“You said you moved to Delancey Street?”

“Yes, when I was almost eleven. Before then we lived on East Seventh Street.”

“You and your parents?”

“Yes.”

“And are they both alive?”

“Presumably.”

She angled back to see his face. “Are you deliberately being vague?”

“I don’t like discussing my past. It was a far cry from yours, that’s for certain.”

“Because my father is wealthy.”

“To start with, yes.” He dragged a fingertip over the slope of her breast, dipping below the surface to circle her areola. She gave a slight shiver at the gentle touch, her nipple puckering.

“And?”

“And you’re from one of the most prestigious families. Servants, cooks, drivers. You’re welcomed in the best homes at the most exclusive parties.”

While that was all true, there were expectations and pressures to accompany those circumstances. “You make it sound so easy and grand. In reality, it’s stifling and boring.”

He snorted, his chest pushing her forward. “Nearly everyone in this city would kill to be so bored.”

“Not me. I am dying to get out.”

“From all of it? I assumed you’d open your ladies’ casino but remain behind the scenes. Run it anonymously.”

She had considered that option, of course. Owning any business, let alone a casino, would not endear her to the smart set in the city. Even if older society ladies patronized said casino, they would look down on her for operating it.

Running the casino anonymously, however, felt wrong. Like she was embarrassed about the endeavor, which she most decidedly was not. And the constant worry of being exposed as the owner would wear her down over time.

She’d still be pretending, trying to fit in.

“I won’t hide it,” she said. “If people snub me as a result then that is a risk I am willing to take.”

“Probably for the best. Keeping the secret would be setting yourself up for a blackmail scheme.”

Hmm, she hadn’t thought of that. “Spoken like a man who thinks like a criminal.”

“Darling, I am a criminal.”

“Not in the traditional sense of the word. Besides, gambling should be legal. If people are willing to risk their hard-earned money on games of chance, why are you the one in the wrong?”

“But it is illegal, which means I could go to prison.”

“Have you ever been arrested?”

“Plenty of times.”

Good God. She leaned out to see his face. “You have?”

“Sure. I’ve been doing this a long time. If the coppers didn’t find you on the streets, the other boys turned you in just to get your racket.”

“How did you amass all this, then?” She gestured to the lavish washroom.

“I learned to run fast.”

She chuckled and nestled her back into his chest once more. “You make it sound easy.”

“Far from it. Nothing about my life has been easy.”