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“Is there another way you would describe our attachment?”

Victoria’s light hazel eyes gleamed with unmistakable invitation. “I should very much like to explore the more intimate possibilities of our friendship.”

George offered her his arm. “Shall we discover what other surprises the evening has in store for us?”

She placed her hand upon his sleeve. “With pleasure.”

He felt the faint trembling of her fingers and suspected Aphrodite had already shocked her considerably. Despite being a widow, she remained proper in some respects, yet her words and actions suggested a willingness to explore life’s more scandalous pleasures with almost reckless abandon. The contradiction made him faintly uneasy. George had always appreciated clarity in his affairs, particularly where desire was concerned, for confusion invariably gave rise to expectations neither party had intended.

“Why did you come here?”

“For you,” she said with a small pout. “You have been avoiding society events, and the cat is growing impatient to taste the cheese.”

He chuckled. “I have never heard of any cat liking cheese. By the by, who is the cat in your analogy, and who is the cheese?”

She laughed, the sound airy and free. “You are wicked to tease me so.”

George led her into the ballroom, where they joined a waltz already in progress. Victoria’s gaze immediately strayed to couples dancing far more intimately than respectable society permitted, her eyes widening behind her mask. Clearly, she had not understood that Aphrodite was devoted to pleasure in all its forms, free from society’s usual restraints. He doubted she had ventured beyond the first floor. The second and third might send her into a swoon, while the fourth might prove her utter undoing.

“I cannot believe they are dancing so...so scandalously close.”

“This is a scandalous place,” he replied, guiding her into a graceful twirl.

Her gaze returned to his. “I suspect this is the only place you would dance with me so freely?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes widened before she lowered her gaze. George suddenly became conscious that he was dancing with her quite properly, his hand resting respectfully on her back, with none of the intimate closeness other couples enjoyed. She had admitted coming to Aphrodite expressly for him, and the desire in her light hazel eyes suggested she was ready to advance their flirtation into something considerably more intimate. He had cultivated that desire. Yet now that she seemed ready to yield, he felt none of the anticipated triumph. Her considerable charms remained undiminished, but instead of imagining the pleasures awaiting them, he wondered whether she expected something more enduring than he was prepared to offer. He had no objection to affection or tenderness in a liaison. Indeed, he considered both essential. But an enduring attachment was quite another matter.

“Do you have hopes of romantic sentiments from me?”

Victoria gasped and stumbled, but he steadied her.

“Must you be so frank?”

“Yes.”

She glared at him. “Why?”

“I prefer to understand a lady’s expectations so I may determine whether I can meet them.”

She pressed her lips together, a hint of frustration entering her voice. “You are very good at saying precisely enough to satisfy a lady without actually promising her anything.”

George recognized the gentle reproach beneath her tone.

“It is that very quality which prompted me to seek you out tonight. I want...I want a little more from you. Are you prepared to give me that?”

George escorted her from the dance floor, amused by the way her hand fluttered to her throat whenever she witnessed some new wickedness. Rather than lead her toward the card rooms or more scandalous entertainments, he guided her to a secluded chaise longue. A server appeared with champagne, and Victoria accepted a glass. Nearby, a couple embraced intimately, entirely unconcerned by their presence.

Victoria watched them before sighing. “I believe I understand why ladies of society come here. There is a certain freedom in all this wickedness.”

“Indeed.”

She settled comfortably against the chaise, apparently deciding to ignore the couple.

He held her gaze. “What more do you want from me?”

“Perhaps you might take me driving one afternoon. The weather has been so agreeable, and I have not enjoyed Hyde Park in an age.”