All the sound in the entire building shrinks to a whisper.
The way Rook is looking at me now… it’s not just a gaze.…
I am beheld.
“Kansas,” he breathes out. “Your beauty could enchant an army.”
My heart thumps in my ears.
“Thank you.”
He takes a step toward me.
I am not going to fall in love with him.
“You look handsome as well.”
The beating of my heart makes my voice wobbly.
I clear my throat, clasp my hands, pray to god that I can get control of myself. This is silly. I’m being silly. I feel like a drunk eighteen-year-old fumbling around a barn with the neighbor boy.
I will not fall in love with this man.
I can’t.
Rook takes my hand. His grip is sure, his fingers cool. He bends my knuckles, brings his mouth to me. His gaze never strays. There is an intensity in his green eyes that reminds me of the feeling deep down in my bones when a cyclone presses closer.
He kisses my knuckles.
It’s a kiss that stretches across an hour. A kiss that evaporates in a second.
I can’t breathe.
“Shall we?” Ana hurries to the door and yanks it open.
The wind shifts in and a few flyers tacked to the wall beside the front door flap and crinkle.
The fire in the hearth gusts.
I’m hot all over and shivering.
“Here.” Rook takes off his suit jacket and drapes it over my shoulders. His warmth envelops me, his scent surrounds me.
Cedarwood and balsam and the hard crust of snow.
“We’re going to be late!”
I blink out of my stupor. “Wait, I forgot to check on Toto.”
“I’ll do it,” Remy says from behind the counter. “I’ll make sure he has fresh water and food.”
“Thank you, Remy. And if he gets temperamental with you, just tell him I said to behave.”
Remy laughs. “I’ll do my best not to get eaten.”
I laugh out loud, thinking it’s a joke. But none of them are laughing, as if they think Remy is serious.
“He won’t eat you,” I say, just in case they think he will.
