His breath was hot on her neck as his caressing whisper drawled, "I promise I'll feed you."
Just what was he going to feed her? More likely she was to be the main course.
She stiffened, too hungry, and angry that he would even try to seduce her upon their first meeting. "No."
"No?" His voice held astonishment.
"Yes. You do know the meaning of the word no. Right?"
"People don't often use it in my presence."
There's a surprise.
"Well, I'm putting my foot down and saying no to you, right now."
"So what you're really saying is 'not right now'?" He crooned into her neck again.
"No. What I'm saying is no. Not now—not ever."
He had the audacity to laugh.
"So you mean yes?"
What was with this man? Was he that dense?
She turned around, thinking that violence would most likely be the best option at this point, and met perfection yet again. His face, once smoldering with unbridled passion, was now alive with humor and teasing.
She had to look away before she cracked. Pushing back at the blond tendrils of hair which had escaped her coiffure, she swallowed. "No, Royce. You may not seduce me."
"Oh, whatever shall I do?" he mocked, then straightened and looked at her blankly. "You think I want to seduce you?"
Now he was just being rude.
"Well…" It was obvious at that point that she was completely unprepared for being launched into society.
And then, like a tiger stalking his prey, he pounced, nearly scaring her out of her wits as he pulled her flush against his hard body. "Trust me. You'll know, without a doubt, when I'm trying to seduce you, my sweet. Shall I demonstrate?"
"Evelyn?" Her daddy's voice broke the lustful spell that had so suddenly taken hold.
"Out here! I'm coming!" The voice escaping her mouth was unrecognizable in its haze of lust.
Royce winked, then brought her hand to his lips once again and kissed her hand tenderly before motioning for her to take her leave.
****
Royce was still smiling minutes after Evelyn left. She was more than a breath of fresh air. She was perfect. His mother would go into joyful hysterics. In fact, he would bet his fortune that not only would Evelyn be firmly secured by his family by the end of the night, but his own mother would applaud his good choice.
The February air crackled with excitement. Although abnormally warm for this time in New York, it seemed to come alive as he took one last deep breath before re-entering the large dance hall. It was just as well that she left when she did. He'd had half a mind to seduce the poor thing out on the balcony. Then again, he had no idea who she was, only that she was intriguing. Not enough to base marriage on for normal people. However, he would not consider his situation normal.
Four months. That was his timetable, and he had already mentally checked off at least half of the available girls in New York from his list. The other half had a myriad of tiny flaws that simply rubbed him the wrong way.
Much like his brothers also rubbed him the wrong way, with their little idiosyncrasies and annoying habits.
In fact, now that he thought on it, his inability to commit to anything made sense. It was nearly impossible for him to stay with the same woman for longer than a month. He was like a child with a new toy. Once the excitement was gone, it was time to move on. Suddenly it occurred to him why his mistresses might also be put out by him. Maybe his lack of concern was selfish, but he quite honestly didn't care. Women were just as fickle as men, especially women who wanted protectors.
Upon entering the room, he spotted his mother with an unfamiliar short, stout man. He appeared to be in his late fifties. Hair was absent from his head, as well as any sort of facial hair, making him resemble a shiny billiard ball.
Ignoring the longing glances from the young ladies by the refreshments, he made his way across the room to his mother and her companion.
"Ah, here he is now," he heard her say before he bowed.
"May I introduce Stuart De Jarlias?"
The introduction should have caused warning bells in his brain, but all he could focus on was the mere fact that his mother's voice held more warmth for this strange man than normal.
Shaking his head, he cleared his thoughts. "I presume you are the father of the Miss De Jarlias?"
"Ah, yes." The man touched his bald head and smiled. "That girl is a rare treat. She's my everything. Why, I don't know what I'd do without her if she hadn't been here with me when her mama gone and died on us."
Mr. De Jarlias was single-handedly butchering the English language. His Southern twang rang in Royce's ears. Good God, did these people have manners at all?
"Daddy!"
Evelyn joined the group and smiled, tugging on her father's sleeve like a small child. "I'm ready to go; are you?"
Royce hid his disappointment. He wanted to explore Miss De Jarlias more. His brain told him it was mere curiosity, and his body … well, his body was telling him something else entirely as he allowed himself another peek at her delectable form.
Pity she was hiding such curves underneath that dress. Her father must have made her wear something a little unfashionable in order to draw less attention. Granted, it was hard for her not to draw attention, what with her silver blond hair and violet eyes. A man would have to be dead or blind not to notice her.
His body nearly groaned in agreement.
"Well, it seems it is time for bed!"
Oh, Lord. He said 'bed.'
"Daddy! We don't say bed in public!" Evelyn scolded.
Royce wanted to say more than bed in public but fought against arguing with the poor girl. No doubt she was tired and famished after fighting him off all night.
"Well, thanks for the invitation. We shall see you tomorrow!" Mr. De Jarlias hooked his arm into Evelyn's and slowly walked away.
"Tomorrow?" Royce asked, looking at his mother.
"Yes, well…" She avoided eye contact and looked like she was ready to bolt.
"Mother."
"Oh, I do love parties! Don't you, Royce? So sparkly and fun."
"Mother!" he scolded. "First, sparkly is a terrible word which, I'm certain, is not in the dictionary. And two, you're avoiding me like you do Aunt Terrance during Christmas. Now, what did you do?"
"We are taking them to church tomorrow morning." Her eyes nervously scanned the crowds, and she took a large gulp of champagne.
"We?" Apparently repeating the word made it less true.
"Yes. We." Giving him a patronizing pat on the head, she glided away, leaving him wondering why he left his poor mother alone with the girl and her father.