I gasped into the kiss, hands tangling in his hair as he deepened it, his possessive intensity radiating through every press of his body. There was no gentleness, only urgent, commanding desire that left me reeling, breathless, and achingly aware of him.
Something caught my eye as they briefly fluttered open. A row of portraits leaned against the fireplace mantle, all tilted slightly sideways, none secured to the wall. From where I stood, their eyes seemed to follow me, creating the illusion that they were staring directly at me.
The clue I had found suddenly echoed in my mind:
The proof lies where the portraits lean. Look beneath the gaze of those who watch, and the deceit will be revealed.
“Mmph?” I accidentally murmured into Felix’s lips. The proof wasn’t somewhere else in the house. It was here, beneath me, hidden in plain sight.
Felix’s grip on me tightened, possessive and dark, and I could feel the heat of his body pressing me against the mantle. Every instinct screamed to focus on him, yet my curiosity burned just as fiercely, teasing at me with the promise of discovery.
I broke the kiss abruptly, pressing a hand to my chest as my pulse raced. “Wait,” I whispered, my voice shaking with a mix of exhilaration and nerves.
Felix’s lips curved into a dark, predatory smirk. “Not so fast,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re not allowed to run off. Not when you belong pressed against me.”
The heat in his gaze made my stomach tighten, and I could feel the hard line of him in front of me, claiming every inch of my attention, even as my fingers itched to reach the portraits.
“Well…”
I launched into a five-minute speech, words tumbling out faster than I could catch them. I rattled off everything I’d uncovered while cleaning the brownstone—the dates etched into the wall, the pocket watch hidden in the floorboards, the intricate code needed to open it. And now, I had the answer to the clue I’d found inside the watch.
Felix leaned against the mantle behind me, arms crossed, one brow quirking. “You really went full detective on this place,huh?” His voice was low, amused, though the intensity in his gaze never left me.
“You’re not mad I didn’t tell you?” I asked, twisting slightly to meet his gaze.
“Mad?” he murmured, his voice low, a dangerous undercurrent threading through it. “No. Not mad. Surprised, maybe. Amused that you went digging without me.” His hand grazed my side, firm enough to make me jolt. “But mad? Not at you.”
I squealed, jerking away instinctively. “Felix! I’m—ah!—ticklish!”
“Alright. Where exactly do you think this next clue is?” he—reluctantly—stepped away from me, giving me space to look around.
“Beneath the gaze…” I murmured, piecing the clue together aloud. “In the fireplace.”
Felix’s eyes locked onto mine. He took a step closer, his body pressing against mine. “Good,” he said, his voice low and serious, leaving no room for argument. “Then let’s see what it’s hiding.”
My pulse quickened, both from the thrill of discovery and the possessive weight of him looming so close. Every instinct screamed to kiss him, but I couldn’t ignore the pull of the hidden secret right in front of me.
“Ok,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I really was.
I crouched down and crawled into the fireplace, brushing ash off my palms as I moved. My heart pounded as I scanned the bricks, the dark corners, the soot-stained crevices, completely unsure of what I was even supposed to be searching for. My fingers hesitated over the cold stone, my breath shallow. What if I was wrong? What if there was nothing here at all?
The silence stretched, heavy and unrelenting. Felix didn’t move, didn’t say a word. He just stood there with his armscrossed, watching. I could feel his gaze burning into me, a pressure that made my skin prickle and my movements clumsy. He was letting me squirm, letting me stumble through the dark with nothing but my own nerves to guide me.
My hands skimmed along the rough stone, soot grinding into my fingertips, when I paused. One of the bricks was smoother than the others, the edges too clean, too deliberate. My pulse leapt.
I pressed against it, and it shifted under my palm with a faint click. My breath caught. It wasn’t just a brick—it was a mechanism, a hidden panel.
But when I tried to pull it free, it wouldn’t budge. My stomach dipped. Etched faintly into the surface were tiny grooves—numbers. A combination lock.
Of course. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“Did you find something?” Felix asked at last, his voice low and unhurried, like he already knew the answer.
“Yeah,” I responded, trying to hide the defeat in my voice. “I’m just… trying to get it open.”
My fingers trembled over the surface. Numbers. That was what I needed.
The images flashed in my mind like sparks in the dark: the dates carved into the wall, the ones etched faintly on the desk. I’d memorized them without meaning to, turning them over and over in my head like puzzle pieces.
