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“How astute you are, my lord.”
She wasn’t being coy. This girl hadnoidea who he was. Even if she were to figure it out, Leo thought she might be evenlessimpressed. “I’m Leo Murphy. Not a lord. IownElysium.”
“How lovely for you.” Her brow wrinkled between a pair of dark eyes. Such a stark contrast against her gold hair and creamy skin.
“Are you intentionally being rude? Or is this the way all Americans behave?” The odds of any female in Leo’s immediate vicinity ignoring him were incredibly low. That is to say, itneverhappened.
She turned to face him with a sigh of exasperation. “Very well. I can see you wish us to become acquainted and won’t leave me in peace until you accomplish your aim. I am Lady Masterson.”
Leo took the small, gloved hand, giving the briefest brush of his lips against her knuckles, shocked when his cock twitched at the slight touch. Wildflowers caught in his nostrils again.
“Lady Masterson?” There was a rumor making the rounds that the elderly Lord Masterson had finally taken a wife. Mostly out of fear of impoverishment.
Her bravado faltered just slightly before she snatched back her hand. A stubborn look came over her lovely features. “Yes.”
Masterson did prefer blondes, although they usually tended to be footmen or lately, barristers. He was a member at Elysium, gambling poorly and losing frequently before availing himself of the rooms on the second floor. Masterson owed Leo a great deal of money. A stack of the earl’s markers sat in the safe in Leo’s office. Masterson’s nephew, his heir, would inherit much more than the title.
“And where is Lord Masterson this evening?” He should be here with his very young bride. The decent thing to do whether or not he was interested in bedding her.
“I’m sure you already know.” A tiny smirk hovered at her lips. “No need for me to tell you, Mr. Murphy.”
“I can take a guess.” He gave her his most charming smile. Lady Masterson was the most interesting person, man or woman, Leo had met in, well, forever. “We’ve established you’re American—”
“Have we?”
Another bolt of arousal shot straight down between his legs. Dear God, he had the inclination to throw her over the faro table and justinhaleher. “Where in America are you from, if I may ask, Lady Masterson?”
“You’ve already done so.” There was just a hint of mischievousness in her dark eyes.
Flippant, sassy little thing. “Done what?”
“Asked me. I’m from New York.” The clipped flattened sound of her vowels created bits of sensation across Leo’s skin. There wasn’t the least inflection. He could listen to her for hours.
“Are you enjoying London?”
“Not in the least.” She gave him a sideways glance. “The Thames stinks, the Hudson does not.”
Oh, she was quite something.
“Give it time, my lady.” He assumed the Hudson to be a river in New York. He’d never paid attention much to geography outside of England. One of his worst subjects at school. He nodded to the stack of chips before her. “Are you familiar with faro, my lady? If you are not, I’m happy to provide instruction.”
“Are you better at cards than you are at choosing waistcoats?” She nodded toward his chest. “Although it does appear to be finely made.”
Disparaging comments about his waistcoats were a common occurrence. He’d become immune to them. His sister Andromeda, who had a flair for clothing and fabrics, proclaimed his waistcoats an affront to the senses.
“I take it you don’t care for my taste.” He looked down at the swirls of purple and green splashes decorating his mid-section. “And you don’t get to be the owner of a gambling hell without knowing how to play faro or cards in general. Any game, really. Will you allow me to offer you some instruction?”
“Why? You’ve already seen my bosom.”
Dear God,she was delicious.“Because you’re losing badly, my lady.” His glance settled on her small stack of chips.
Leo had never once, not in all the time he’d owned Elysium, offered to teach anyone how to play one of the games offered. He surprised himself by doing so now. But he didn’t wish to end his brief acquaintance with Lady Masterson. She looked in need of a friend. The fact that she also filled Leo with the most wicked, lascivious thoughts was irrelevant.
“Perhaps I should try hazard.” She glanced across the gaming floor where a group of gentlemen had gathered. “I’ve diced before. Looks fairly simple.”
Of course she had. “No, I don’t think so. The odds aren’t in your favor. They aren’t in anyone’s favor when it comes to hazard except the house.”
“You probably shouldn’t advise your patrons of that, Mr. Murphy.”
