Hot and Steamy Read Free Page B

mirrors.
    Chance caught her wrist. “Pleasure would erase those memories.”
    â€œThen why?”
    He smiled confidently, taking the brush and beginning to stroke her hair. “Tonight, when we are victorious. It will be that much sweeter. And we will have more time. There’s still a lot to do.”
    She took the brush from him. “Then go do it. I shall take care of Trent.” Her smile returned. “And try not to let thoughts of our victory celebration distract you too much.”

III
    V irginia Greene, in an empire-waisted gown of scarlet silk with a sweetheart neckline, was breathtaking. It was not that the Queen of Hearts made her more beautiful; it was that in combination with it, she became stunning. The dirigible’s powerful engines sent a thrumming through the whole of the airborne casino and brilliant light flashed from the necklace in synch with it. She did not fail to catch a single eye. Heads, once turned in her direction, did not surrender sight of her willingly.
    The Viscount Moulton’s reaction did not mirror any other. Whereas lust and appreciation had animated most faces, his expression tightened with rage. He thrust a finger at her. “You can’t . . . that . . . you are a thief!”
    Chance clapped his hands politely. “She would not be the thief, sir. I made her a gift of the necklace this morning.”
    â€œThen you are the thief!” Perspiration dappled Trent’s forehead. “That is the Queen of Hearts. It’s in the vault at the Royal Bank. I don’t know what your game is, but it shall not succeed. We need the manager here and the police.”
    Chance cocked the eyebrow above his mechanical eye. “I think, sir, you should be certain of your facts. Perhaps you will send your man Stockton to see if the necklace has indeed been stolen. You may, in fact, wish to go yourself, and return here with it. I will accept your apology then.”
    Trent’s eyes narrowed. “I shall do just that.”
    â€œExcellent.” Chance caught him by the upper arm. “But, before you go, the chip.”
    The nobleman blinked, as if he’d been splashed with ice water. “I am a gentleman , sir!”
    â€œYou’ve just called me a thief.”
    He dug in a pocket and handed Chance the chip. “I shall have that back off you.”
    Chance watched him and his manservant go, and then flipped the chip to the manager. “The Grand Salon, the main table, reserved for us alone. We shall play when he returns.”
    â€œVery good, sir.”
    Chance escorted Virginia to the saloon at the airship’s bow. One entered on either side of the ornate mahogany bar—a veritable mountain of shelves crowded with every odd shape and color of bottle, and ladders to ascend to the upper reaches. Opposite, the forward bulkhead glass and bronze construction provided a breathtaking view of the city. Lights winked and moonlight frosted the sea’s light chop. A tiny dirigible—likely the aero-brougham carrying Trent—slowly spiraled toward the ground.
    They sat at a candlelit table nearest the bow. Her gloved hand sought his. “You did that masterfully.”
    â€œHe’s low-hanging fruit.” Chance smiled up at the waiter. “Champagne for the lady. Macallan for me with a glass of water on the side.”
    â€œNot what I remember you drinking.”
    â€œAn old habit.” Chance squeezed her fingers. “And after tonight, you shall never want for champagne again.”
    She smiled. “You will keep me in the style to which I wish to be accustomed?”
    Chance sat back. “I hadn’t . . . yes, I will.”
    Virginia’s smile broadened. “You might cling to the idea that you’re more the stevedore than anything else, but you are more . That’s what sets you apart from men like Trent. Why did I decide to swindle him? Not to fight off boredom, but because he bored me. You, on the