himself for only wobbling a bit. He was more stable on his feet when he’d been drinking; this felt truly ridiculous. “Yes,” he murmured. “I’m going to take you to bed.” He gave her what he hoped was a lascivious eyebrow waggle; the bark of laughter told him that he’d missed his mark.
“Deliveries were made to the flat a few hours ago sir,” Watkins interjected. “A large bag from Harrods, and several smaller packages from shops in Notting Hill.”
“Thank you,” Alex said.
He led Zoey back through the flat, towards the bedroom. It was as spacious and modern as everything else his father had touched, and it gave him the same sense of discomfort being here. The old man’s spirit was everywhere in this space, as sanitized and cold as it was. Depending on how things went with Wells and Crane, the two heads of AEGIS UK that he’d be meeting with tomorrow, he might have to look into redecorating the flat. There was no way he could spend significant time here without his father’s angry ghost driving him into panic attacks.
If it wasn’t for his association with his father, he would have considered the room extravagant, but beautiful. The platform style bed was up on a dais, and the head and foot were covered with black leather. The bedding was a pale dove gray that would have been gorgeous in a different setting, but here, just added to the coldness of the room. There were two leather chairs arranged around a small table, near a balcony, and a desk and chair on the other side of the room. A small gas fireplace was opposite the balcony.
The bed was covered with bags from boutiques and stores from around London. He half wondered if Claire had given Christopher a call, as well as Sophia, to arrange this little surprise. He had to love it. He never would have gotten away with giving Zoey a new wardrobe, and it was rather delightful that his kid sister had taken on this task for him.
Kid sister. He was going to have to stop calling her that.
Zoey was standing completely still, her eyes locked on all the bags. He nudged her with his shoulder. “Go on,” he said. “I’ve yet to meet a woman who doesn’t get excited at the results of a shopping spree.”
“Glad to be your first,” she said. “In case I didn’t make it clear before? I hate shopping. I get dressed in the dark, and if I can help it, I only buy a couple of colors of clothing, so that I don’t even have to open my eyes. I tolerate fashion because I have to, but it’s not my thing. What am I going to find in here?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea. The number of bags makes me think Claire was involved somehow, and that might actually be helpful to you? But—hell, I live in jeans and T-shirts when I’m at home, and suits at the office. Men’s fashion hasn’t changed all that much. I usually wear my clothes until they wear out. If you want, I can have them send all of this back, and you can go shopping tomorrow.”
“What? No way in hell.”
He rubbed at his forehead for a second. “Because then you’d be going shopping?”
“Yes. And there’s no way. Unless every single item in there is—I don’t know, neon fuchsia, I’ll cope. I’m just saying that if you want me to do the thing where I try every single thing on and do a little turn for you, that’s not going to happen.”
He gave her another smile that morphed into a yawn half way through. “I don’t think I could stay awake if it did,” he said. “How about this? Let’s sweep all this crap off the bed and onto the floor. Go to bed naked. I bet you ten dollars that it’ll all be hung up and put away in the dressers by the time we wake up, as if the house were cleaned by little elves.”
He wasn’t entirely sure the joke would go over, but she laughed and nodded. “I’m more tired than I thought. I think. Or at least, I’m disoriented enough to want to lay down and sleep.”
He stepped into
“Deliveries were made to the flat a few hours ago sir,” Watkins interjected. “A large bag from Harrods, and several smaller packages from shops in Notting Hill.”
“Thank you,” Alex said.
He led Zoey back through the flat, towards the bedroom. It was as spacious and modern as everything else his father had touched, and it gave him the same sense of discomfort being here. The old man’s spirit was everywhere in this space, as sanitized and cold as it was. Depending on how things went with Wells and Crane, the two heads of AEGIS UK that he’d be meeting with tomorrow, he might have to look into redecorating the flat. There was no way he could spend significant time here without his father’s angry ghost driving him into panic attacks.
If it wasn’t for his association with his father, he would have considered the room extravagant, but beautiful. The platform style bed was up on a dais, and the head and foot were covered with black leather. The bedding was a pale dove gray that would have been gorgeous in a different setting, but here, just added to the coldness of the room. There were two leather chairs arranged around a small table, near a balcony, and a desk and chair on the other side of the room. A small gas fireplace was opposite the balcony.
The bed was covered with bags from boutiques and stores from around London. He half wondered if Claire had given Christopher a call, as well as Sophia, to arrange this little surprise. He had to love it. He never would have gotten away with giving Zoey a new wardrobe, and it was rather delightful that his kid sister had taken on this task for him.
Kid sister. He was going to have to stop calling her that.
Zoey was standing completely still, her eyes locked on all the bags. He nudged her with his shoulder. “Go on,” he said. “I’ve yet to meet a woman who doesn’t get excited at the results of a shopping spree.”
“Glad to be your first,” she said. “In case I didn’t make it clear before? I hate shopping. I get dressed in the dark, and if I can help it, I only buy a couple of colors of clothing, so that I don’t even have to open my eyes. I tolerate fashion because I have to, but it’s not my thing. What am I going to find in here?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea. The number of bags makes me think Claire was involved somehow, and that might actually be helpful to you? But—hell, I live in jeans and T-shirts when I’m at home, and suits at the office. Men’s fashion hasn’t changed all that much. I usually wear my clothes until they wear out. If you want, I can have them send all of this back, and you can go shopping tomorrow.”
“What? No way in hell.”
He rubbed at his forehead for a second. “Because then you’d be going shopping?”
“Yes. And there’s no way. Unless every single item in there is—I don’t know, neon fuchsia, I’ll cope. I’m just saying that if you want me to do the thing where I try every single thing on and do a little turn for you, that’s not going to happen.”
He gave her another smile that morphed into a yawn half way through. “I don’t think I could stay awake if it did,” he said. “How about this? Let’s sweep all this crap off the bed and onto the floor. Go to bed naked. I bet you ten dollars that it’ll all be hung up and put away in the dressers by the time we wake up, as if the house were cleaned by little elves.”
He wasn’t entirely sure the joke would go over, but she laughed and nodded. “I’m more tired than I thought. I think. Or at least, I’m disoriented enough to want to lay down and sleep.”
He stepped into
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