“Theo!”
Her heart fluttered, the urge to kiss him, to touch him, drumming a potent beat in her blood. They’d agreed to dine together tonight, but she’d returned home yesterday to find him naked in her bed.
She searched every room, sad he wasn’t there.
Surely he’d bought the tart because plums were an aphrodisiac.
The urge to cut a slice proved tempting. That’s when she saw the note.
Something to devour later.
Why had he moved her sewing box? At one time, she’d considered hurling it into the fire. Yet the box had united them, and had swiftly become her most cherished possession.
She lifted the lid but found the box empty.
Perhaps he’d left her a secret note.
A quick fiddle with wooden appliqués and the drawer popped open.
There were two notes hidden inside. One that sent her temperature soaring because he said not to worry about plates and cutlery. He would eat his pie off her belly. One inviting her to join him at the Olympic tonight in the family box. She was to come in the same pink gown she’d worn the night he’d kissed her.
How odd. The Olympic was closed on a Monday.
A smile touched her lips. What was he up to?
She knew one thing for certain.
Whatever he had planned would exceed her expectations.
The Olympic Theatre
Wych Street, Drury Lane
Theo had sent Godby to collect Eleanor from the modiste shop and to give her a note. Mr Sawston, the manager, was waiting to greet her at the theatre door. Then he’d agreed to leave them alone and spend the next two hours supping ale at the White Hart tavern.
All was quiet. There wasn’t another soul in the building. The gaslights were lit but dimmed. Supper awaited them on a table in the box. He knew Eleanor disliked champagne so had taken a bottle of Aaron’s best claret and poured it into a crystal decanter. More importantly, the ring he’d purchased from Woodcroft jewellers was tucked safely in his coat pocket.
His heart thundered in his chest when he heard footsteps in the corridor. Would she play her part as requested? Could she remember all the things she had said to him that night?
He took his seat and waited for her to enter.
“Good evening, Mr Chance.” Her voice held the soft, teasing quality of a woman eager to make love. “You’re a hard man to find.”
He glanced at her while struggling to contain a surge of emotion. Swathed in a pink satin cloak, she looked confident and beautiful even though she’d had a difficult day.
“Missing me already, Miss Darrow?” He’d not stopped thinking about her since he’d left her bed this morning. “I should think you’ve seen enough of me to last a lifetime.”
“Not nearly enough. I’m sure you know why I’m here.”
He stood. The need to touch her had him veering off script. Closing the gap between them, he lowered the hood of her cloak to reveal her lustrous red hair. “You held me spellbound that night. You’ve held me spellbound every night since. I can barely catch my breath now.”
“I thought you despised me.”
He captured a curl and let it slip through his fingers. “I was hard for you then. I’m hard for you now. I’ve always wanted you, Eleanor.”
She stepped closer, brazenly cupping his cock in his trousers. “Is this not where you claim I’m infatuated and desperate for your attention?”
He inhaled sharply as her palm slid over his erection. “Aren’t you?”
“Undoubtedly. You’re like a drug.”
She released him and pushed him into a velvet seat. He’d hoped to surprise her tonight, yet she was always one step ahead.
“I don’t recall asking you to sit,” he said, watching her hike up her satin skirts and straddle him. He gripped her thighs, drawing her over the solid bulge in his trousers.
“As you said, I am suffering from an addiction I cannot control.” Her voice dropped to a sensual whisper. “I mean to hound you night and day until you give me what I want. And I’m not talking about the sewing box.”
“I know what you want,” he uttered, reaching between them to unfasten his trousers. “But I’ll make a trade.”
“A trade?” Having undone the button, her cloak slipped off her shoulders, revealing the gown that showed her figure to perfection.
“I see you’ve come armed to the teeth tonight,” he said, admiring the rapid rise and fall of her breasts. “Did you hope your pretty countenance would leave me defenceless?”
“By whatever means, you’re at my mercy.” She moistened her lips. “You’ll give me one thing I crave—your love.” When his hands settled on her bare buttocks, she said, “I want it now, Theo.”
He entered her, their moans echoing through the auditorium.
