Slowly shaking my head, I speak the truth. “I don’t know. You make me feel more alive than I have in…” I try not to think about Robert. A rush of shame and grief washes through me, and I shove it aside. “Even if all we do is talk and have dinner, I will be a better person for it and grateful for your presence in my life.”
Her gaze darkens again. “I don’t want to lead you on. I don’t want you to assume you’ll wear me down. Lucius knows the deal with me. One day, I might suddenly move on, and that’s it.”
Something painfully pulls in my chest at the thought of her leaving. “Then I’m truly honored you’ve agreed to let me have dinner with you tomorrow night.”
I receive a brisk nod. When she stands, I stand with her. “I should go make sure they haven’t burned the fricking place down upstairs. I’ve been down here longer than I like.”
“With me?”
“No. I mean, downhere.” She waggles her fingers at the walls again. “In the basement. I don’t mind when we’re closed, but I prefer not pulling shifts down here. Earn my trust, and maybe I’ll tell you why.” She meets my gaze again, and the briefest trace of a luscious scent, like honey and vanilla, wafts to me. It’s different than before, and distinctive. “Tomorrow, then.”
“Tomorrow. Thank you, Blue, for tonight.”
She pats her chest where the bills are tucked inside her sports bra. “Thankyoufor putting tires on my car.”
That makes me want to buy her a brand-new car, one that’s worthy of her, one that—
She turns and, in a speed that, for a moment, seems nearly vampiric, unlocks the door and leaves.
Leaving me standing there with my eyes dropping closed and deeply inhaling her lingering scent. Back to a rainy spring day.
There…and not.
“Enchanting, isn’t she?” Lucius stands in the doorway. I can tell from his scent and the sound of his voice.
I open my eyes. “I need the best restaurant in Tucson,” I tell him. “Where I can order food from, have one of your men pick up for me, and bring here tomorrow night. Obviously, I’ll pay them for their time.”
He smiles. “Done. She’s offered to sup with you, then?”
“Tomorrow night, up in the office. In private. I offered to take her out—”
“She won’t.”
Unpacking his tone, to see if it’s an order on his part or a statement of fact, I finally nod. “Yes. What do you know?”
He steps inside and pushes the door shut with a finger. “She won’t,” he says, and it’s definitely a statement of fact. “What did she tell you?”
“Not very much, although I now know who Ianto is.” I start to pull out my wallet when he stops me.
“Tut. I’ll ask Selene to personally select something for tomorrow night, but we shall pay for it and make the arrangements. What time did you say?”
“We agreed upon ten. Up in your conference room.”
“You realize she has the day off tomorrow, don’t you?”
“No. She didn’t tell me that. She said she’s usually here before dark.”
He shrugs. “She won’t travel after dark. I mean, she has, but rarely, and only if unavoidable.”
“She said that but wouldn’t say why. Does that mean she’s coming in…just for me?”
“I honestly cannot answer that question. Not ‘will not’ but cannot, because I do not know the full answer.”
Something that’s been pecking at my mind, something he said earlier up in the office, hits me. “You mentioned thegwyllgi.”
He slowly nods. “I did.”
“What did you mean by that?”
