When she was a mere few inches from him, she stopped and angled her head haughtily. “Yes?”

He gave her that grin that seemed to be such a part of him, and she could imagine him giving it to all his marks when he’d enticed them into playing his shell game. Taking the hand not holding the snifter, he began slowly, provocatively peeling off her glove, the tips of his fingers skimming along her flesh as it was revealed. “What are you doing?”

Silly question. She had eyes, hadn’t she? Her skin was fluttering beneath his touch, wasn’t it?

“You’ll want a firm grip on the stick, and the silk will interfere with that. Better to have your skin in direct contact in order to maximize your control, to make the most of the thrust.”

Was he referring to the cue stick or a more personal stick? Although as her gaze dropped to the fall of his trousers, she couldn’t imagine any aspect of him as being so inconsequential as to be labeled a stick. She downed what remained of the brandy, nearly choking because it was too much too quick.

In fascination, she watched as the glove slid over her wrist, past her fingers, his lingering a moment as he turned her hand over and his thumb skimmed along the lines of her palm. He draped her glove over his coat, and it seemed so intimate, the coupling of their clothing.

Taking the snifter from her, he set it on a small table before returning his attention to her remaining gloved hand.

“I could do that.” She sounded as though the brandy had gotten caught in her throat and she was strangling.

“But why should you when it brings me such pleasure? For you, it would simply be a chore. For me, it’s an indulgence, to be able to reveal you bit by bit. No rush, no distraction. Just pure enjoyment.”

His eyes, dark and smoldering, threatened to set her ablaze. She was beginning to think she might have misjudged, might be out of her element with him, might lose control of the situation. How could she effectively rebuff all the passion and fire he was stirring to life within her? How did she avoid the want and need that overtook all good sense? Or would it be worth it to fall just once into the abyss of frenzy?