Feeling like she was in way over her head, she weakly demurred, “Oh, you know, that’s okay. I don’t want to cause you any more trouble tonight. I can just… go.”
The ponytail swung slowly to the side as he turned his head, giving her an arch look over one sculpted shoulder. “I invited you in for tea, did I not?”
“…Yes.”
“Then you’ll have tea.” He tilted his head toward the cabinet. “Come choose something.”
Stalling for time, Zia slowly placed his phone down on the lovely mahogany kitchen table to her left.Don’t make a fool of yourself.
It was easier said than done. She often found herself doing or saying the wrong thing. That was why she never stood a chance in academia, nor in the higher levels of the Rose Society. She was, in the words of her eldest brother, Hasim,just a little too silly.
Zia nervously smoothed her thick, curly hair back behind her ears and inched her way across the kitchen. Standing as near to him as she dared, she clasped her hands in front of her and eyed the contents of the cabinet.
“Ah,” she said. “Well, you certainly have an eye for powdered chocolate. And… salt.”
She could feel his gaze on her profile but kept her focus studiously forward when he replied, “I appreciate their packaging.”
“Well, yes, they do all look very nice.” Zia tried hard not to smile. Gods help her, she didn’t want to offend the man. There was just something deeply funny about the collection of goodies he stashed in the cabinet, never to be used.
There were at least four brands of expensive powdered, unsweetened chocolate — the fancy imported kind that came in tins and pretty jars. Salt in every color and style mixed with bottles of wax-stamped balsamic vinegar, paper-wrapped mustards, and what looked like many thousands of dollars-worth of saffron and whole vanilla bean.
It was a mess, but it was afancymess.
After daring to nudge things around a bit with the tip of her finger, she told him, “I don’t think you have any tea in here.”
Glancing at his face, she got the impression that the news somehow vexed him. “The other cabinets might have something. This is where I normally put things, though.” A dark look settled on his face for a moment before he said, almost to himself, “I should have known to have something ready in case you needed it.”
Zia’s heart pinched. Mr. Bounds looked awfully scary, but that was very sweet. Unnecessary, but sweet nonetheless.
“It’s okay. I think I can make something out of some of this.” Her fingers closed around a can of —goodness, is that Dutch canned milk? —before she paused, uncertain. “Oh, I mean, I don’thaveto have anything, but if you’d like me to—”
“You will take whatever you like,” he declared, a hard edge to his voice. “I will assist you if I can. If there’s nothing here you want, I will have something delivered for you.”
“That’sreallynot necessary.”
He turned the full force of his intensity on her when he said, “Youwilltell me if you need something, Miss North.”
“I… Right.” Zia had to shake her head.This man sure likes giving orders.“Can you reach that… Ithinkthat’s sugar up there. In that snazzy blue jar with the… Japanese label, maybe?”
His arm shot up so fast, she squeaked and bounced to one side, the can of milk pressed to her chest. Breathless, she exclaimed, “Man, you’refast.”
Mr. Bounds plucked the jar off of the high shelf and made that strange, agitated clicking sound again. His voice was calm, almost flat, but she still got the sense that he was sincere when he said, “I apologize. I shouldn’t have moved so quickly.”
“It’s fine, I’m just easily startled.”
It wasn’t normallyquiteso bad, though. Being near Mr. Bounds had her fight or flight instincts in a tizzy. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She honestly couldn’t tell if she wanted to lick him or hide from him.
Best not to do either, I suppose.
She reached out to grasp a tiny jar of vanilla bean and one of the tins of chocolate. Setting them all on the counter, she babbled, “My brothers say I’m flightier than a hummingbird and twice as silly. They used to love scaring me half to death when we were kids. Mostly at night, when they’d hide in closets and jump out from behind dark corners. Pretty sure that’s why I still get really jumpy in the dark, but what are you gonna do? Brothers are brothers.”
She sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to stop.Quiet, Zia! He doesn’t want to hear about your family, or your ridiculous fear of the dark. He’s avampire.You’ve made a bad impression already. Don’t make it worse!
Clasping her hands together, she croaked, “Now, do you have a small pan, a spoon, and a mug?”
Mr. Bounds stared at her for a handful of seconds before he slowly turned his eyes to the wall behind her. “Do those count?”
Zia spun around. “Oh, that’ll do nicely!”
