“I don’t need you to…that is to say, I’m perfectly capable…I won’t be needing those services from you, my lady.” His handpresses hard on his erection, like he can’t help but try for a little relief.
I uncross my legs, watching his eyes linger on what I’ve revealed. “Letting you leave this room looking like that would be very bad for business, Your Highness. Think of my reputation.”
He grimaces, dropping his hand. “I appreciate that, but I will not be swayed. I’m here to learn how to please a woman. I won’t be distracted by seeking pleasure for myself.”
My seductive smile freezes on my face.
He doesn’t want me to touch him? This has never happened to me. Ever. Which can only mean one thing.
He knows what I can do, the kind of relief I can provide for my clients. Dom hinted that there might be a need for my more innate talents, but she never came right out and asked about using my Gift. But clearly Callum already knows what I can do. My abilities aren’t exactly a secret, but I also am very choosy about who I share them with. Before Lady M came along, I only used to twist the emotions of those with whom I’d built a relationship, one of mutual trust and respect, and for purposes I found worthy. The men I’ve been manipulating for money to try to earn my way out of my contract don’t know what I can do when they find release with me—they wouldn’t be fucking me if they did. They are merely interested in one night in Lady Caterine’s bed, some of them probably more interested in bragging rights than in me.
All my hackles raise to high alert, any connection we might have forged over the course of our conversations forgotten. I’m not sure how he was able to manipulate the truth I could see in his words, but clearly he has found some way to lie to me and make me believe it. And that makes him dangerous.
“What are you hiding, Callum Reid?”
His eyes dart around the room nervously, but they keep comingback to me. I’m naked on the bed before him, how could they not? “I’m not sure what you mean, my lady.”
I tilt my head to the side, studying the man before me. From everything I’ve discerned, Callum Reid is good and honorable—my initial impression from Dom confirmed by his words and his honesty. Yet circumstances haven’t exactly been kind to him. As much as I hate to admit it, Lady M may be right about Callum’s intentions when it comes to his father. What else could bring him here other than an act so terrible he can hardly bear the weight of it?
“Do you know what I can do? What my Gift is?” I ask baldly.
His hesitation is less than a second, and yet it still manages to make him look utterly defeated. “Yes, I do.”
“Is that why you came to me?”
Callum crosses the room to my privacy screen, grabbing my robe and handing it to me before returning to sit on the chaise. “I can’t think straight with you looking like that.” He flashes me a sheepish smile.
I fasten the robe around my waist and stay perched on the edge of the bed, leaving space between us. So we both can think straight. My head is a jumble. Nothing I know about Callum Reid is making any sort of sense.
Callum sighs, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “It was my sister’s idea.”
“Have I worked with her before?” I never forget a client, especially not one as beautiful as the princess, so I’m well aware Dom has never graced my sheets. But how much of our meeting did she relay to her brother?
“Not that I know of. But she heard what you can do, and she thought you might be able to help me.”
“Help you with what, Your Highness?” I have a pretty solid guess, but I want to see how much he is willing to reveal. Howmuch he actually trusts me. If he isn’t going to let me touch him, then I’ll need to find other ways to get him to open up to me, other ways to make him reveal himself.
“I can’t tell you yet.” He looks up, his gaze meeting mine. “But I promise I will. I wanted to spend this time with you before so you could get to know me, and so I could get to know you.” He hesitates.
“Because you don’t trust me?”
“Yes.”
His frank admission makes me suck in a breath. “Because I’m Gifted?”
“My mother…when she died…a Gifted healer came. My father asked her to save my mother. She was a good woman, a fair and kind queen, but the Gifted refused to help her; instead she sat there and watched my mother suffer. A couple of hours later she was dead. The so-called healer seemed happy to see her pass.” His mouth turns down and his eyes cloud with grief and, if I’m not mistaken, something that looks like shame.
“And so you have held that against every Gifted you’ve encountered since?” I try not to take it personally. At least Callum seems to have a good reason for his prejudice, just as the Gifted had a good reason to not save a royal life.
“Yes.” He has the respect to look me in the eye.
“Do you believe the Gifted should regain our rights and privileges, Your Highness?” I force myself to deliver the question without choking on the words. It’s an indignity to have to ask if I deserve to be treated the same as everyone else.
His hesitation is long. “I believe that regulating the Gifted has kept this country and its citizens safe for many years.”
I laugh, though I find nothing humorous in his response. “I doubtmany Gifted feel like they have been safe. But I guess our feelings don’t matter as much, do they?”
At least the shame that falls over his face seems genuine. “I…I…”
