Page 174 of Rogue of My Heart

“Ladies first.”

“Very well.” She considered her options for a moment, and then moved a pawn forward.

He did the same.

For a time, neither of them spoke, merely concentrated on the game at hand. But then, as the minutes passed and the play grew more demanding, Albina found herself deeply in thought. She absently stroked her bishop as she considered her next move, before changing her mind and moving to the rook.

She glanced up momentarily to see if Michael was getting irritated with how long it was taking her to make a decision. But while he had leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in similar contemplation, it was the glow in those brown eyes that caught her attention. He wasn’t watching the pieces on the board so much as what she was doing to them.

His jaw was clenched at the slow movement of her fingers as she ran them up and down that miniature castle.

Inwardly, her smile widened, but she was careful to keep her face expressionless. She returned to the bishop, moving it into place and leaned back to wait for Michael’s play, but this time, instead of considering what move to make next, she concentrated on another game entirely.

Trying to be as innocuous as possible, she reached up and toyed with the single long curl that she’d instructed Helen to leave hanging down from the rest of her chignon. She brought it over her shoulder and let it rest between the hollow of her breasts without taking her eyes from the

* * *

board. She was rewarded when Michael’s hand abruptly jerked, sending three of his pieces scattering across the board. He uttered a curse under his breath as he righted the knight and two pawns that had been taken down.

“Sorry,” he muttered, as he shoved a piece into place and sat back.

The next few moves went about the same. While Albina had never known Michael to be so reckless in his strategy when playing chess, she could tell that his mind was anywhere but on the game this evening, as more than one of his moves ended with her capturing several of his pieces, until finally, there was a sad lack of gold upon the board.

But it wasn’t until she slid her queen into place and said rather victoriously, “Checkmate,” that she realized she’d accomplished what she’d never been able to do before. She’d bested him at chess. “I truly thought this day would never come,” she preened.

“Yes, well.” He shifted in his chair. “I said I was a bit out of practice.”

“To my everlasting advantage.” She grinned proudly.

He snorted. “You don’t have to look quite so pleased with yourself.”

“Why not?” she lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “It’s not often I get to claim such a victory over you.”

“Indeed.” His eyes flashed as he rose to his feet. He offered her a light bow. “If you will excuse me, I believe I shall retire so that I might lick my wounds in the privacy of my chamber.”

She instantly felt her smile falter. “Of course.”

“Albina?”

“Yes?” she prompted softly.

She glanced up to see Michael carefully observing her. His gaze swept over her seated form, lingering momentarily on the swell of her breasts “Is everything alright?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

His lids lowered slightly. “You just seem… upset.”

She glanced down at her clasped hands in her lap, feeling rather deflated that she had failed so miserably in a seduction attempt that had seemed to be going so well. One would think that after being with the same man for nearly twenty-five years, twenty of which were spent together, she might feel a bit more comfortable in his company, that she might have the courage to tell him what she wanted. But while she might do her best to entice Michael back into her life, she wasn’t so bold as to come right out and ask him to love her again.

* * *

So she did the only thing that she could, even though it nearly tore her heart out of her chest to send him on his way. “I’m perfectly fine. Good night, Chael.”

Restless, Albina stood and walked over to the window, to look out at the darkness beyond. She could see her reflection in the glass from the light that flickered behind her, and wondered what was wrong with that woman staring back at her, the one who hadn’t been able to entice her husband to remain.

But while she thought Michael had left the room, she gasped when she saw his towering form come into view behind her. He reached out a hand and gently touched the side of her neck with the backs of his fingers, causing her body to fly into immediate chaos. Her heart pounded, her knees grew weak, and there was an insistent throbbing between her legs that yearned to be satisfied. His hand slowly moved down her arm, and her eyes slid closed.

“You called me Chael just now.”