From the corner of Jade’s vision, she saw Nicolas face her a second before he turned her face toward him with the touch of a finger. She didn’t resist as he held her jaw in his hand, much as he had the last time she was here with him, simultaneously light and commanding. This time, however, it was accompanied with care instead of a thinly veiled threat.
“Things are going to become much more dangerous, Jade,” he said, the tender quality returning to his voice. “You have to be on high alert all the time. Question everything. You may not know some people as well as you think.”
Something in the way Nicolas spoke gave Jade the impression he knew more than he was letting on, but her thoughts didn’t linger there. Her mind couldn’t get past the warmth of his fingers on her skin, the concern in his words, the adoration in his eyes. He did something to her that she couldn’t explain. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to reach up and run her fingers along the lines of his jaw. To feel the tendrils of his hair. She wanted his own touch to wander from her chin, to graze her neck, her waist. She wanted his touch to burn against her bare skin.
His eyes roved over her face as though he had pierced down to her soul and read her thoughts. The hint of a smile curled one side of his mouth. “You’re a wonder, Jade Ni’ihm.”
Heat crept up Jade’s neck and into her cheeks at the same time as it tumbled and spread through her middle. A door somewhere deep inside her waited to be opened, and Nicolas held the key.
Nicolas released her jaw only to move his hand behind her head, his fingers spread wide down the back of her neck and his thumb beside her ear.The firmness of his grip and the slight inclination of his head made her stomach flip. He was going to kiss her.
And she would do nothing to stop it.
Jade’s breath came in shallow, ragged gasps as she waited for him to lean down, and she didn’t pull away. Her eyes fluttered down to his mouth, expectant.
But Nicolas removed his hand and stepped back, turning away from her.
Jade rolled her lips and bit down. She dropped her face to the floor, inhaling sharply through her nose as she pressed her eyes shut for a moment.
What in the blazing hell was that?
When she lifted her face, Nicolas was gone. Jade whirled to find him almost back at the table, his hands once again behind his back, his pace slow and thoughtful, as though nothing unusual had happened.
“You should stay away from Lord Grannam for the time being,” he said, the cool, smooth cadence of his voice returning. “Transition your focus to Lady Arabella. It will be interesting to see how she responds.”
Nicolas’s words rattled around Jade’s head as she struggled to regroup. The sudden, stark transition from what she’d thought was about to happen to what actually happened was akin to crashing to the ground after being suspended in the air.
“Let me ask you something, Jade.” He stopped and faced her, his eyes locking onto hers. “How well do you think you know your fellow captain?”
Jade’s brow scrunched. Another sharp transition had her struggling to respond.
Nicolas took a few steps in her direction. “He seems to be taking up a lot of your attention.”
The rapid acceleration of her heart couldn’t be good for her health. How much did Nicolas know about Jade and Theo?
“And I think it’s to your detriment. You were doing much better in your work until he came along, weren’t you?”
Even if she could have found the words, Jade wouldn’t deign to answer such a question. Theo only ever brought out the best in her...didn’t he?
“Why would he have come abruptly to your base, after you’d been doing so well on your own? Perhaps he doesn’t want you getting too close to the assassin.” Even though several paces still separated Nicolas and Jade, his proximity became stifling. “He might be holding you back from discovering the assassin’s identity to protect himself.”
All air evaporated from Jade’s lungs. She forced herself to suck in a heavy drag of muggy air, her voice croaking when she finally spoke. “You’re implying Theo’s the assassin?”
Nicolas angled his head, staring at Jade from under his dark brow. “Has he ever been with you when you encountered the assassin?”
The opera, Jade wanted to say, but even then, she hadn’t seen the two of them at the same time. She hadn’t seen Theo from the time he left her in the rafters until she found him tangled in the rope. Which gave him an alibi...
But was it intentional?
Jade shook her head to dispel the thoughts. It was impossible. She couldn’t so much as entertain the notion. Could she?
“Pay attention to what is in front of you, Jade,” Nicolas continued, retreating from her. “You might be surprised by what you learn.”
“You’re wrong,” she countered, trying to find a hint of strength to inject into her voice. “It’s not Theo.”
“It would be wise to keep yourself open to every possibility.”
He turned away, taking slow strides toward the table and then dragging his fingers along the surface.
