Page 19

Samuel’s short laugh caused her to look up. He had gone back to looking at her like she amused him.

“I’m afraid I cannot tell you that,” he said.

“You cannot or just won’t?”

Samuel swirled the wine in his glass, rubbing his jaw. “I suppose it is both. There are certain things a gentleman should never speak of, and that includes the number of women he has been with.”

Nora stared at him in annoyance. She had answered his question, even though she did not wish to. “Are you a gentleman?”

Once again, he laughed.

She frowned. He had been doing more of that since they started to drink the wine, and yet she found it difficult to believe that he was drunk.

“I suppose I am whatever the lady wants me to be.” He fixed her with his blue-eyed stare.

Nora’s stomach twisted. Did he do that on purpose, knowing that it affected her?

She looked at the grape stalk on her plate just as his voice cut through her thoughts once again.

“I suppose you will have to touch me, since I am unable to answer your question.”

Nora’s hand froze on her lap. She tightened her fist around the skirt of her dress. There was no reason why his saying that had to affect her so much. She had touched him already before when she danced with him. This was not so much different from that.

She let out a breath and reached across the table, keeping her eyes below his chin. He watched her. She did not have to look up at him to know that, not when her body thrummed with tension.

Nora placed her hand on his cheek in a gentle caress, feeling his prickly stubble against her palm. She rubbed her hand across his cheek, fascinated by the feeling before she pulled away from him.her.

Samuel laughed once again. “I don’t believe I have ever been caressed on the cheek when there’s a possibility to do much more.”

She blushed. She wasn’t used to the idea of touching a man. It was her first time touching a man’s cheek, other than her father’s when she was younger.

“I guess it is my turn now. Have you ever touched yourself?”

Her eyes shot up to his before faltering just as quickly. She gulped down what was left of her wine to cover the blush rising to her cheeks.

“I-I cannot tell you that.”

Her answer was greeted with the loud scrape of a chair as Samuel got up. He walked towards her, his steps tentative and his eyes boring holes into her head.

“You do remember the penalty for not answering a question.”

He turned her chair towards him and knelt in front of her until his face was level with hers. His gaze lowered to her neck, and his hand followed, his thumb caressing her skin..

She gasped softly, her breath coming out in puffs. “I have.”

Samuel smiled at her quick response. “Where have you touched yourself?”?”

She shook her head. “It’s my turn to ask a question.”

“Ask me anything,” he said softly, his eyes focused on her lips.

Her mouth went dry. “I-I don’t know.”

“Then you can skip your turn,” he said. “Where have you touched yourself, little rabbit?”

She shook her head once again, her head light from the wine and his closeness.

“I get to touch you, then.” He lowered his lips to hers.