What?Heat rushed into Rune’s cheeks. “That’s not… no. I didn’t mean—”
He glanced back over his shoulder, toward the ice cream parlor.
“Actually,” he said, interrupting her spluttering. “I come here whenever I miss my family.”
Oh.
“My parents first took us here for Tessa’s tenth birthday,” he said, nodding at her to walk with him, leaving the view of Alex’s boat in the distance. “It was the first time we had ever eaten ice cream. My mother’s designs were getting popular, and there was suddenly extra money to splurge on things we didn’t absolutely need.”
They walked side by side along the waterfront path, eating their ice cream. When groups of women or other couples strolled past, taking in the sea air and sunlight, Gideon would step off the path to give them room, then rejoin Rune.
“Tessa loved chocolate best, and Alex loved vanilla. My mother’s favorite was pistachio.”
“And your father?”
“He didn’t like sugar.”
Didn’t like sugar?Rune licked her cone. Cold and sweet.Mmm.“I can’t imagine not liking sugar. Or spending my childhood without eating ice cream…”
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
Why had she said that?
What an insensitive thing to say!
But Gideon didn’t notice—or, if he did, he didn’t seem to mind. Only glanced at the row of houses ahead, each one facing the waterfront. Which one was keeping the sibyl’s child captive?
“It never bothered me, how we lived. I had nothing better to compare it to. Not until…” He glanced at her. A small smile tugged at his mouth. “You have ice cream on your face.”
Mortified, Rune swiped at her chin.
Gideon shook his head. “No, it’s…”
Pulling off his riding glove, he brushed his thumb across her lip. When he drew his hand away, the pad of his thumb was smeared with chocolate. Gideon studied it, as if he didn’t know what to do.
He offered it back to her.
Rune didn’t hesitate. It was chocolate, after all.
She took his thumb in her mouth, sucking off the ice cream. As her teeth grazed his skin, she heard Gideon swallow. The sound made her glance up to find him staring at her, eyes going dark. The last time he’d looked at her like that was right before he kissed her on theArcadia.
Right before he remembered that what she was repulsed him.
Rune pulled away, releasing his thumb. Her heart thundered in her ears as she quickly turned and kept walking. “Which house is it?”
Her voice sounded shaky.
Gideon cleared his throat. “The yellow one.” Up ahead stood a lemony three-story house. It was gated on all sides, and dark green ivy climbed the iron bars, obscuring their view of the yard.
Rune slowed her pace, taking it in. With the gate leading to the waterfront locked, they couldn’t get in or out this way. Which left the front door as their only entrance and exit.
Through the ivy, Rune counted four uniformed guards in the back gardens. There would be more security out front and inside.
She glanced at the pistol at Gideon’s hip, her hand going to the revolver Soren had given her, holstered at her own. Two guns would run out of bullets fast if they ran into trouble.
“I’ll need your jacket,” she told Gideon, turning away from the house and starting back in the direction they’d come.
“What for?”
