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“I am a gambling den owner with no nobility. No one here looks at me with any sense of welcome.”Or acceptance. Even those he was familiar with through business dealings had given him a wide berth since his arrival. Perhaps they thought it would be uncouth to acknowledge an acquaintance.
“Then why were you invited?”
“I paid for the privilege.”
“Oh,” she said in a soft tone of astonishment. “Why?”
“You know why.”
There went that soft gasp again.
“To…see me?” she asked after a fraught pause.
“Yes.”
“Because you long for me,” she said softly.
He stepped a little closer, exquisitely aware that he could tell her delicate lavender scent different from the masses. “Every day…every night, Elle.”
“Lucien…” Her breath grew shaky. “I…”
“Come with me.”
He waited for her to brush him off or demand with incredulity where. Instead, she said, “Yes.”
“Follow me.” Without waiting for her answer, he turned around and discreetly wended his way through the crowd. Lucien lingered in the hallway, his damn heart pounding too hard. He waited for a few minutes and as he was about to give up, she appeared at the end of the hallway. Relief tore through him. They stared at each other for long moments, and she glanced over her shoulder, as if someone chased her. Lucien continued down the hallway, not looking behind him to see if she followed. The further he moved from the music and revelry, the more certain he was that should he look behind him, Eleanor would be gone. After testing several doors and finding them locked, he reached into his pocket for a long slim pin fashioned for this purpose. He picked the latch and slipped into the room. A low fire burned in the grate and the window was half opened, the sounds of the rain and the night echoing around him. Only seconds later she entered and closed the door behind her with asnick. Lucien turned around, restraining himself from hauling her to him.
“I…I might be missed soon.”
“Not in this crush.” That much he understood from his time in walking the lower floors of his gambling den.
Her cheeks pinkened, and those dark blue eyes glittered. “I should not be here, Lucien.”
“I will be fine if you choose to turn around and leave right this instance, Elle.”
Still, she did not turn around and rush from the room. Instead, she gripped the edges of her gown and murmured, “No one calls me, Elle.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
Her flush deepened and her eyes warmed. “No. I like it.”
“Dance with me,” he said, desperate to feel her close.
“We cannot hear the music from here.”
“We’ll make our own music,” he said, slipping his hands around her waist and pulling her flush against his body, dipping his head to capture her mouth with his.
CHAPTER11
Lucien’s mouth on hers sent a dizzying rush of pleasure throughout Eleanor’s entire body. With an eagerness that would be sure to embarrass her later, she wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her lips, after being urged with soft nips and licks. She moaned when his tongue stroked along her mouth, tempting her to greater wickedness. Lucien kissed her repeatedly, each meeting of their mouths and sweet tangling of their tongues made her dizzy with longing and craving for things she did not understand. They were being unspeakably reckless; however, in this moment, Ellie could not be moved to care. The wonderful pleasure from her first kiss had not been an anomaly.
The ache that spread through her body seemed to gather at a point between her legs. Without any thoughts to consequences or expectations placed on her by others, Ellie molded her body to his, thighs, hips, breasts straining for closer contact. She rubbed almost restlessly against him, eager to assuage the piercing sensation swelling in her breasts. He groaned, his hands curving tighter across her hips, dragging her up against his body. Ellie moved with him as he took fumbling steps backward.
Lucien’s hips slammed into a desk, and with a ragged groan he broke their kiss, clasping her cheeks.
“I’ve missed you,” he said on a disbelieving chuckle.
She smiled, very aware of their shared heartbeat because of how close they held each other. “Every night you have been visiting my dreams, Lucien.”
