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She reared back as he went to touch her hair.
‘You switched the place cards, didn’t you? So you could sit next to me and drive me around the bend.’
‘You didn’t answer my question.’
‘You didn’t answer mine.’
He tipped his head in acknowledgment. ‘I have some skills,’ he admitted modestly. As he spoke he held out his hand and turned it over, extending his long brown fingers. Then with a flick of his wrist he produced one of the place cards from the sleeve of his opposite hand. ‘Distraction and sleight of hand. I have other skills.’
She compressed her lips and made a point of not asking him what they were.
‘Have you thought about what I said about you coming home with me tonight?’
She choked gently on her mouthful of wine before giving him a direct look. ‘I assumed you were joking.’ She was quite pleased with the compromise; it was a way of saying no without injuring his male ego.
Unfortunately, he didn’t appear to appreciate the favour she was doing him. ‘Then I’ll have to think of a way of showing you that I’m not.’
Her nerve ends tingling in response to the throaty purr of his challenge, she gave a little gasp and knocked over a glass as she bolted to her feet. Aware that people were looking at her, she calmly folded her napkin and dabbed at the damp spot on the snowy cloth. ‘Send me the dry-cleaning bill,’ she joked.
People responded to her quip with smiles and barely looked at her as she walked around the table to where Tatiana sat.
‘I promised to ring the palace to check on...’
Tatiana’s sympathy was instant. ‘Of course. Use my office if you want some privacy, then join us for coffee in the drawing room.’
