She acted as though that was a strange thought. Why? Did she not believe Selina warranted someone to care for her? Or did she just judge all such clandestine relationships harshly?
He hesitated in his answer. He hadn’t told Selina he cared for her. Christ, he hadn’t allowed that thought to fill his own mind all that much. Caring for her was not in the cards. It wasn’t why he was here.
Either way, he certainly didn’t want her companion to be the one he told his feelings to.
He shrugged. “She is captivating.”
Vale smiled, but it was on the edge of a smirk. “Oh yes. She isthat. Everyone ends up captivated by her in the end. She’s like a flame. She draws moths like us, Mr. Huntington. She draws us in and it’s warm and lovely in her circle. But you must also be wary, lest you burn up in the fire.”
He frowned. Vale was defending Selina, yes, as he would expect a friend to do. But it was all in a very backhanded manner. Why would she do that?
“Not a kind assessment of a friend,” he murmured.
“Don’t get your back up, Mr. Huntington,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m only warning you to be careful. Selina is all the wonderful things you’ve seen, all the things you care about, even if you refuse to admit it. But she can be more. She can be less.”
“Can’t we all,” he said, holding her stare.
There was a sound from the room behind him, and Vale stepped forward. “Sounds like your real desire is coming in now. I’ll leave you two alone.”
She pushed past him as Selina entered the room. He pivoted, watching as Selina’s gaze flitted first to him, a combination of pleasure and confusion. Then to Vale. When she looked at her companion, she wiped her emotions away and gave a little shake of her head.
“Mr. Huntington has come to call,miss,” Vale said as she stepped forward. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Good evening.”
“Good evening,” he mirrored.
Selina was quiet until Vale had left the room and closed them in together. He took her in with her dark blue gown and her white gloves with the blue stitching along the seams. She was so utterly lovely.
“I-I didn’t expect you,” she said at last, taking a step toward him, then hesitating like she wasn’t certain she should do so.
“I know you didn’t,” he said softly. “I was surprised not to find you here when I arrived. You called off the gathering with a headache.”
She arched a brow. “Were you coming to check up on me?”
He laughed. “Yes.”
She smiled at him. “Well, you know as well as I do that those events can become tedious. If I wasn’t entirely honest about my needing to escape, perhaps I can be forgiven.”
He saw the paleness of her cheeks, the tightness of her lips, tells of discomfort. But was it just that she’d lied about her headache, or was Vale’s implication that there was more to her the reason?
“I’ve probably snuck out of a few parties with the same excuse, especially in my youth,” he said, moving toward her. “I don’t judge.”
“Good,” she said, reaching for him.
Their hands tangled. His bare one, her gloved one and a thrill of desire shot through him. Hardened him. This woman was a drug and he never wanted to be free of the influence.
He cleared his throat. “Your companion is…interesting.”
Her fingers tightened a fraction on his. “She already knew about us,” she whispered.
“I assumed so, by the way she talked,” he said. “She’s…blunt.”
Selina’s gaze flickered up to his face. Color had returned to her cheeks, but now it was a blush. “I suppose she can be.”
“She isn’t your typical lady’s companion,” he continued to press. Why he did it, he couldn’t say. Only that his conversation with the other woman had aroused such…suspicion…in him. A feeling he didn’t want, not when it came to Selina.
Her brows lifted. “Are you judging her because you think she might have a past?”
“No. We all have a past,” he said. “Are you saying I’ve guessed correctly?”
