It seemed like mere seconds before he was carefully setting me down outside Lilyanna’s door. His hand remained on my elbow, his chest square in front of me. “What was the favor?” His breathing was labored. Was it just from carrying me, or was he as affected as I was?
“Can you babysit for me tomorrow night?” I tipped my head toward the room.
He nodded. “What are you doing?”
I stepped away, the air chilling between us as his body heat leeched from mine. I twisted the handle and slipped part way into the lounge.
“I have a date with the devil.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
I waited until the last possible moment to tell Lilyanna.
Clement’s knock sounded at the door, and she grabbed my arm before I could open it. “What’s happening?” she hissed.
“Clement’s looking after you tonight, Your Ladyship.” I freed my arm from her clutches. “I have an errand to run in town.”
She folded her arms across her chest, rumpling the cream nightgown. “I don’t trust him.”
I sighed. He rapped on the door again. “Just a minute, Lilyanna’s naked.”
She hit me. “Tam, listen.” She pointed at the door, punctuating each sentence with a jab of her fingernail in his direction. “You ended up trapped in his ceiling. He found you wandering the corridors at night after you reportedly heard a noise?—”
“I did hear?—”
“And he just happened to be awake to rescue you.”
“Look.” I lowered her arm and rubbed her shoulders. “I trust him, okay?”
“With my life?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re so dramatic.” I moved toward the door. “Just drag something in front of the bedroom door if you must. He’ll only be sitting outside bored all night, not planning your grisly murder.”
As I opened the door for Clement, Lilyanna slammed into her bedroom. I shook my head and waved him in. He brushed past me, the faint scent of pine swirling behind him. I breathed in deeply and fought to control my pounding heart. “Thanks for doing this. I’ll owe you, I guess.”
“I know, that’s why I’m doing it.” He grinned, but his smile faded as he kept my gaze, his dark eyes intent on mine. “Are you armed?”
“Yes, but it won’t do any good.”
He nodded. “Yes, you have proven to be useless at defending yourself so far.”
I swatted at him, accidentally leaving my hand a beat too long on his toned chest. “Are you offering to teach me?”
I felt every inch of his sliding touch as his hand moved from my shoulder down to the tips of my fingers. He chuckled, interlacing his fingers through mine, tugging me deeper into his chest. “Oh, there’s a lot I want to teach you.”
My body fired to life, blood zinging through my veins.
“Go. I’ll see you later. I won’t leave her.” He released my hand, gripping my shoulders instead to turn me around and gently pushed me toward my room. “You can trust me, Tamara.”
“I know.”
The Red Blush was easy to find.
Scribbled upon the thick windows were the words I had seen the other day: women only. The heavy oak door creaked open, and I stepped into a wide passageway filled with pink-tinted mist. The air was sweet, perfumed with a heady mix of honey and excitement.
I hung my cloak upon a small nail in the wall, picked up a mask from the shelf and studied myself in the hallway mirror. The porcelain rested cool and smooth upon my skin, conforming to the shape of my face, riding the curve of my upper lip. Pink and red cherry blossoms wound across the pale surface with delicate buds of glitter adorning the center of each flower, the green in my eyes enhanced by the small leaves.
