“Well, that settles it,” I murmured. “Youarea scholar. No one else would phrase it that way.” Turning my head, I stared back at the wall. “Go ahead. They’re not bad, so enjoy.”
“I, um. . .” Clearing his throat, Eleos pulled back the blanket and quickly bound my wounds.
Had anyone else been beholding my naked body, I wouldn’t have cared. I laid there rigidly, intimately aware of every brush of his hands against my skin.
The last thing I needed was growing feelings for a man I knew nothing about. Had I learnednothing?
“There,” Eleos said softly, tying the bandage and pulling up the blanket.
He turned his back to me, staring at the far wall. Sitting up, I checked the bandages, frowning. Was it better for him to say nothing, for us both to pretend this hadn’t happened? Or was I upset at the silence?
Maybe he read my thoughts. Head tilting slightly, Eleos offered quite possibly theworstcompliment I’d ever received.
“You’re right. They’re. . . aesthetically pleasing.”
A laugh erupted from my lips, and I doubled over as pain shot through my chest, the burning only worsening as the laughter refused to cease. Wrapping an arm around my chest, I rose from the bed, half-whimpering, half-giggling.
Chuckling, Eleos nervously played with his hair. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, I’m glad you did.” I caught my breath, grabbing the black frock the girls had lent me from the wardrobe. “Have you courted someone before?”
“Yes.”
“Did you use that line on her?”
“No.” He blurted out. “I imagine it would’ve ended much quicker if I had.”
“Sounds like she wasn’t any fun,” I said, pulling on the gown.
Most of the men I dealt with were sleazy and disingenuous. It was nice to speak to a man who was anything but.
My chest cracked in pain, and I pressed a hand to it, grimacing. Eleos flew from the bed and grabbed the sash from my hands. “Let me.”
I forgot whatever I’d been thinking as he drew me close and touched my back, gently looping the silk around my waist. Over the years, I’d been with a few men. Some I’d been foolish enough to think were love, only to learn they were not. None had ever begun with something simple. All had started in lust.
Eleos tied the sash in a neat bow at my side and looked up from his work to meet my eye. Maybe he read my emotions, or perhaps he saw them on my face.
“Your eyes.” I blurted out. “He had your eyes.”
Brow furrowing, Eleos stepped back. “The nobleman?”
“Yes. Do you have family?”
Eleos answered hesitantly. “Yes.”
“Then, maybe-”
“None of my family are nobles. Nor would any be here, threatening you.” He shook his head, pulling his cloak off. Shaking out the pale blue fabric, he wrapped it around me. “We need to get back to the others. The first curfew bell already sounded.”
Oh, it had. I’d been distracted by the blood streaming down my arms. Pressing a hand to my chest, I grabbed my bag and followed him to the door, pausing at its threshold.
Gods, I was an idiot. In all the dreams where love had found me, never had I been the one to ruin the moment. Disheartened, I trudged out the door.
The brothel had come alive since we’d entered. Several patrons sat in the common room or led girls upstairs. Fishing out his coin purse, Eleos approached the counter and thanked the matron for sheltering us.
Pausing by one of the couches, I examined the room, the barely-dressed girls, and the men who eagerly sought their company.
The men were the kind you’d call neighbors and peers, not the scum I had once imagined. A girl who’d worked here years ago had given me words of advice: most of their business came from married men. Love and loyalty were delusions only naive maidens indulged in.
