned forward eagerly, he halted her with a hand on her waist. “Ah, but not on the lips. You must choose elsewhere.”
Flushing an even deeper red, she bit her lip, and slowly perused him before leaning in to place a delicate, feather-light kiss on his neck.
William chuckled as she retreated, her cheeks as hot as flaming coals.
Another round passed, and Victoria was once again the winner.
“Well, I suppose I should claim another kiss as my prize,” she said with a giggle.
“And shall I select the location this time?”
She gave him a coquettish nod.
He took her hand and brought her wrist teasingly to his lips before Victoria could protest.
“Not there!” She wrenched her hand away in sudden panic, and a single card fluttered from her billowing sleeve onto the floor.
William gasped theatrically as he picked up the card. “You’ve been cheating, you sly minx!”
Unable to contain her laughter, Victoria collapsed onto her back. William leaned over her, his face hovering above hers. “How does one say, ‘sly minx’ in Russian?” His words were low and oddly sensual.
Victoria’s laughter ceased, and she pursed her lips in thought. Then an idea came to her mind, so with a barely contained smile, she said, “Lubimaya.”
“Hmm… Lubimaya,” he said, slowly rolling each syllable on his tongue. “Somehow I doubt that means what you claim.”
“And how could you know?” Victoria dared to look affronted.
“Well, I don’t, but I know you. And that roguish look says I just called you something far more affectionate.”
She swallowed, her eyes dropping to his tempting mouth. “What if you’re right? What then?”
His smile broadened. “Then I should like to know the true meaning, so I may call you that and mean it.”
“Or you could simply kiss me again…” Victoria trailed off as their lips met once more.
His tongue teased her as his fingers delved into her hair, pulling out the pins one by one, freeing the jet-black locks. Victoria’s hand traveled down his chest, across his firm stomach, then dipped slyly under his waistcoat. Her fingers slid over the smooth, slick fabric within, craving to touch the skin beneath. Suddenly, the crisp corner of a card poked sharply into her palm.
With a dramatic gasp, Victoria broke the passionate kiss, her hand emerging from his waistcoat clutching the telltale evidence of his deception.
“You rogue, you were cheating too!” she cried in feigned indignation.
Not even trying to deny the obvious, William collapsed in laughter beside her. “What a devious pair we make!”
Chapter 10
The door handle turned with a click, the lock rattling as the key struggled to catch. Finally, the heavy iron door swung open to reveal the striking vision of Victoria’s wayward husband silhouetted in the doorway.
Victoria, who was flipping through a book with no interest in it whatsoever, flew off the armchair and almost into William’s arms. She stopped herself a foot away, bewildered by her own reaction. It was out of boredom, she assured herself. Nothing else.
