Desire Me (5 page)

Women talked, he knew that. And he’d had more than his fair share of women. And on occasion, he’d had one of them bent over
his desk, though he wouldn’t have guessed many would give much thought to an old map. It would be quite the knock to his pride
that one of those women might have noticed any element of his decor when he’d assumed they were more pleasantly engaged. The
idea nearly made him chuckle.

It was on his tongue to inquire how she’d heard of his map, but more important was why she wanted it. “What does a beautiful
woman such as yourself want with a dusty old map?” he asked.

She smiled, and it transformed her face from merely lovely into something much more. Her sheer beauty was like a kick in the
gut.

She tugged on one of her satin gloves. “Perhaps I’m a scholar. Like yourself,” she said with a delicately arched eyebrow.

“I’m an adventurer, not a scholar.” If she legitimately
knew anything about him, she’d know that. “And you don’t look any
more like a scholar than I do.”

Her shoulders shifted so subtly, one could hardly consider the movement a shrug. “Then perhaps I’m merely curious. Do you
accept the wager or not?” she asked.

Max looked back at his cards, then slowly slid his gaze up to her. “Tell me your name.”

She nodded. “Sabine Tobias,” she said.

Somehow in the midst of their exchange, a crowd had developed around their table. Low whispers flitted around as well as the
occasional jab directed at Max. If Max wasn’t mistaken, a side wager had been established on who was going to win their hand.
That was the one thing you could be certain of in Rand’s Gaming, people were always looking for a wager.

“Well, Miss Tobias.” Max leaned forward and leveled his gaze on her tawny eyes. “What do I get if I win?”

“The pleasure of winning,” she said with a faint smile.

Max shook his head. “I’m not certain that’s enough. How about a kiss?”

The crowd around them cheered. Shock broke through her careful façade, and her eyes widened, but she quickly recovered. “I
don’t believe I was offering any kisses,” she said. “How about if you simply get to keep your dusty old map,” she added, tossing
his words back at him.

Perhaps she knew more about him than she’d let on, or perhaps she knew more about the map than the average collector. He’d
held on to that map for years despite several high-priced offers from other parties and one attempted theft. The map hadn’t
been the conclusive proof he’d once believed it would be. His quest for Atlantis stretched across his adulthood and still
he had not found it. But he was getting close. He could feel it.

Miss Tobias sat quietly, but her pulse ticked impatiently in that sweet spot beneath her ear.

“I believe you have a bet,” he said. “You win this hand, and I will give you my map.”

She paused a moment, trying to gauge his meaning. “You know to which map I’m referring,” she said.

“I believe I do.”

“Then we have a deal.”

“But if you lose,” he said slowly, “I get that kiss.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but after a breath, she said nothing and merely nodded.

“The wager has been set, now let us see your hands,” the dealer said.

Silence surrounded them, and it was as if they were playing alone in his parlor. Miss Tobias flipped her cards, one by one,
revealing three sevens and two queens.

“A full house,” the dealer said.

A slow, satisfied smile spread across the lady’s face, a cat with her bowl of cream.

The pleasure of her smile was so enticing, so seductive, he was almost sorry he was going to win. Almost.

First Max turned the two, the one card in his hand that didn’t matter, then just as she’d done, he slowly turned each card
over.

“Four of a kind wins,” the dealer said.

The smile evaporated from Miss Tobias’s face.

“Nicely done,” she said tightly. She came to her feet.

“I believe we will cash out for the night,” Max told the dealer.

Once they had stepped away from the table, Max put his hand on the lady’s elbow to direct her to a private room.

“What do you think you are doing?” she asked tartly. She pulled her arm free and eyed the door behind him.

He leaned against the door and allowed himself to take in the full length of her. She was taller than he would have guessed,
though by no means would he consider her a tall woman. But he did imagine that her legs were shapely and long. From his vantage
point at the table he’d been able to see her voluptuous breasts, but he’d not been able to enjoy her narrow waist and full
hips. She had the kind of body women envied. Whereas other women spent fortunes on all manner of contraptions to perfect their
shapes, it did not appear that Miss Tobias had so much as a corset on beneath that glorious dress. She, it would seem, was
perfect all on her own.

“You lost the hand,” he said.

Her lips pursed. “I realize that.”

“Which means I won.”

She swallowed and again his eye was drawn to that tender flesh behind her jaw line. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she
asked. Her right foot tapped a random rhythm on the wooden floor.

He smiled. “Most definitely.” He shoved off the doorjamb and walked toward her. “Tell me, Miss Tobias, what part should I
not be enjoying? That a beautiful woman shows up at my favorite club to pursue me?”

She held up her hand. “Not to pursue you, only your map,” she corrected.

“Perhaps, but instead of asking to purchase my map, you chose to negotiate a wager.” He took her hand and examined the satin-encased
fingers. “I do appreciate a brazen lady.”

“There is nothing brazen about my behavior.” She
withdrew her hand. “My lord, I see no reason to drag this on all evening.
I realize you find this entire scenario vastly entertaining, but I do not have time to amuse you any longer. I agreed to a
kiss. Now I shall give you one, then be on my way.”

“Indeed?”

Without another word, she braced both gloved hands on either side of his face and leaned up to him. Her soft lips brushed
seductively across his, but instead of giving him a quick peck, then retreating, she lingered. Her warm breath mingled with
his own, and he wanted to pull her closer, kiss her deeper, but she moved back before he had the chance.

“Now then, I do believe our business is complete,” she said.

“That was a lovely kiss,” he told her, “but it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” He pulled her to him, her lush body pressing
against his own, then he dipped his head to her neck. “This spot,” he murmured. “I’ve been looking at it all night.” He tasted
her, the flesh as tender as he’d imagined. Her nails bit through his jacket and into his arms. “Perfect.” Then he let her
go.

She eyed him thoughtfully, but said nothing. It would seem there were ways to make the lady speechless.

“I do believe we’ll be seeing each other again,” he said.

She said nothing, but merely turned on her heel and left the room.

Sabine Tobias. Why would someone be that desperate for an antiquity? There had to be a reason, and chances were, it would
be a good one. It shouldn’t take too much investigation to uncover who she was and what she wanted with his map.

* * *

The following day, Sabine Tobias grabbed a handful of glass jars and headed out to her storefront. She wouldn’t say that last
night had been a complete disaster, though certainly not a success either. But she knew for certain the man in question had
possession of the map. And she knew where he lived. Oddly enough she also knew what it felt like for him to lave warm kisses
on her neck. Everything about him had been unexpected.

Since the night before, she’d spent entirely too much time reliving that one moment, and not enough on devising a new plan.
So far a trip to his home seemed to be her best option. But she’d need help from her aunts to ensure that she didn’t get caught.

Sabine should have been bone-weary from her unexpectedly late evening, but instead her mind was surprisingly active. She constantly
relived every breath from the night before, wondering what, if anything, she could have done differently.

“We open in ten minutes,” Lydia said as she rushed from the back room.

Word was certainly getting out as of late, because their business had nearly tripled in the last few weeks. Evidently someone
in London—someone important—had decided Tobias Miracle Crème was highly in fashion. She and her aunts were making the facial
crème as fast as they could and still they sold out each day.

Her aunt Calliope came out right behind her with an armload of her own. “Sabine, you came in so late last night,” she whispered.
“I tried to stay awake, but…” Lydia passed by and Calliope stopped talking. She smiled sweetly at her eldest sister.

After they were once again alone, Calliope continued, “I thought maybe you’d gotten yourself into trouble.”

“No need to be so secretive. Lydia knows where I was,” Sabine said as she placed the jars on the shelf.

Calliope’s pale blue eyes shone. “How did it go with the map? Did you see it?”

Sabine plucked the jars from her aunt’s arms and started stacking them neatly into the fabric-lined baskets they used for
display. “No.” She frowned at her aunt as she pulled a stray thread out of Calliope’s wispy grayish-blonde hair. “I followed
him. And I ended up not at a ball as I’d thought, but in a gaming hell.” She filled Calliope in on the rest of the details,
their wager, everything except for the kiss.

“You lost?”

“I did.” She put a hand on Calliope’s arm. “But I’ll think of something. I’ve got one idea already. I know Lydia will not
approve, but I believe I might simply have to break into his house. Madigan entrusted me with this task, and I do not want
to let him or Agnes down.”

“I’m opening the doors, ladies,” Lydia said as she swept past them, then made her way behind the curtain.

Lydia had assumed the role of the eldest in the family when Sabine’s mother had passed. She fussed over each of them, and
Sabine loved her for it. While the shop was open, though, she stayed in the back tending the books and packaging orders. She
had never gotten used to their living among the English.

Sabine glanced behind her aunts to assure they were alone. “But it will require assistance from each of you.”

Punctuated by the sound of tiny bells, a tall and well-dressed gentleman entered the shop.

“We’ll talk more about my plan this evening,” Sabine whispered.

The man wore a hat that partially hid his face, something Sabine knew was considered rude in polite Society. A true gentleman
would have removed his hat once inside the shop. Other customers, all women, also entered the shop and began to mill about.
It was how it had been for the past few weeks. They’d open their doors, and the people would come almost immediately, and
often they’d be sold out of the facial crème three hours after opening.

The man immediately walked over to the nearest shelf and grabbed one of the jars for a closer inspection. His tall frame seemed
even more so in her small and delicate shop, and his dark suit stood out against the pale fabrics of linen and tulle they
used in their shelf displays. This was a lady’s place, and he looked very much a man as he pawed at her wares. His large hands
dwarfed the delicate jars of crème.

Then he removed his top hat, and steely blue eyes met her gaze.
Maxwell Barrett
.

“Miss Tobias,” he said with a rakish grin.

“You found me,” she uttered foolishly. Of course, she had given him her name. Normally that might not have yielded a successful
search. London was a densely populated city, but the mention of the name Tobias to nearly any woman in Society would have
brought him to her door. Perhaps the marquess was married—a fact she had not considered last night when she’d kissed him.

“It would appear so.”

Not precisely a blond—though his hair wasn’t dark enough to be considered brunette—he was about as attractive as men were
allowed to be. Yet there was nothing pretty about him. With a chiseled jaw and deep-set eyes, his features were undeniably
masculine. She was unable
to do anything but stand there and stare at him. Away from the smoky confines of the gaming hell,
she was able to fully appreciate his features. Last night, she’d recognized he was handsome, but here in the light of day…
She mentally shook herself and moved away from him to stand behind the counter.

He followed her, as did Calliope, her eyes bright and full of curiosity.

“What do you want?” Sabine asked, her voice lowered to a whisper to avoid disturbing her other customers.

He chuckled, then met the gaze of her aunt. “The lady interrupts my game of poker last evening, completely distracts me, then
makes a wild wager, and she wants to know why I would want to speak with her.” He leaned against the counter and flashed a
brilliant smile at Calliope. “Would you not be the least bit curious?”

“I would indeed, my lord,” Calliope said in agreement.

Sabine leveled her gaze on her aunt. “You are not helping.” She pushed her with one finger. “Will you put the rest of the
stock out? And keep Agnes and Lydia in the back.”

Calliope smiled at them both, then disappeared behind the curtain.

“You own this establishment?” he asked. He glanced at the rest of the storefront, then back at her.

“I do.” Well, she and her aunts did together.

“Beauty aids and hair tonic.” He picked up a jar, eyed it, then set it down. “Interesting.”

Calliope came back around the curtain, an armful of jars balanced precariously. “Carry on,” she said as she passed. “Don’t
mind me none.”

“Are you going to tell me why you want my map?”
He offered a smile, one so piercing she feared her knees might buckle.

“Oh, for pity’s sake,” she muttered. She squared her shoulders. “I don’t believe I owe you an explanation.” Her voice came
out with more bravado than she felt.

“You think not?”

“I do. My lord,” she added, forcing herself to be polite. Her throat was dry as she licked her lips.