Ruel frowned. "You didn'tcare that your presence would endanger her?"
"I cared, but I had towork. I couldn't let anything stand in the way of that." Kartauk liftedhis head. "You should understand. I'd judge you're also a driven man whereyour Cinnidar is concerned."
"Yes." Hisresentment and condemnation of Kartauk was completely unreasonable, but then,nothing about his attitude toward Jane made any sense. "Li Sung said youwere the one who chose this temple as a hiding place."
"I found it suitable. Atemple should always shelter beauty and greatness. Besides, I knew I coulddismantle one of the interior walls for my furnace."
Ruel's eyes widened. "Youtore down one of the temple walls?"
For the first time Kartauk'stone became defensive. "It had fine square stones and I needed a furnaceto cast the door. No one ever comes here to worship anymore, and it's muchbetter I put the wall to good use."
Ruel chuckled. "I'm sureit is." His smile faded as his gaze was drawn to Jane, as it hadconstantly been during the past days. He had told her he was going to try tothink of her as a child, but that intention had gone up in smoke that first dayat the temple. What the hell was wrong with him? It had never been like thiswith any other woman. He couldn't keep his eyes away from her. He wanted totouchher.
Jane's plaited hair shone deepred in the firelight, and an odd tingling started in his fingertips. He wantedto loosen the heavy braid, comb his fingers through the silken mass until itflowed wildly about her shoulders. He wanted to see her as naked and abandonedas she had been beneath him on the floor of the railway car. A surge of heattore through him as he readied, thickening until he ached with the weight ofit.
She stiffened and he knew shewas aware he was watching her. She kept her gaze fixed on the cards in her handbut she knew, dammit. She reached up nervously to smooth a tendril of hair backfrom her temple, and the sleeve of her shirt fell back, revealing the smoothsymmetry of her forearm. Another bolt of heat wrenched through him, bringinganger and frustration in its wake. All right, he would somehow keep himself fromraping her, but he wouldnotbe alone in this. Look at me, he willedher. See what I'm feeling. Admit what we're feeling.
She darted him a flickeringglance from the corner of her eye. Her spine went rigid as she met his gaze. Ohyes, she knew, he thought grimly. Her eyes widened and then her head snappedback around and she was once more staring down at her cards, deliberatelyignoring him again.
He wished he could do thesame. Christ, why the hell couldn't he look away from her?
"Yes, she's much safer believingyou're Lucifer incarnate," Kartauk murmured. "It's getting worse,isn't it?"
Ruel jerked his gaze away fromJane. "I don't know what you mean."
Kartauk smiled. "I meanthat if I were doing a full statue instead of a head, I might be forced to employan extraordinary multitude of fig leaves to mask a certain portion of youranatomy."
Ruel carefully kept himselffrom glancing back at Jane. "Then it's fortunate you've confined yourselfto a limited area."
"Particularly since thetransformation occurs so frequently. At first I wondered if I should send heraway." His attention returned to the statue. "The signs of desirearen't confined only to the nether parts, you know. The jaw tightens, thenostrils flare slightly, the mouth—"
"I regret to have causedyou artistic difficulties."
"Oh, no difficulty. Iwould not have permitted that to happen. Actually, your lust gave the work anadded shading of primitive beauty."
"And, of course, that'sworth any amount of discomfort I might experience."
"Any discomfort,"Kartauk agreed.
Ruel shifted restlessly on thestone block on which he was sitting. "When will you be finished with thatblasted head?"
"Tomorrow." Kartaukadded wistfully, "It's quite wonderful, one of the best pieces I've everdone. I'm truly magnificent. If I only had—"
"Gold." Ruelchuckled. "I'm beginning to think your passion may be even greater thanmine."
"I have no doubt it is.To me, gold means beauty, to you, power; but beauty always triumphs in the end.Kings fall, empires fade, but art and beauty endure." He paused and thensighed. "I suppose you wish your reward?"
"It seems a small priceto ask for contributing to your greater glory."
"Do I discern a note ofdisrespect?"
"You wouldn't recognizeit if you did."
Kartauk's laugh boomed out."I would recognize it. I'd just lose faith in your judgment." He wentback to work. "Toys."
"What?"
"Send the maharajah atoy."
