CHAPTER THREE
Sidney was trying very, very hard not to have the very first full-on, knock-down, drag-out panic attack of her life. She was standing with her back squished up to the end of a bookcase, staring at a man who was, to his credit, very politely standing some fifteen feet away from her with a gentle and apologetic smile on his face.
One minute she’d been standing in her hotel room. The next minute, an impossibleweird-assbook had opened up, and—and then a hand, and now…she was here.
In an enormous library. The sun was shining through stained-glass windows at the end of each row, the bright light glinting off the polished blond wood bookcases that lined the space in rows.
The floor was a white and black marble, and the whole space felt airy and warm and open. Cozy, inviting, and…safe.
Which was hysterical, given the situation.
It was probably part of the reason she hadn’t launched into total hysterics now that her whole concept of reality had just beenentirely fucked.
The other part of the reason might have had something to dowith the fact that the man standing in front of her was the single most handsome thing she had ever seen in her goddamnlife.
He was gorgeous. There was no way around it.
Perfect jaw. Perfect smile. Tall, broad-shouldered, fit. He had sandy-blond hair that fell around his face in just the slightest of waves. It gave him a look that was halfway between a clothes model and a cherub. His eyes were a light hazel that kind of reminded her of her own, a color that looked almost amber-gold in the warm light of the library.
He was dressed in a white suit, white vest, white tie, and black shirt. A yellow rose was tucked into his lapel.
The smile on his face was stuck halfway between empathy for her suffering and a clear apology for having something to do with it. “Are you all right, Miss Lancaster?”
God, and his voice was like hot cocoa on a cold day. Just smooth and tenor andperfect.Sidney had no shortage of lovers in her life, but this one was setting new standards for what she considered her type of man. She couldn’t help but stare.
“I—I deeply apologize.” He placed a hand to his chest and bowed his head. “I understand that this is all unsettling and confusing, and that to someone from your world, this is very upsetting.”
“Is my sister okay?”
The smile that lit up his face almost stopped Sidney’s heart. “That’s your first concern? Her?”
“I knowI’mfine right now. I don’t know if she’s okay. So yeah, that’s my first concern.”
“She’s probably very scared. But she’s unharmed.” That beautiful smile faded to something morose and regretful. “She’s with my…brother. He needs her, so he won’t hurt her.”
There was a fuckton of shit to unpack there, but that brought her to her next question. “Who are you?”
“Well, there are two things to cover there, sadly.” He sighed. “One’s more complicated than the other. Can I get you something to drink? Would you like to sit down? Somewhere more comfortablethan—than this?” He gestured at the library. “It’s my home, but I know it isn’t exactly the most charming place to sit and chat.”
Buddy, I’d follow your tight ass anywhere.
He chuckled quietly and glanced down at his feet.
And if she wasn’t mistaken…did he justblush?
Did his cheeks just go a little pink?
Had she said that out loud?
No. No, she hadn’t. No way in hell. She wasn’tthatawkward. She hadn’t smacked her head on the trip into the wherever-the-fuck-she was.
Shaking her head, she put her hand to her temple and let out a breath. “Yeah. Actually, a drink and a place to sit sounds great. I have a feeling you’re going to have to explain a lot of things to me that are going to be really hard to accept.”
“To put it mildly.” He turned from her with a sheepish smile and gestured for her to follow him. “This way, Miss Lancaster.”
“You can call me Sidney.” She followed him, and yeah—she did appreciate the view. Especially in a nicely tailored white suit. “Or Sid, if I’m going to be stuck here for a while.” She paused. “Let’s start with that. How long am I going to be stuck here?”
“I…honestly don’t know. I wish I had an answer to that.” His shoulders drooped. “This is all my brother’s doing. He can’t just ever be content. But I guess that’s just…his lot in life. I brought you here in hopes that we could save your sister from him.”
