When he lifted his head, she could see satisfaction in his smoke-silvered eyes.
“Was that so difficult?”
“I suppose not,” she admitted bleakly.
With a casual finger, he flicked the high collar of her pelisse. “You must be warm, sweeting, wearing so many layers. You do not need this, do you?” His voice was husky, a low caress.
She regarded him in confusion, unable to understand the question.
“Will you take off your pelisse for me?”
“W-why?”
“Because I wish to see you.”
She felt alarm begin to rise within her, an alarm he must have sensed.
His eyes captured hers and held them. “I make you a promise, Vanessa. I won’t take you unwillingly. I give you my word.”
Vanessa did not know if she could believe him, if she could trust the promises of a notorious rake, but it really made little difference. He had paid for the privilege of undressing her if he wished.
With trembling fingers she unfastened the buttons of her pelisse. When she hesitated, he drew the garment from her shoulders and laid it casually across the table.
“I confess disappointment,” he murmured as he scrutinized her plain day dress of brown merino wool. “I much prefer the gown you wore last evening. This does not do your lush figure justice, although it brings out the rich color of your eyes.”
“Come, sit with me a moment.” He took her hand in his and led her to the chaise lounge.
She willed herself not to resist as he drew her down beside him, with the cool assurance of a man who inevitably got his way. Sitting rigidly, Vanessa held her breath, feeling her heart race with trepidation. Did he mean to seduce her here and now?
His face was disquietingly close to hers. She found herself staring at his mouth, that incredibly sensuous, beautifully carved mouth.
Damien saw where her gaze rested and his loins stirred. Yet he made no move to touch her.
He wanted her, he freely admitted. Too much to risk a precipitous action. He was glad he had won the draw, and not because of the vast sum at stake. He was wealthy enough that he would not miss even so large a fortune. But now he would have the opportunity to explore the hidden depths of this spirited, intriguing woman.
His well-honed male instinct told him she was not being coy. She was afraid… and very, very vulnerable. Someone had hurt her-badly, he suspected. It would take every ounce of control he possessed to go slowly with her, to wait until she responded to him freely, but the treasure he would uncover at the end would be well worth the effort.
He couldn’t allow her to leave just yet, not before he began his campaign to vanquish her fear of him and to win her trust. Once out of his presence, she would only torment herself with dark imaginings, build him up in her mind till he was an evil monster.
No, first he wanted her to sample a taste of the pleasure he could give her, so she could begin to see he wasn’t really so fearsome.
The sweet scent of her rose up to tease his nostrils, but with iron-willed control, he forced his desire to remain in check.
“Will you look at me, sweeting?” When she acceded reluctantly, he went on, keeping his tone disarming. “You think me a libertine, I know, but am I such an ogre?”
“I… don’t know you well enough to make such a judgment.”
He smiled. “True. And like you, I have never faced this particular circumstance before. We shall just have to improvise.”
Vanessa couldn’t look away; there was something warm and tender in his eyes that allayed her panic.
“I should like to kiss you again, Vanessa. Will you deny me a kiss?”
She felt her heart beating a wild pulse in her throat. “Are you giving me a choice, my lord?”
“Indeed. The choice will always be yours.”
She searched his face, looking for signs of deception, finding none. He had promised he wouldn’t take her against her will. Perhaps he truly meant it.