“I never admit defeat.” He tosses the jacket over the back of the chair and strides over.
Kane stiffens as I comb my fingers through his thick hair. It falls loosely around his face, rugged and untamed. It looks windblown and wild, and I wonder what it would feel like damp with sweat.
“Relax,” I murmur, more to soothe myself than him.
My fingers work through the tangles, and the tension in his shoulders starts to melt away.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“A little,” I admit, my lips quirking into a grin. “Only because I used to cut the neighborhood kids’ hair to make extra money to go on the high school senior trip to Venice. It’s this city built on water.”
“Why would anyone build a city on water?”
“I wouldn’t know,” I say, snipping away at the tangled waves. “I never got enough money together to make the trip.”
Black tendrils drift to the floor, revealing more of his striking features—his sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and his intense eyes that seem to swallow the light. As I work, it’s like a mood board comes together in my mind, and I take inspiration pictures pasted behind my eyes to craft Kane into Lord Ashwood, the ambassador of Cups.
As I finish the last few cuts, I step back to admire my work. His hair is shorter now, more structured, slightly longer on the top and with neatly tapered sides. He looks every bit the lord, regal and commanding.
“It’s amazing what a simple haircut can accomplish,”I say, in near disbelief with the change I’ve managed to create.
Kane rises from the stool, running a hand through his newly cut hair. “Not bad.”
“I know.” I grin with a rush of pride. “It’ll all come together once you’ve changed and put the eye patch on.”
“Would you like me to do so outside to protect your modesty?” he asks, a wicked smile creasing the corners of his eyes.
I shake my head and toss the velvet jacket to him. “Just turn around.”
“First…”
My cheeks betray me, flashing pink as he approaches and encircles me with his strong arms. Like he’s done it a hundred times, his fingers easily find the laces tied behind my back. With one motion, he unties the dress, and it loosens around my shoulders.
“Seems like you have a lot of practice.”
The fabric slides down my chest, and Kane catches it before it reveals my breasts. “I’m good with my hands.”
I’m captured in the pull of his gaze, my fingers thoughtlessly skipping over the rough ridges of his knuckles as I take hold of the dress.
“Remember, Fawn,” he begins, “a lady of Ashwood’s status will hold herself with poise and grace. Shoulders back…” With gentle pressure, he guides me to stand taller, his hands warm against my shoulders. “Chin slightly lifted.” His fingertips whisper against my neck. He presses into my jaw, and I tilt my head.
“Anything else?” I murmur, clutching the dress close as goose bumps rise along my skin.
He steps back, breaking the spell that wove itselfaround me and held me close. “Be a good girl and get dressed. More lessons will come.”
“Right,” I manage to respond, my heart racing as I reel myself in from making a mistake I couldn’t take back. “We’re running out of time.”
Eleven
The carriage creaks and bounces, jostling along the uneven path. Kane sits across from me dressed in the former Lord Ashwood’s attire—a midnight-blue jacket and a pair of black breeches that cling to him in all the right places, complete with polished leather boots and a silver-threaded cape. With his hair cut and combed back and Lord Ashwood’s navy eye patch at the ready, those within the palace won’t suspect he’s anyone else. I finally get how Clark Kent tricked all those people into believing he wasn’t Superman.
Kane adjusts his cloak, fastened with the same diamond-encrusted goblet-shaped buttons as his jacket. “We must talk about what happens once we’re inside the palace.”
I nod, fixing my own silk cloak as it slides down one shoulder. “I’ll make some excuse to slip away, find the room I was in, and search for my purse. If I don’t find it—”
“I am far less concerned with you finding your belongings and more concerned with your…personalitygetting us found out the moment we step foot inside the palace.”
“Oh.” I deflate. “I didn’t realize my personality was such shit. Although I suppose it would explain a lot.”
