I blow out my cheeks. “Fine. I’ll show you. Just don’t touch anything.”
My warning wasn’t meant as a double entendre, but the sly curve of his mouth says he’s taking it that way.
“What if I see something extraordinary down there?” he asks, tilting his head. “Why shouldn’t I touch it?”
“Because it might bite,” I snap and stalk to the staircase.
16
EVA
Istep down, holding on to the railing.
Alex follows closely behind. Too closely.
“You OK?” he asks.
“I’m not porcelain.”
“Didn’t say you were,” he protests. “I just don’t want to carry you back up if you break something.”
“How chivalrous.”
“No, just practical. You’re heavier than you look.”
I’d retort with aHow would you know,but he does know because he carried me from the entryway to the bed at the Royal Pombrio.
Oh, and this is the first time he’s referenced that night, albeit indirectly.
A small slip of my foot jerks me back to reality. I flail. His hand shoots out, steadying me. His palm is firm on my lower back just above my waistband. My shirt lifts a little. I feel the contact like a brand.
“Careful,” he says, his voice low.
“Iwascareful.”
“Becarefuller.”
I glare at him. “Don’t be smug just because you caught me.”
“I’m not smug, Eva.”
“Oh, please, you’re always smug!”
He doesn’t argue, but his hand lingers on my waist for a moment too long before he lets go. The silence that follows feels thick enough to trip over.
We continue down the treacherous stone steps. He insists on switching places and moves in front of me like a bodyguard. Oh, and he wants the flashlight, too, so that both my hands are free in case I need them to grab onto something. Or someone.
Whatever.
A few steps later, he offers his arm without a word. I hesitate, glaring at it like it’s a trap. Then I take it, pride be damned. His forearm is solid under my fingers, warm through the fabric, lovely to touch…
Oh no! Did I really think that?
Stop! Rewind! Erase!
The staircase gives way to a narrow corridor, tightened by low archways punctuating it. I let go of his arm, relieved and bereft all at once. Shadows stretch along the walls, flickering with the flashlight he carries.
When the ceiling dips even lower, he reaches back and takes my hand. For my safety, obviously. So, I let him.
