“Business,” he simply said. “I’ve always planned to open a few more gambling establishments abroad. The economic growth in New York and Germany suggest now is the time.”
“How long do you envision you might be abroad?”
“At least three to five years.”
Her breath audibly hitched. “I wish you success, Edmond.”
“Thank you, Ester.”
They shared a smile, and he was almost discomfited by the sense of want shifting through him. “Let me walk you back to the ball. It is early yet; you should be able to slip inside without being seen.”
She took a shaky breath and another. “No.”
His damn heart lurched. “Ester…”
“Take me back to your establishment…and dance with me.” Her lips quirked, and her eyes gleamed.
“Very well.”
“Then delight me, Edmond. I want to dance until my feet hurt; until this restlessness flees and I slumber undisturbed.”
He held out his hand, and without hesitation, she slipped hers into his. They did not speak as they walked hand in hand back to his gambling den. Edmond fitted his palm to hers and clasped their hands together. He glanced at their fitted hands, curious about the sensations burrowing under his skin. Ester Fairbanks was an unexpected intrusion into his well-planned life, but somehow…she felt right.
CHAPTER9
Ester tipped back her head and laughed as Edmond spun her in a wide arc before drawing her scandalously close to his body. The air around them felt sultry with want and temptation. The feel of his hands on her hips was a revelation, for his fingers shook. They had walked in silence for several minutes, and once they arrived, he had taken her directly to the ballroom and tugged her into his arms. Ester was surrounded by his heat…his rousing, masculine scent, his power that never seemed to tire as he spun her in dizzying circles. This was their fourth dance, and she was not at all exhausted. Ester was filled with an almost painful energy. She felt shaky and exposed and also shockingly free.
She peered up into his face, and he gazed down into hers as if he had only discovered something rare. “You dance beautifully, Edmond,” she said with a breathless laugh.
“You are sweating.”
It was maddening how he stirred her senses. She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. “We have been dancing for almost an hour.”
“Are your feet hurting?”
“They ache terribly, but I do not regret it.”
He smiled and Ester’s heart somersaulted. The breaths she tugged into her lungs felt unsteady, hot, and far too achy. He saw something inside her eyes, for his darkened and a flush bloomed on the savage elegance of his jawline. His breathing seemed suspended for an instant, then he briefly looked away from her, clearly gathering his composure. “I am going to take you outside into the gardens.”
“Yes.”
A tic jerked his jaw, and his eyes glittered almost harshly. “There is no hesitation inside you, Ester?”
She almost didn’t dare answer the question. Then she said, “Why should there be?”
“Ester—”
Reaching up, she pushed a lock of dark hair from his forehead. “I am only like this with you, Edmond.”
He deftly slipped her through the crowd and outside into the empty gardens. He led her deeper into an alcove, shrugging from his jacket to rest it on the thick, verdant grass. He lowered himself to the grass, and Ester tumbled onto his jacket with a soft sigh. She did not startle when he took her feet into his lap and eased off her dancing slippers, yet Ester was all too well aware of the intimacy of their situation.
Her mouth dried when he coasted his hand up her shin and to her knees. Their gazes met and held for precious seconds.
“Do I have your permission?”
“Do you plan to delight me?”
Her voice came out as a croak and not the worldly sensuality she’d hoped for. He used his thumb to tenderly draw circles atop her knees. Delicious sensations shivered through Ester, and she could only stare at him. Edmond peeled the stockings down her knees and ankles, one after the other. She curled her toes as the cool night air washed over them.