The maze seems brighter. Less shadowed.
We reach the bedroom and Oliver kneels down to take off my shoes, as instructed, to clean and polish. “But before that,” I say, “we’d better mark down a few infractions before we forget. Hadn’t we, Oliver?”
His lips twitch as he puts down the shoes, pulls out the card and pencil from his sleeve, and holds them out to me.
“No. You tell me what infractions you think you’ve committed, how many marks you’ve earned, and write them down yourself.”
He actually grins, and I have the terrible urge to kiss him. I turn away for a moment as he opens the card, get hold of myself.
“Hmm, okay. I guess there were a few times I didn’t walk where I was supposed to—one half-pace behind you and to the left.”
“Yes,” I agree. “How many marks would you award for that?”
“Huh.” He taps the pencil against his bottom lip and I watch it greedily. “Maybe two? Because I stepped out of line more than a few times.”
I can’t help but adore his honesty. “Two would be appropriate.”
He marks down two tallies, and then goes on. “And I wanted to go a different way in the maze. I feel like that probably earns something, right?” He glances at me for confirmation, but I merely wait. “Okay…so, like, one for that?”
“A little higher.”
“Two?” he guesses. “Uh, three?” I give a nod. “Wow, okay. Serious infraction, huh?”
“Not entirely, but I think it’s important to offer correction in a manner that will be remembered. What’s the point otherwise?”
He gives a faint snort, then clears his throat. “Sure. Okay. Anything else?”
“Can you think of anything?”
He screws up his face as he thinks, but then shakes his head. “I can’t think of anything else, my lord.”
“Nor can I.” He relaxes at that, and I reward him for his efforts with a small smile. “Well done, Oliver. Now off you go and fetch my lunch.”
“Go fetch?” he repeats, and there it is again, that very faint shade of snarkiness I sometimes hear in his voice. “Yes, my lord,” he adds quickly, and then he’s gone.
The thing is, I find myself quite enjoying his snark. I can’t help smiling as I sit down again at the piano, to work while I wait.
CHAPTER16
Oliver
The weekend zooms by. It’s late Sunday afternoon before I even realize it. I’m sitting at Lord Arden’s feet by the silent piano, listening to the regular, muffled strikes on the keys, the whisper of the pencil across the music sheet, the occasional tut or huff as he stops to think.
I don’t know what his regular process is like, but it seems to be going more easily today. Or at least, there are fewer sheets getting vigorously ripped in half.
Except for the regular cleaning and meal routines that the staff does together, I’ve spent most of my time with Lord Arden, except when I’m sent down to “fetch” something from the kitchen, and on Saturday night, he sent me away to sleep in my own bed.
Strangely enough, I missed him during the night.
I thought I’denjoythe space, the time out, but I found it difficult to sleep last night, lying awake and staring at the door, wondering what he’d do if I crept back up to the third floor, let myself quietly into his room…gently woke him…
Would he invite me into his bed?
He’s barelytouchedme this whole weekend, except when he held my hand in the maze, or a light brush of fingers on my lips if he’s feeding me a cookie as I sit at his feet.
Not even a whisper of a suggestion of sex, and I’m so fucking horny for him that it’s painful. He’s cold and arrogant and weirdly unpredictable despite being so set in his ways, and I can’t read him at all, but…
I think all of that is what I actually like about him?
