Games (Timeless Series) (17 page)

She smile
d coyly. “So that is why you ignored me during dinner. Because I amuse you?” she asked, keeping her smile in place while her eyebrows shot up.

“No
.” He began dealing the cards. “I ignored you at dinner to have your company after dinner. It appears my ploy worked. Didn’t it?”

Giselle picked up her cards
, rearranging them before setting them down and taking another drink. Suddenly she burst into laughter. She shook her head, grinning. “That is simply too devious.”

While arranging his cards, Simon lounged back in his chair
, allowing a nonchalant expression to move over his face. “One does what one must,” he said offhandedly.

“No wonder I find you so entertaining
.” At his shrug, she asked, “So, what are we playing?”

“I thought we’d play poker, since you seem so familiar with male vices
. Five card draw.”

“I have to warn you
. I am pretty good at poker,” she countered. Her grin returned, reaching her eyes.

“Naturally,” he murmured, giving in
to the urge to curl his lips into a wide grin.

“
What are we betting with?” She leaned toward him, clearly getting into the spirit of the game.

“I don’t know
. We can use matchsticks if you’d like. Or money?”

“Playing for matchsticks sounds
rather boring.” Giselle’s smile turned smug when she added, “And I have no need of money. Why not raise the stakes and play for something we both really want from the other?”

Her provo
cative dare drew his attention. Something about her expression didn’t bode well. He straightened, clearing his throat. He hesitated. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“What
is the matter, Simon?” she whispered, her voice challenging. Hell, everything about her challenged him. The gleam in her eyes, the secret smile she flashed, even the way she held her head when she goaded, “Are you losing your boldness?”

He shook his head, working to ignore her taunting ways
. Trouble was, he couldn’t ignore her for long. Not the enchanting woman he glimpsed in front of him, dressed so provocatively, throwing out challenges.

His amusement grew
. Knowing he only wanted one thing from her right now and also knowing if she knew what it was, she’d run for her life, he grinned. “Are you going to push until I get it back?”

“Of course,” she said slyly,
more laughter bubbling up.

The minx was enjoying herself immensely.
Watching her, he tamped down a desire to wipe clean the teasing gleam emanating from her eyes, replacing it with one of passion. Not his best idea. Though stuck, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get unstuck. Shrugging, he said, “Very well. I’ll play it your way. What’s your bet?”

“My company after dinner tomorrow night
. If I win, you do not have it. If I lose, you have it. Now, what is yours?”

Simon was silent as
ten seconds ticked by, then another ten. With his eyes on hers, he mulled over his options for dealing with the chit and wondering at the craziness of actually considering his bet.

“A kiss,” he said, backing down at the last minute.

Her trill of light laughter danced in the air around him, mocking him.

“Oh, Simon, I
am disappointed in you. That is hardly worth playing for.”

He
held his tongue while discarding three cards, then looked over at her with a raised brow. “How many?”

“One
. Would you like to raise the bet?” she asked mischievously, her eyes alive with humor, still mocking him.

Biting
back his smile, he tried not to be amused. “Not when you only take one card, I don’t.”

“I could be bluffing.”

“Maybe. But I don’t think so,” he said confidently. “Let’s see your cards.”

“Smart man
.” She turned over two aces and two tens. “What do you have?”

He flipped his cards, showing only a pair of fives
. When she started to rise, he put his hand on her arm, effectively stopping her.

“One more and we can raise the stakes,” he goaded, with a closed expression sliding over his face.

“I already have what I want,” she said, shaking her head. “Why should I take a chance on losing again?”

“Same reason I took your first bet
. Because you’re a gambler at heart and can’t resist the challenge I’m throwing out.”

She sat back down, considering his
claim while meeting his eyes. “
Oui
. If you lose, you lose not only my company, you will have to spend time with Minnie and Maizie.”

“All right
. I can agree to that.”

When he didn’t say anyth
ing further, she prodded, “What is your bet, Simon?”

He shrugged
. “I’m going for broke. You may not like it.”

“I
will not know until you tell me, will I?” she threw out haughtily. After another long pause, Giselle urged impatiently, “Well?”

“I want a night with you
. Not just the evening, but the full night.”

She laughed
. When she could speak again, she said, “Let me see if I have this correctly. You want me to bet my company for full night against your spending a little time with Minnie and Maizie? I hardly think the two are comparable.”

“You asked and I bet,” Simon explained, shrugging nonchalantly
. “You certainly don’t have to take me up on it. I merely thought to make it more interesting…up the ante, so to speak.”

“Oh
, it definitely does that,” she agreed. “I have never done anything so outrageous in my life and I am not sure if I want to, not for one measly evening with Minnie and Maizie. It hardly seems a fair trade.”

“Then think of something so it is fair
. That is, if you’re not too afraid to take me up on a real game with real stakes,” he dared, taunting her further, causing her eyes to narrow while her gaze seemed to be searching for some answer in his face.

“Let me think
.” Finally, she glanced at him, her expression curious. “If I spend the time with you, what will be expected of me?”

“Nothing but your company
. But I reserve the right to change your mind about certain aspects of your visit.”

“You mean you
will try to have your way with me?”

He chuckled
. “Something like that.”

“And if I do
not want to, you will accept my decision?” she asked tentatively, her expression becoming guarded.

“Of course
. I only want willing women in my bed. There’s no thrill in forcing myself on someone, even though some find the idea sporting.” His gaze pierced hers while he added, “Make no mistake, Giselle. I
do
want you willing in my bed and
that
will be my goal for the night.”

The blush spreading up her face told him she was probably still an innocent
. It also made him rethink the craziness of this game. But once he put the offer out on the table, he wasn’t about to back down. He wanted her too much, and his reasoning where Giselle Franklin was concerned had taken a holiday long before this.

Giselle licked her lips in a nervous fashion
. “I see. And you would do this, despite what you saw and heard this afternoon.”

“That’s between you and Bradford,” he whispered solemnly, his expression hardening
. “This is between you and me. The two have no connection.”

“You a
re willing to spend the night with me, ply me with sweet words to gain my acceptance, and you are not concerned I may have feelings for someone else?”

“Do you?” he asked a little too quickly.

“Do I what?”

“Have feelings for Bradford
,” he clarified, leaning back in his chair, holding her gaze. “I couldn’t quite make that out from your words. It’s obvious he does for you, but are they reciprocated? Are you going to marry him?”

“What if I said yes?” Giselle asked quietly, swallowing hard with a searching expression.

“Then I would fight doubly hard to have you.”

Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
“That does not make sense.”

“It does to me,” Simon stated firmly
. “I asked a few simple questions. Are you in love with Bradford and are you going to marry him? How hard can they be to answer?” He asked his impatient questions in a curt voice as irritation spread along his spine.

“You do
not ask much, yet you ask too much,” came her tormented reply. “I cannot tell you how I feel about Bradford, nor can I say I will ever marry him at this point. But my question for you is why does all this matter if I am but a game to you?”

He gave a self-deprecating laugh and answered honestly
. “Who says I have to be rational in my dealings with you? Look at it this way. I’m wagering a night with an inexperienced virgin in the hopes I may sway her into making love with me. I must be mad. How many men have you flirted with over time, Giselle? How many men have tried and failed to woo you? One hundred? Two hundred? Are you worried that I could succeed where others have failed?”

His words caused her to look closely at his face again, but he
still allowed his expression to yield nothing.

“Why are you doing this?
I do not understand.”

“Neither do
I,” Simon said, sighing. “Are you going to take the bet or not?”

She remained
silent, the entire time Simon held his breath, not totally sure of her answer. He gave a sigh of relief when she said, “I cannot take it for the original bet. You would have to agree to leave me free every evening you are here.”

“Done,” he said quickly
, then picked up the cards and hesitated. Snaring her gaze, he asked, “You’re sure you want the bet? I don’t want you to cry foul if you lose.”

She stiffened and threw her shoulders back
. Her expression resolute, she took a long swallow of her drink, almost choking on it.

“I
will honor my bet, if you will,” she said, once her coughing fit ended. “Now, deal the cards.”

“Anything you say, my dear
.” Simon smiled at her confident expression and the bravado voiced in her words. “Good luck.”

He shuffled the cards thoroughly before dealing them
. When he was done, he put the deck facedown and picked up his hand, keeping his face blank while arranging his cards.

He took three cards out of his hand and laid them on the table
. Glancing at her, he raised a brow. “How many?”

She closed her eyes and sighed
. “Three.”

Simon dealt her three cards as well as himself
. He lounged back in a nonchalant pose, his serious gaze meeting her wary brown one.

“What
do you have?” he asked, his voice coming out in a whisper.

“Nothing
.” She laid her cards facedown, looking at him with a turbulent expression in her eyes.

His breath came out slowly as he laid his cards on the table
. “Looks like a pair of fours beats nothing.”

She stood and said
softly, “Can I honor my part tomorrow night? I need some time to come to terms with my folly.”

He nodded and watched her walk proudly from the room, wondering the entire time if he’d gone completely mad
. What had possessed him to suggest such a thing? He leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes, seeing only her laughing brown-eyed stare dancing around in his brain, mocking him. And he knew nothing short of having her would erase the image from his mind.

The next morning Simon was up an hour or so before dawn
. His thoughts, as he mounted a horse and rode down the lane, focused on Giselle Franklin. It irked him to be thinking about her at all. It irked him even more to realize his main reason for getting on the road early was to return with plenty of time in order to interest her in a ride during the afternoon. He hoped a little time spent in her company would soften her attitude toward him and the night to come.

His jaw clenched and the horse underneath him shied a bit
. He relaxed the tension radiating from his body and gripped the reins tighter to gain control of the animal.

As he continued
galloping away from Twin Oaks, the memory of the night before pricked his consciousness. Mentally chastising himself, he knew he should forget about the bet…forget about allowing a mere slip of a woman to affect him. With no time to dally and much to accomplish, he should do his job quickly so he could leave. The sooner he left, the better off everyone would be, including Giselle.

He snorted
. Yeah. He understood fully what he
should
do. But should and would were miles apart. He had no sense, because right or wrong, nothing
would
stop him from having his night. Now that the cards had been dealt, literally, he had no other recourse than to play them out, even though the game became more serious by the day. She drew him like water draws a man in the desert. The more he was with her, the more he wanted to be with her. It was as simple as that. No other woman had intrigued him in such a fashion, both two years ago and now. Why it had to be someone as flighty as Giselle was beyond his comprehension. He saw her trap so clearly, and it amazed him that he was stepping into it freely.