courtesan.”
“But of course.”
“And you sucked dry every aristocratic neck you could sink your teeth into.”
“You know me too well,” she said, laughing.
Gideon smiled. “Let me go. I’ll see you tonight. What time?”
“Surprise me,” she whispered. “I’ll be waiting. Balcony doors unlocked.”
“Hmm. Going to make me work for it, huh? I haven’t climbed a fire escape in years.”
“It’ll be worth the effort, I promise. Ciao , darling.” Downstairs, he paused in the living room and listened for the soft, undeniable thrum of blood through human veins. Mentally he searched the house, reaching with his finely honed senses. Betty was alone in the kitchen, heart racing from too much coffee and the thirty extra pounds she carried on her stout frame.
The day maid was doing laundry in the basement utility room; Martha had the day off. He bowed his head, closed his eyes, straining to hear…and then a curious smile curved his lips and he started toward the conservatory.
“No way,” he heard Jude exclaim as he passed through the billiard room and peeked through the doors to the conservatory. The vast, elegant interior was shadowed for once, every drapery drawn. Huddled on the bench, heads together in the paltry glow from the piano lamp, Kate and Jude stared down at the keys.
“Oh, yes, I can,” Kate said staunchly. “Just because it’s called ‘The Minute Waltz’ doesn’t mean it takes sixty seconds to play it.” She cracked her knuckles with finesse. “Not if you’re a pro like I am.” “Fine.” Jude crossed his arms and squinted at her. “I’ll count in my head.” She gave an indelicate snort. “Oh, whatever. That’d totally be cheating. Get a stopwatch and then we’ll talk.” “You’re going to scare off the ghosts,” Gideon said from the doorway. “Especially if you desecrate this noble chamber by pounding out ‘The Minute Waltz’ in forty-five seconds flat.” Kate glanced up, and the instant their gazes locked, Gideon sensed the surge of blood that moved through her veins…and realized he’d inadvertently eavesdropped on her pulse’s reaction to him. He tried not to smile as he withdrew his awareness from the sensuous workings of her body.
“You’re going out?” she asked with practiced casualness.
“I’m going for a run.” He glanced at Jude, who softly fingered the keys without looking back. “How’s it going with Lord of the Flies , J?”
He shrugged. “Okay.”
“You’d think I was torturing him,” Kate said dryly. “He’s done for the afternoon.”
“Good.” Gideon studied the dance of shadows along the right side of her face. Every aspect of her features satisfied him. She was solidly, undeniably beautiful. Not sultry like Delilah, nor earthy, as Caroline had been. No, Kate was…balanced. Whole. And just a single look into her soft brown eyes brought a rush of desire so astounding, he backed up against the doorframe. Don’t ask her. Don’t do it .
“Do you run, Kate?”
“Three times a week like clockwork until I moved out here.”
“Then you’re due. Why don’t you come with me?”
She slanted him a doubtful look. “How far do you go? I’m no marathon runner. Three miles is about the max for me.”
“Three miles will take us around to the back of the estate, and we can cut through and walk home via the rear acreage.” He fought against the cacophony of warning bells in his conscience. Lies, over and over. Everything about him was a lie. Even running. Running cloaked him in normalcy, but he could jog around the earth and never feel exhaustion, or breathlessness, or the salty drizzle of perspiration rolling down the sides of his face.
He presented Kate this latest lie without blinking. Normal men ran to stay in shape. Normal men sweated, ate three square meals comprised of food , got sleepy, weary. He tried to remember what any of it felt like, and couldn’t. Over a century of lies, and they were as much a part of his
“But of course.”
“And you sucked dry every aristocratic neck you could sink your teeth into.”
“You know me too well,” she said, laughing.
Gideon smiled. “Let me go. I’ll see you tonight. What time?”
“Surprise me,” she whispered. “I’ll be waiting. Balcony doors unlocked.”
“Hmm. Going to make me work for it, huh? I haven’t climbed a fire escape in years.”
“It’ll be worth the effort, I promise. Ciao , darling.” Downstairs, he paused in the living room and listened for the soft, undeniable thrum of blood through human veins. Mentally he searched the house, reaching with his finely honed senses. Betty was alone in the kitchen, heart racing from too much coffee and the thirty extra pounds she carried on her stout frame.
The day maid was doing laundry in the basement utility room; Martha had the day off. He bowed his head, closed his eyes, straining to hear…and then a curious smile curved his lips and he started toward the conservatory.
“No way,” he heard Jude exclaim as he passed through the billiard room and peeked through the doors to the conservatory. The vast, elegant interior was shadowed for once, every drapery drawn. Huddled on the bench, heads together in the paltry glow from the piano lamp, Kate and Jude stared down at the keys.
“Oh, yes, I can,” Kate said staunchly. “Just because it’s called ‘The Minute Waltz’ doesn’t mean it takes sixty seconds to play it.” She cracked her knuckles with finesse. “Not if you’re a pro like I am.” “Fine.” Jude crossed his arms and squinted at her. “I’ll count in my head.” She gave an indelicate snort. “Oh, whatever. That’d totally be cheating. Get a stopwatch and then we’ll talk.” “You’re going to scare off the ghosts,” Gideon said from the doorway. “Especially if you desecrate this noble chamber by pounding out ‘The Minute Waltz’ in forty-five seconds flat.” Kate glanced up, and the instant their gazes locked, Gideon sensed the surge of blood that moved through her veins…and realized he’d inadvertently eavesdropped on her pulse’s reaction to him. He tried not to smile as he withdrew his awareness from the sensuous workings of her body.
“You’re going out?” she asked with practiced casualness.
“I’m going for a run.” He glanced at Jude, who softly fingered the keys without looking back. “How’s it going with Lord of the Flies , J?”
He shrugged. “Okay.”
“You’d think I was torturing him,” Kate said dryly. “He’s done for the afternoon.”
“Good.” Gideon studied the dance of shadows along the right side of her face. Every aspect of her features satisfied him. She was solidly, undeniably beautiful. Not sultry like Delilah, nor earthy, as Caroline had been. No, Kate was…balanced. Whole. And just a single look into her soft brown eyes brought a rush of desire so astounding, he backed up against the doorframe. Don’t ask her. Don’t do it .
“Do you run, Kate?”
“Three times a week like clockwork until I moved out here.”
“Then you’re due. Why don’t you come with me?”
She slanted him a doubtful look. “How far do you go? I’m no marathon runner. Three miles is about the max for me.”
“Three miles will take us around to the back of the estate, and we can cut through and walk home via the rear acreage.” He fought against the cacophony of warning bells in his conscience. Lies, over and over. Everything about him was a lie. Even running. Running cloaked him in normalcy, but he could jog around the earth and never feel exhaustion, or breathlessness, or the salty drizzle of perspiration rolling down the sides of his face.
He presented Kate this latest lie without blinking. Normal men ran to stay in shape. Normal men sweated, ate three square meals comprised of food , got sleepy, weary. He tried to remember what any of it felt like, and couldn’t. Over a century of lies, and they were as much a part of his
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