Page 34 of My Dangerous Duke

“Oh, she absolutely will,” Xander replied seriously, nodding toward Rhys and the others to come in. “Keep an eye on your cards, she is a beast.”

Back inside, Xander moved Eleanor’s chair so that she could sit at the card table. But, as he moved to sit down next to her, the Dowager’s cane came out of nowhere and thwacked him on the calf.

“What do you think you are doing?” The Dowager asked as Eleanor, Penelope, and her sister, Lydia, stifled their laughter.

“I thought we were playing cards?” Xander asked with a confused look.

“We are!” the Dowager agreed, smiling nicely, “But you go with the gentlemen and Eleanor is with us ladies. We shall declare the table winners at the end and then hold a two-card draw. Winner takes all.”

Smirking as he watched Eleanor try to hide her smile behind her cards, Xander cleared his throat, then went to take a seat at the other card table. A moment later, Rhysand and his friend, Patrick, filed in and joined him.

So much for a man who claimed he did not have any friends.

“So, Larsen,” Patrick said casually as they began their first hand. “How is it going making an heir?”

Patrick’s absurdly inappropriate question caught Xander off guard as he was taking a sip of his whiskey, and he coughed and sputtered as he felt his anger rise.

“I do not believe that is any of your business, Mr. Hislop,” he stated, trying to remain calm as the others laughed at Patrick’s boldness.

How did Penelope’s brother simply invite himself here?

“I believe it is,” Patrick quipped back, a tad more serious. “Eleanor is a friend to the ladies, and I, for one, am not looking forward to the tongue-lashing I shall receive when you break Eleanor’s heart. None of us are. For the sake of all of us give her a child already so we can all breathe easier.”

Blindsided by the man’s crude and blunt language, Xander did not immediately see that Rhys was giving him a steady glare. When he did though, Xander looked back at him challengingly, refusing to back down.

“It is true,” Rhys stated, “Penelope will not let me have a good night's sleep formonthsif you break Eleanor’s heart. She is already bothering me constantly about it; wondering why you are always leaving her alone.”

Rhys cocked his head slightly, still looking at Xander.

“Why are you always gone, Xander?” He asked with feigned innocence.

“Not a single part of my personal life is open for your discussion or judgment, and I hardly knowyou,” he stated, giving Patrick a hard look first, then Rhys.

“But itisopen to opinion,” Patrick pushed boldly, smirking. “Rumor has it you are slinking about trying to find ways to get an annulment. But you know what I saw tonight, Larsen?”

“You do not know me, you will not speak to me with such familiarity,” Xander warned.

“I saw your eyes glued to that pretty wife of yours. All. Night. Long,” Patrick stated with emphasis, ignoring him.

Xander deadpanned, the call out so blunt that he did not have anything to respond to it.

“You know,” Rhys chimed in, “It would not be the end of the world if you discovered you were in love.”

“Seeing as how I took your arse down to the mat four times the other night, you should be more worried about your boxing skills than my marriage,” Xander retorted defensively.

Finished with the conversation and unable to focus on his cards, Xander tossed them down to the table and rose from his chair.

“You have been boxing with Xander instead of me?” Patrick asked Rhys in a hurt tone. “I thought I was your best friend?”

“I never said you were my best friend,” Rhys quipped back as he got up to follow Xander, “Now be a man and get back to your cards.”

A roar of laughter went up behind Rhys and Xander as they walked out of the room, only serving to irritate Xander some more.

“Leave me be,” Xander warned. “Why did you bring him? He was not invited and he is extremely annoying.”

“He is Penelope’s brother and she wanted him to come,” Rhys scoffed, keeping up with Xander’s brisk pace easily. “Besides, everyone else loves him. Including your wife.”

This brought Xander up short, stopping so abruptly that Rhys actually walked several steps ahead before he realized it.

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