EIGHT
WHEN RENNIE HADsaid he had bad news for me, I hadn’t imagined it would be that bad.
We were approaching Cairo, and apparently, I wasn’t allowed to join any groups to visit the city. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without him. I wasn’t allowed to have fun. Rennie had claimed he had ‘work’ to do in Cairo. Thus, I was supposed to follow him to the City of the Dead where he would blindfold me and take me somewhere he didn’t want me to see. How absurd.
He didn’t want to leave me alone, even for one moment. We’d spent the day searching the ship for Mrs Francis—without finding anything—and now I was finally in my cabin, finishing washing and changing. I wasn’t surprised when a knock came from the door.
I tightened the sash of my dressing gown and tossed my braided hair behind my shoulder. “Rennie,” I said, opening the door.
He slipped inside, ignoring me. “Are you going to bed?”
“I’m tired, and I had a quick repast.” I didn’t shut the door because surely, he was leaving at any moment.
“Right.” He removed his jacket and draped it on a chair, remaining in a grey waistcoat and crisp white shirt that enhanced his broad shoulders.
“What are you doing?” I wished my voice didn’t sound so husky.
“You can lock the door.”
Heat burst from somewhere in my lower belly and crawled up to my neck and cheeks. The worst thing was that I wasn’t sure the flare was entirely due to the shock.
“Would you please explain to me your intentions?” I asked, with my back to the open door.
He walked towards me, radiating enough predatory menace to make me step back. “I’m going to sleep in this cabin until further notice.” Only a few inches separated us.
He shut the door with one hand and caged me between the door and his strapping body. An entirely foreign sensation burned in the pit of my belly and lower. Had he always been so intense, so charming? His crooked nose wasn’t as noticeable as I’d thought at first. If anything, it fit his harsh face and strong jaw and gave him the air of a dangerous scoundrel. And I was having these inappropriate thoughts because...?
“I sleep here tonight,” he repeated, stepping back. “Non-negotiable.”
I cleared my throat, remembering what Mother had taught me about etiquette and propriety. Something about never sleeping with a man who wasn’t my husband and never starting to shout unless it gave me an advantage. “You can’t be serious. This is highly unacceptable.”
“It’s not the first time I do something unacceptable, and I have a contract, as you know. I’m not going to do anything improper, but I must protect you.” His gaze roamed over my pink dressing gown for the briefest of seconds. “Like it or not, I’m staying here, Monia.”
I clenched my fist. “You’re bossy.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “It’s because of that silver substance I found, isn’t it? What is it? It can’t be a coincidence that I find an odd silver thing and you become so incredibly worried about me that you want to sleep here, and threaten to blindfold me.”
He shrugged, a cheeky grin stretching his full lips. “Dinosaurs didn’t wear transparent pink dressing gowns and went extinct. Is that a coincidence?”
My mouth hung open. “My dressing gown isn’t transparent.” I wished I’d said something smarter.
He tilted his head. His eyes widened as he studied me. “It is, especially if there’s light coming from behind you.”
“Bloody hell!” I clamped my hands over my mouth, shame pounding through me. Me? Swearing? “See what you’ve done? I’ve never, ever sworn in my entire life.”
“There’s always a first time, and admit it, it feels so damn good.”
Well, he had a point.
“And I didn’t threaten to blindfold you,” he said, stretching his arms over his head. “I told you exactly what will happen once we’re in the City of the Dead.”
“And it’s for my safety.” I hoped he detected the sarcasm in my voice.
He nodded. “Absolutely. Now, shall we go to sleep? Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for both of us.” With that, he sat on the floor, his back against the door. “And swearing suits you if you ask me. You look lovely when you say curses. Please curse more often.”
“You rascal.”
