Steel Dominance by Cari Silverwood

next words came out muffled by his coat. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.” Her hair smelled like flowers, and he rested his nose near the top of her head, then inhaled softly.
    “Are you sniffing my hair?”
    He hadn’t been that obvious? “No.”
    “Huh. You’re sure?” She wriggled and got more comfortable. “How long have you been with Lord Kevonis?”
    “Fifteen years.” He didn’t have to think, knew it automatically.
    “And you don’t have a girlfriend, back there?”
    “No.” A little piece of serenity settled over him. Sitting with Sofia seemed to match something inside him perfectly, and his prickly state of alertness faded into the background for once.
    “What’s my hair smell like?”
    “Flowers.” Damn . He stared down at her.
    Sofia shook with silent laughter. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist. You’re so proper sometimes, and sniffing my hair is odd. Cute, but odd.”
    “Odd!” He pinched her butt where it met the seat.
    “Ow! Ow, ow! That’s”—she squealed when he did it again, and squirmed frantically—“enough!”
    “You are too clever for your own good.” To show he’d forgiven her, he gave her a quick hug. A last suppressed giggle made him grin.
    Then her fingers curled up within his, and a strange lump formed in his chest.
    “If you’re so afraid at this first small danger, why are you here?”
    She didn’t answer.
    The car bumped onto some rougher surface, then cruised through a crowd of people of many races and countries. There was a mix of multicolored wraparound tunics, dresses, veils, bare faces, beards, turbans, trousers, and small caps. Byzantines and Ottomans mingled freely here. Faintly, the Greek and Ottoman languages filtered through the glass in the singsong cadence of traders announcing their wares.
    Sofia turned her head and peeked up at him with those sea-green eyes. He recalled his first sight of her at the airfield. So attractive, and now she was in his arms. The glossy brown waves of her hair spilled over her back and his coat. At the same time that he wanted to just hold her close and comfort her, his groin stirred.
    Concentrate on her words, not her body…and not on how her breasts swelled like soft hills from the yellow silk top.
    He’d chosen this garment from a pile at the clothes shop. Taking it off her would be glorious. Making her take it off would be better.
    “You’re not listening to me, are you?” she asked drily.
    “I am now.” He smiled down at her. “Go on.”
    “Hmph. You smile a lot more than I thought you would, Mr. Dankyo. Anyway…why am I here? Because I have to be. I don’t think you’ll understand, but this is something I have to do. I can taste this puzzle, I’m so close.” Her eyes lit up, and she lifted her head. “An ancient puzzle that no one can solve. No one! But I can do it. I can!”
    “I think I do understand. There are some things in life you simply have to do. I understand that. Like I have been…” By Theo Kevonis’s side for all my adult life—his protector and sometimes confidant. Thank God, Byzantium is temporary . “I do understand.”
    For a moment he cruised his gaze along her body and down to her thighs. She did a little wiggle with her legs as if something had made her uncomfortable, and he looked at her face. Their eyes met. Pinkness tinged her cheeks.
    Is she blushing? “What are you thinking, little Sofia?”
    “Um.” Squirming, she slipped from his arms, then adjusted her clothing. “Nothing. Nothing I’m saying to you anyway. Tell me. Are there many real dangers out there?” She gestured as if the dangers lay just beyond the windows.
    Nothing she would say to him? What he wouldn’t give to lay her across his lap and smack her right there and then until she squeaked it out. Having her withhold something from him seemed wrong—tantalizing, and so very wrong.
    He kept his arm lying along the top of the seat. If she wanted to get away from him, she had to squeeze up against the