Between Seduction and Strategy

Amelia couldn't shake the heady thrill of being watched, admired. She had shed the drab, hopeless shell of a forgotten wallflower and stepped into something new, something powerful. The transformation was intoxicating.

Sebastian's irritation only added to the rush. She caught the way his eyes narrowed, his jaw tight with disapproval, yet he couldn't seem to stop looking at her. It sent a surge of satisfaction through her veins. For once, she felt in control, of herself, of the room, of him.

Even if it was fleeting, even if it lasted only one night, it was hers.

Sebastian guided Amelia toward the far end of the room, where Thornton sat engrossed in conversation and whiskey. The men barely glanced their way, their focus more on the hand of cards in front of them than the new arrivals.

Sebastian chose a table two seats down, far enough to avoid immediate scrutiny but close enough to catch anything useful. He sank into the chair, and Amelia, remembering Maggie's advice, perched delicately on his lap, her back straight, one arm draped loosely around his shoulders. Her face tucked neatly behind his head, hidden from view.

Sebastian went rigid. She was light, almost insubstantial, but the position left her precariously balanced. One wrong shift and she might end up sprawled across the floor.

Without a word, he slid his arm around her waist and repositioned her, settling her more firmly against him. The move was instinctive, practical, really, but the soft gasp that escaped her lips did something inconvenient to his pulse.

He smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Can't have you toppling over. That wouldn't be very convincing." He ran a finger down the side of her face, not stopping as he reached her neck then continued the lazy line even farther down. 

Amelia, stiff but determined to maintain her composure, huffed softly. "I was perfectly stable." 

"Of course you were, remember you're mine. Don't be so stiff." Sebastian replied, the trace of amusement in his voice unmistakable. He loved and hated how much it felt good to say those words. You're mine. 

Across the table, a dealer shuffled the cards, his gaze flicking to Sebastian with a flicker of recognition. The dealer gave a subtle nod, and a quiet murmur spread down the table.

It wasn't long before Thornton's gaze finally drifted their way, narrowing slightly.

"Well, if it isn't Allendale," Thornton drawled, leaning back in his chair. "I suppose the tables are feeling brave tonight."

Sebastian's smirk deepened. "Or perhaps they're just in need of lightening a few purses."

Thornton chuckled darkly. "I remember the last time you lightened mine. I trust you'll play fair tonight?"

"Always." Sebastian's tone was smooth, but his arm around Amelia tightened slightly.

Amelia said nothing, keeping her head bowed or behind Sebastian's, just enough to remain obscured. She listened, every muscle coiled, as Sebastian settled into the game with the ease of a man who had done this a hundred times before.

The cards flickered effortlessly through the dealer's fingers, but Sebastian found it increasingly difficult to feign interest. His focus, much to his irritation, drifted elsewhere, specifically to the woman perched delicately on him, wreaking havoc on his concentration with nothing more than the occasional whispered observation.

Amelia's presence was impossible to ignore. She could have rivaled the finest courtesan in London, though all she did was glance around the room and murmur her disapproval at the quality of the brandy or the cut of another gentleman's coat. And yet, her hand brushed idly through his hair, light, teasing, as though she had been doing it for years, and Sebastian was certain the cards could have caught fire, and he wouldn't have noticed.

He forced his gaze back to the table, though the effort felt as futile. This was a mistake. A glorious, tormenting mistake.

As if to shake Sebastian out of his thoughts, Thornton looked his way. "You've always had remarkable luck, Allendale. At the tables and elsewhere." His eyes flicked briefly to Amelia, lingering just long enough to make Sebastian's grip on his cards tighten.

Sebastian didn't take the bait. "Luck favors the prepared, and wealthy." He discarded a card.

"Here, here!" A man to Sebastian's left slurred, raising his glass with a careless sway. "Anything in a skirt can be bought with the right coin." His gaze drifted lazily to Amelia, nodding as if she were proof of his claim.

Thornton chuckled. "Is that what they're calling it now?" He swirled his drink, letting the silence stretch. "Speaking of luck, it seems mine's finally turned. Wedding bells and all that." Amelia almost gasped, but the tiny noise was drowned out by the murmur of the other man at the table.

Sebastian's expression remained casual. His free hand ran soothing circles along Amelia's thighs in an attempt to ease the shock he knew she would feel. Amelia's body became placid in his lap again. "Congratulations. I didn't know you were in the market."

"It was an unexpected opportunity," Thornton replied, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "One might say she landed in my lap, though I suppose it's more accurate to say I won her."

Amelia's hand trembled, just for a moment, against Sebastian's shoulder before she stilled it, fingers curling subtly into the fabric of his coat as if to anchor herself. She tilted her head away, so Thornton wouldn't catch so much as the curve of her cheek. Yet, for all her careful maneuvering, she couldn't decide what was more unsettling, the weight of Sebastian's hand moving far too comfortably towards her inner thighs or the appalling nonsense spilling from Thornton's mouth.

Her body hummed with the conflicting sensations, caught somewhere between the sharp edge of outrage and the disorienting warmth of Sebastian's proximity. If the situation weren't so dire, she might have found it infuriating how easily he seemed to command her attention, especially when she had far better things to focus on. Like not being discovered.

But then his thumb started making their soft little circles again, and she nearly forgot why they were sitting there in the first place.

Sebastian raised a brow, leaning back just enough to feign disinterest. "Won her? Sounds more like a wager than a courtship."

Thornton's gaze sharpened, but his smile remained fixed. "Her father had debts. Let's just say I offered a solution."

The air around the table thickened, and Sebastian's mind immediately went to Amelia and Charlotte. He kept his voice smooth. "I imagine the lady must be thrilled by such an arrangement."

Thornton's eyes gleamed. "Oh, she will be. In time."