sure why. Probably because he had smiledat her that way once himself. Sadie had a way of making a man smile like a dim-witted idiot.
Obviously she could still make an idiot of out of him because he wanted to charge up the aisle and knock the man’s teeth out. Let him smile then. Sadie was his wife, damn it.
No, she wasn’t. They’d both agreed that they were not married. He distinctly remembered agreeing that there was nothing between them, but there was no denying the jealousy rising inside him. Regardless of everything that had happened, regardless of how raw the old wound was, he still thought of her as his. And that was what rubbed the most salt in.
“Who’s that with Madame Moon?” he asked Lady Gosling— Theone .
She leaned into him with the pretense of getting a better look at Sadie and her companion, but it was obviously a ruse to flaunt her impressive cleavage. Unfortunately, Jack was uninspired by the sight.
“That’s Mason Blayne,” she whispered, patting his thigh as she sat back in her seat. “He’s been escorting her around town as of late.”
Were they lovers? He had no right to be jealous. He didn’t want to be jealous, but the idea of someone else sowing the field he’d ploughed first pissed him off. Did this man know how she liked to be kissed? Did he know how she liked to be touched? Worse, did Sadie know the same things about this man? This swarthy Casanova?
Yes, he could almost feel Mason Blayne’s bite on his knuckles.
The lights dimmed and he couldn’t see much of anything other than the stage, so Jack forced himself to look at it instead of the outline of Sadie’s head. He pushed his anger and jealousy down, deep inside. He didn’t want it.
The curtains parted as a few stragglers took their seats. Applause. Vienne La Rieux—stunning in an icy blue gown—took the stage to welcome everyone and introduce Nathan Xavier. More applause. Gradually, Jack relaxed a little.
Xavier was not what Jack expected. And what he’d expected had been someone more effeminate, not a man who looked as though he could go a few rounds with bare-knuckle fighter Jem Mace and come out the victor.
The magician was tall and powerfully built, with close-cropped dark hair and a jaw that looked like it had been carved from granite. But he had a charming grin and a low, melodic voice that filled the room. His hands were quick and performed tasks and illusions the likes of which Jack had never seen before.
In short, the man was bloody brilliant, and soon diverted Jack from any thoughts of Sadie and her lover. In fact, Jack sat back in his chair and watched the performance with great enjoyment, and when Lady Gosling slipped her hand into his lap to fondle him through his trousers, he almost jumped right out of his seat. She flashed him a saucy grin, and thankfully removed her hand. She trailed her fingers across his leg, meaning to tease him. Under different circumstances, it might have worked. As it was, it took a few moments for him to relaxenough to enjoy the performance once more. He kept expecting to be groped by his companion.
“And now, I require volunteers from the audience,” Xavier announced sometime later, as he wheeled a long box on a waist-high stand out onto the platform. He pointed into the crowd with that rakish smile of his. “Madame Moon, would you be so kind?”
Jack’s heart gave a little thump as a tall, slender woman in a fabulously bright gown approached the stage. Her skin looked like buffed alabaster, her hair rich coffee. Sadie always did know how to dress for attention. She knew her best assets and how to compliment them.
God, she had perfect breasts. Such perfect skin. And perfect hair. She was simply perfect in every way—a fairy come to earth, trying to pass as a mere mortal without success. And he was a tosser who hadn’t been able to hold on to her.
“I need one more volunteer,” Xavier continued after kissing Sadie’s gloved hand. He stepped off the edge of the
Obviously she could still make an idiot of out of him because he wanted to charge up the aisle and knock the man’s teeth out. Let him smile then. Sadie was his wife, damn it.
No, she wasn’t. They’d both agreed that they were not married. He distinctly remembered agreeing that there was nothing between them, but there was no denying the jealousy rising inside him. Regardless of everything that had happened, regardless of how raw the old wound was, he still thought of her as his. And that was what rubbed the most salt in.
“Who’s that with Madame Moon?” he asked Lady Gosling— Theone .
She leaned into him with the pretense of getting a better look at Sadie and her companion, but it was obviously a ruse to flaunt her impressive cleavage. Unfortunately, Jack was uninspired by the sight.
“That’s Mason Blayne,” she whispered, patting his thigh as she sat back in her seat. “He’s been escorting her around town as of late.”
Were they lovers? He had no right to be jealous. He didn’t want to be jealous, but the idea of someone else sowing the field he’d ploughed first pissed him off. Did this man know how she liked to be kissed? Did he know how she liked to be touched? Worse, did Sadie know the same things about this man? This swarthy Casanova?
Yes, he could almost feel Mason Blayne’s bite on his knuckles.
The lights dimmed and he couldn’t see much of anything other than the stage, so Jack forced himself to look at it instead of the outline of Sadie’s head. He pushed his anger and jealousy down, deep inside. He didn’t want it.
The curtains parted as a few stragglers took their seats. Applause. Vienne La Rieux—stunning in an icy blue gown—took the stage to welcome everyone and introduce Nathan Xavier. More applause. Gradually, Jack relaxed a little.
Xavier was not what Jack expected. And what he’d expected had been someone more effeminate, not a man who looked as though he could go a few rounds with bare-knuckle fighter Jem Mace and come out the victor.
The magician was tall and powerfully built, with close-cropped dark hair and a jaw that looked like it had been carved from granite. But he had a charming grin and a low, melodic voice that filled the room. His hands were quick and performed tasks and illusions the likes of which Jack had never seen before.
In short, the man was bloody brilliant, and soon diverted Jack from any thoughts of Sadie and her lover. In fact, Jack sat back in his chair and watched the performance with great enjoyment, and when Lady Gosling slipped her hand into his lap to fondle him through his trousers, he almost jumped right out of his seat. She flashed him a saucy grin, and thankfully removed her hand. She trailed her fingers across his leg, meaning to tease him. Under different circumstances, it might have worked. As it was, it took a few moments for him to relaxenough to enjoy the performance once more. He kept expecting to be groped by his companion.
“And now, I require volunteers from the audience,” Xavier announced sometime later, as he wheeled a long box on a waist-high stand out onto the platform. He pointed into the crowd with that rakish smile of his. “Madame Moon, would you be so kind?”
Jack’s heart gave a little thump as a tall, slender woman in a fabulously bright gown approached the stage. Her skin looked like buffed alabaster, her hair rich coffee. Sadie always did know how to dress for attention. She knew her best assets and how to compliment them.
God, she had perfect breasts. Such perfect skin. And perfect hair. She was simply perfect in every way—a fairy come to earth, trying to pass as a mere mortal without success. And he was a tosser who hadn’t been able to hold on to her.
“I need one more volunteer,” Xavier continued after kissing Sadie’s gloved hand. He stepped off the edge of the
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