He’d felt the caress of her gaze like a physical force traveling the length of him, and the urge to preen had hit him strong. But he was not one for preening. She either liked what she saw or she didn’t. Based on the fact that her hand was now nestled in the crook of his elbow, he assumed she liked.

He was desperate to see her without the mask that covered three-quarters of her face, leaving only her mouth and chin visible. Her chin reminded him of the bottom half of a heart, but more delicate, finely etched by fate’s gentle hand. The gods had taken care in creating this one.

She had luscious lips, a rosy pink, not red. His mind started to wander to other areas of her that might be pink, and he abruptly brought it back to the task at hand. Too soon to travel there. Besides, he didn’t need to be walking about the place, looking as though he’d stuffed a tent pole in his trousers. He was introducing these ladies to sin, not decadence. “Do you have an interest in these games?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve not played them.”

“So you only have an interest in that which you know? Where’s your sense of adventure, darling?”

“I’m here, aren’t I? My presence must demonstrate I’m in possession of a great deal.”

“But you’re not entirely comfortable with your surroundings or your daring to come here.”

“I suppose the mask was a hint, but no, I’m not. I had to give myself several lectures before convincing myself to come.”

“Nothing will happen here that you do not want to happen.”

She looked up at him, a bit of deviltry reflected in the blue depths. “So I will not lose my coins should I sit down at the tables?”

He laughed, grinned at her. “Point well made.”

Her lips twitched and for half a heartbeat, he thought she might at least offer him a hint of a smile. He wanted to see the upward curl of her lips, the joy reflected there. A sadness, a sorrow, hovering about her was calling to his protective nature, the irritating side that caused him to make sacrifices regardless of the cost to himself. It was the reason he now owned this club, a gift from his brother Finn, for whom he’d once humbled himself before their maggot of a father. Finn had seen it as a way to repay Aiden for a debt Finn felt he owed in spite of Aiden insisting he didn’t. But the tug he felt to protect this lady was far greater than anything he’d ever experienced before. Was ludicrous to the extreme. He didn’t know her or anything about her. He couldn’t imagine she didn’t already have a protector.