Then his eyes slowly lifted to mine, an unreadable flickering in their grey depths: recognition. “Some things are best left untouched.”
I stared at him, my breath lodged in my throat, searching his gaze for answers. He returned my look silently, offering no explanation for how he knew what I was capable of. Slowly my eyes dropped to where our hands still nearly brushed and reluctantly I withdrew, even as temptation coiled more tightly to brush against his ring.
It followed me as I made my way down the corridor. Evander fell into step beside me with irritating ease. We had only taken a few turns when the distant thunder of returning footsteps suddenly echoed towards us.
I froze. “Someone’s coming,” I whispered.
“I suspected our escape had been a bit too easy,” Evander said lightly. “Time for another adventure.”
The sound grew louder. Before I could decide where to run, his hand suddenly closed around my wrist. “This way.”
He pulled me into a narrow alcove carved into the stone wall, barely large enough for a decorative pedestal. We squeezed awkwardly into the cramped space. My back met the cold stone as he stepped in front of me and tugged a heavy curtain in front of me to shield me from view.
Instinctively, I held my breath as the footsteps approached, drawing nearer. Evander leaned close enough that any whisper would be lost between us, a movement that left far too little space between us. His arm lifted, bracing against the wall beside my head as he peered around the edge of the alcove. The position caged me in completely, leaving me acutely aware of the warmth of his body so near mine.
The guards passed just beyond the corridor entrance, only a few steps away. Even as their footsteps faded, I remained motionless. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Evander’s gaze flicked back to mine, amusement glinting even in the dim torchlight.
“Are you always this cooperative when cornered?” he murmured.
My pulse leapt traitorously. “Only when the alternative involves being dragged back to my room,” I whispered.
His mouth curved. “Pity, I was hoping it might be my irresistible charm.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, though it was difficult when I could feel the faint warmth of his breath, strangely steadying despite the tension of my near capture still cinching my chest.
His hand still rested lightly around my wrist, warm and steady, as though he had forgotten to let go. The warmth of his touch lingered, grounding and unsettling all at once, feeling as though it belonged there…and for one misguided moment, I almost believed it did.
As if in response to these emotions, the faintest movement of his thumb traced my wrist, sending a quiet, unwelcome awareness through me—a touch so subtle it might have gone unnoticed had I not been entirely aware of it. I told myself to break the contact, but for reasons I refused to examine, I remained where I was…as did he.
Only when the last echo of footsteps disappeared did he finally step back; the sudden space between us left the air oddly colder than before, leaving me aching for his presence.
“Coast is clear,” he said, his tone unusually airy. His hand fell away from my wrist, the loss of contact so sudden it left a strange absence in its wake. I curled my fingers inward, as if I could hold onto the sensation a little longer.
I cleared my throat and stepped out first, pretending my heartbeat hadn’t just tried to escape my chest. “Try not to make a habit of trapping me in confined spaces.”
He followed, his easy smile returning. “I’ll do my best to resist the temptation, though you do seem particularlyinteresting when cornered. Now that we’ve flirted with danger, where are we heading?”
It took me a moment to dispel the strange spell our stolen moment in the alcove had cast over me. I frowned, sending him a puzzled glance. “You don’t already have a destination in mind? You’re the one who insisted you needed my help.”
He looked amused. “I do. I assumed you’d already decided.” He gestured vaguely down the corridor. “Forward seems a promising start.” He took two steps before realizing I hadn’t followed. He glanced behind him inquisitively.
“You not only don’t remember what you need my assistance for,” I said. “But you also have no idea where we need to go?”
His expression remained infuriatingly calm. “I never claimed to know.”
“But you certainly implied it.”
“I implied many things,” he said pleasantly. “And you assumed a great many more. Besides, you’ve been less than forthcoming on your own agenda.” He looked pointedly at my hand that had attempted to touch his ring earlier.
I crossed my arms, ignoring his last comment. “You insisted we investigate together. That generally requires knowing what we’re investigating.”
He shrugged. “I assumed a master thief such as yourself would have already formed several theories.” He leaned casually against the wall, studying me with an appraising look. “You’re very particular about maintaining the advantage. I imagine that comes from a lifetime of working alone.”
“That comes from surviving,” I said. “If you truly are a master of charm and you don’t even know where to begin, granting me this victory would encourage me to keep playing the game we’ve entangled ourselves in.”
He pushed away from the wall with a small sigh. “It would be in my best interest to stay in your good graces.” Hegestured down the corridor. “I graciously concede the privilege of choosing our first destination.”
My suspicion deepened. I eyed him skeptically. “That was far too easy.”
