Georgina came further into his office in a whirl of wool cloak and feminine fury. “I’m rather disappointed in you, Mr. Murphy.”
Wasn’t everyone?“I own a gambling hell, my lady. Disappointment bleeds into the walls.”
“Your sarcasm is unnecessary at the moment.” She blew a puff of air at a golden curl that had fallen against her cheek. “I’m not overly fond of it to begin with.”
That bloody curl. He longed to wrap the tendril around his finger. Tug on it. When he’d taught Georgina how to play whist, he’d found his attention on the curl and not the game. She’d managed to nearly win their final hand.
“You’ve never mentioned your dislike of my wit before.” He pushed the letter opener further beneath the ledger. Best not to tempt fate, not with Georgina. Though he’d been doing so for some time. Leo would resolve to stay away from her and then find himself with his nose nearly nuzzling against the side of her neck.
This has to stop.
She looked up at the ceiling as if hoping for divine intervention. “You are so flippant. I’ve always found it annoying.”
“Again, I’ve known you almost two years, yet you’ve never mentioned these deficits in my personality.” A long, agonizing two years in which Leo had never once touched her, constantly reminding himself of all the reasons why he should not. He’d thought his obsession with her would fade with time, but now it had only grown worse. After careful consideration, Leo had decided he’d been going about Georgina completely the wrong way.
“You’ve a marker with my name on it, Murphy. I dare you to deny it. I can’t believe you haven’t returned it to me.”
Blood rushed between his legs, his cock thickening as he took in the hints of her generous form, well-hidden beneath the cloak. Thankfully, he was seated, the evidence of his arousal safely hidden. As was the letter opener.
“A marker.” He pretended to ponder her statement. Had he been a better man, hewouldhave returned it.
She moved closer, bringing with her the scent of those damned wildflowers that seemed to hover only around her. Not roses or violets. Nothing so sedate. But a much wilder bloom.
“No answer? Is it my accent, Mr. Murphy? Perhaps you can’t make out the words.”
Certainly that had been the ploy used on Georgina during a gathering held at Lady Talbot’s the previous year. Lady Talbot, snobbish and dismayed to be hosting a woman she felt was beneath her, had declared to hear a goose honking on the lawn each time Georgina spoke. Tony had been in attendance and had told Leo all about it.
Lady Talbot had since been denied entry to Elysium.
“I understand you perfectly well, Lady Masterson.” Leo, unlike nearly everyone else in London, craved the sound of Georgina’s flat American accent. Cravedher. When Tony had noticed Leo’s fascination with Georgina, Tony had warned him away from her.
“Why?” Leo had snarled. “So you can have her?”
“No.” Tony had been taken aback. “Because she reminds me of Phaedra. Impetuous but easily wounded.”
Well, Georgina most definitelydid notremind Leo of his youngest sister. He wanted her.Terribly. If he had just bedded her that first night or on any of the dozens of nights that had followed over the last two years, Georgina would be out of his system. Abstaining, in this case, had not helped matters.
She angled her chin. Mutinous. Stubbornly defiant. Shooting daggers from her dark eyes.
“I absolutelydid notwin you in a card game,” he finally said.
So hostile. He supposed he didn’t blame her, given the circumstances. Leo wanted her with a desperation that terrified him.
Georgina undid the clasp at her neck, tossing her heavy cloak over a chair, exposing the swell of her magnificent bosom. The simple green wool dress she wore clung to every curve she possessed, which were considerable. There was nothing slender or willowy about Georgina. No, she possessed a form created to induce any male to sinful thoughts. Georgina reminded Leo of the statues his stepmother insisted on placing around the gardens at the Averell mansion. Greek goddesses and the like. He’d spent many an afternoon as a lad, hidden behind the hedges, staring at the abundance of breasts and thighs as he brought himself to release. He was forever out of handkerchiefs.
“Do you deny that you accepted a marker with my name on it? Promising the bearer”—she crossed her arms, pushing up her breasts— “a night of my company?”
Jesus.His cock throbbed painfully. His fascination with Georgina had clearly gone on long enough. He couldn’t concentrate when she appeared. Which was far too often.
“Do you know, Lady Masterson, I’ve never been able to understand why others dislike your accent. I find it makes me want to visit New York. Your descriptions are very colorful. I imagine New York to be a charming place, possibly a little rustic.”
Georgina tapped her foot in annoyance.
“The ocean crossing keeps me from doing so, however. I don’t care for the water.” His body rejected the notion of floating on ponds, rivers, oceans, and the like. Even the sight of toy boats bobbing along the Serpentine caused an unwelcome sensation in his stomach. The dislike of water was the direct result of a fishing expedition when Leo had been a child in which he hadnotfloated. “I become quite ill aboard a ship. Can’t even get myself to Paris.”
Georgina snorted. “A pity, to be sure. But we are not speaking of your inability to enjoy a bath.”
Leo’s mouth twitched. Georgina’s razor-sharp wit was wasted on nearly everyone except him. “I enjoy bathing.”
