“Me?” Roger asked, pointing to his own chest. As if he would askmeand point to another person’s chest. She giggled at the thought.
“Are you all right, Mimi?”
“Yes,” she pushed herself up from the armchair she just realized she was sitting in. “I’m perfectly gell…erm…well.”
“I’ll go get your sister.”
Oh what a boring thing to do.
“What’s that?”
Did she say that aloud?
“Yes, you did.” Roger looked at her blandly.
This was getting to be too much. Mimi opened her mouth and intentionally produced some words. “I’m in need of some answers.” This was her chance. She was drunk. She could appreciate that fact now. But she still needed answers, and this was a good way to get them. Absolutely nothing wrong with this method. Fate told her that Roger was her destiny. Experience was refuting fate. Now she needed to know how Roger could make her feel. She stood and ambled over toward him.
“I just—erm—came in for a book. I should go.”
“No,” she said a little too loudly as she waved her arm out to the side showing off the room. “Stay. Sit.” She tried to push him down onto the settee. The man didn’t move. He was built quite sturdy. Not as broad and muscular as Sam, but still. No one was really like Sam, were they?
“I must insist—”
“What the hell is going on here?” That voice sounded an awful like Sam if he were to barge in on them and use his whisper shouting voice.
“Sam.” Roger stepped back from her, and she almost lost her balance but Sam caught her around her waist.
“What are you doing?” Sam blasted Roger.
“I came in for a book, and she was here already three sheets to the wind.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
At this particular moment, Mimi wished her eyes weren’t so glossy because she really would like to see the glances passing between the two men. Pfft. She didn’t need to see them. She knew what they would be. Roger with his imperviously bland look and Sam with his intense death stare.
But this was the moment Roger could step up. They had been caught in a scandalous moment together. This was fate. This was fate’s method and she didn’t even know it. Roger would speak up and offer his protection. Love was to come after marriage. That must be it—
“Nothing,” Roger answered. “I’m not going to do anything. And I suggest you see her to her room before anything else happens.”
And then he was gone. And fate…what the hell was fate’s problem? Didn’t she know how to pick the right man for her? This was not going according to plan.
“Let’s go,” Sam said gruffly.
“No.” She didn’t want to go anywhere. Not with him or anyone. She needed time to let the haze clear so she could process the absurdity that was fate.
“I said, let’s go. We’re leaving now.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, y-you…ogre.”
“I didn’t ask. I’m telling you that we’re leaving,” he growled.
“Oh no. Now I’m scared.” She meant to say it in a taunting tone but she ended up giggling. Sam was so ridiculous. If he thought he could scare her, he had another thing coming. The man was nothing more than a hot smoldering duke.
“What did you say?”
“I said I’m not scared of you.” She was pretty sure that’s all she had implied. But what had she actually said?
He grabbed her by the waist and hauled her up on his shoulder, and she was pretty sure she heard him mutter, “Hot smoldering duke.”
