Never Courted, Suddenly Wed (Scandalous Seasons #2)(6)

She took the glass and their fingers brushed. A tingle of awareness, like the jolting shock one feels when walking barefoot on a carpet, raced through him.

Christ, whatever is wrong with me?

Athena stole a glance at him from beneath lowered lids and then downed half the contents of the drink.

Tears flooded her eyes. She proceeded to choke.

Laughter shook his frame.

She glared. “That was neither appropriate nor amusing.” Then as if to save face, she tentatively tried another sip. This time her only outer reaction was a grimace.

Christopher smiled as she continued to drink his brandy. Who would have imagined that teasing this young lady could be so vastly entertaining?

Or seductive, he thought as she trailed the tip of her tongue along her plump lower lip.

Her husky alto interrupted his dangerous musings. “Truth be told, the second sip wasn’t all bad.”

He quirked a brow. “How about the third and fourth?”

“Oh, the third and fourth were divine. But the fourth and fifth were vastly better.”

“You’ve accounted for the fourth sip, twice now.”

She frowned. “Have I?”

“You have,” he said with mock solemnity.

“Then the fourth sip must have been absolutely divine.”

A laugh rumbled from deep within his chest.

It would be better for the both of them if she returned to the ballroom. The last thing he cared to risk was being discovered with a masked lady, especially in light of his father’s plans for him.

But he was having too much fun. He motioned to the empty seat beside him, fully expecting the young lady to come to her senses and realize the impropriety of being alone with him.

Alas, sips four and five appeared to have clouded her judgment.

Athena sat on the sofa, the delicate fabric of her skirts fluttering about them, and he stole a downward peek.

Trim, dainty ankles.

His blood heated. God, he was mad for trim, dainty ankles, especially upon a buxom, luscious creature like her.

“What brings you here this evening? Are you, perhaps, avoiding your husband?”

A husky laugh spilled past her lips. “I’m not wed.”

Christopher released a breath he’d not realized he was holding. Good, he preferred his Athena unattached. His eyes went to the full set of perfect, bow shaped lips and his groin tightened uncomfortably. Yes, he preferred her without a husband. Granted it made their clandestine meeting that much more scandalous, the threat of discovery that much greater…but then, at masquerades, certain liberties were granted to staid Society members.

Athena finished her brandy and held the glass out for a refill. Christopher hesitated. It would hardly do to get the lady soused, though she appeared nearly there. He fetched the decanter of brandy from Lord Thomas’ drink cart and returned to her side. He poured several fingerfuls.

She downed it in a single swallow. A slight grimace twisted her lips.

Hell, he was going to send the intriguing young lady back to the ballroom, thoroughly steeped.

“So again, sweet Athena. What is the reason of your visit?”

She tapped a finger against her chin. “Well, I was invited.”

Christopher grinned. What a fetching thing. “You were invited to Lord Thomas’s library?”

She held out her now empty glass. She’d had quite enough for the evening. He took it, deliberately brushing his fingers against hers.

The young woman appeared wholly unaffected by his touch. She closed her eyes and slumped against the back of the sofa, her neck arched as if she planned on a nap.

“I should go,” she murmured.

He tamped down a swell of disappointment. This was the most enjoyable part of his evening thus far. “You should.”

She nibbled at her plump, lower lip. “It is rather inappropriate for us to be alone,” she said.

Christopher imagined all manner of inappropriate things involving those lips. He grinned. “Yes.” He had the distinct impression that his Greek goddess had little intention of leaving. “You never answered my question,” he pointed out.

Her lids fluttered. “I didn’t?”

“No.” What he wouldn’t give to tear the gold helmet from her head and reveal the mane she concealed underneath. Did she possess honey blond locks? Dark gold curls?

“What was the question, my lord?”

Christopher angled his head closer to hers. “What has you hiding away in Lord Thomas’s library? A clandestine meeting?” An overwhelming urge filled him, to reach out and stroke the silken curve of her cheek, to test if her skin was as smooth as it appeared.

She pointed her eyes to the ceiling. “Hardly, Odysseus.” Then, as if it weren’t just the two of them present, she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I wanted a moment away from Polite Society and knew I’d not find anyone here.” She blinked. “Well, you’re here, so not everyone. What of you? Are you avoiding someone?”

He was avoiding the reality of his circumstances. “I needed a break from the…” Plans my father has for me.

“Cloying debutantes?” She winked saucily up at him.

He grinned.

Athena leveled herself upright and leaned closer to him. “And how do you know that I’m not one of those cloying debutantes.”