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‘So—two hours with the Odalisque?’
Damion’s deep voice felt like a caress against her ear.
Surprise gave way to suspicion. ‘Did you arrange the VIP treatment so you could keep tabs on me?’
Silence greeted her accusation. Then, ‘I think the words you’re looking for are Thank you, Damion.’
‘Not if you’re spying on me, Baron.’ Perhaps she was overreacting, but hearing his deep, accented voice so soon after reliving her dreams unsettled her.
‘Do I need to?’ His voice held an edge to it.
‘Of course not.’ she muttered.
‘Bien sûr. I called the curator to find out if you were being looked after. He told me you’d finished your tour and left.’ He waited expectantly.
She bit her lip, breathed in deeply. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Thank you for organising it. But I hope you don’t think this grants you a free pass to start prying into my life again.’
‘I know enough to satisfy me for now. Don’t be late.’
The line went dead.
Reiko stared at the phone, her heart rate suddenly rocketing in a way that made her breath catch. With shaking fingers, she tried to call him back but the number was engaged.
He doesn’t know, she reassured herself, but anxiety twisted through her as she made her way back to Damion’s apartment three hours later.
Fabrice let her in and informed her Damion was on his way home.
She took a few minutes to run a brush through her hair and fix her lipstick. She came downstairs just as Damion walked through the door.
The sheer magnetism of the man was off the scale. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he walked, lean-hipped and broad-shouldered, towards her. When his eyes raked her from head to toe before returning to capture her gaze, her insides twisted in alarm.
Keep calm, he doesn’t know.
But no matter how much she berated herself, her pulse just thundered harder.
‘What did you mean earlier on the phone?’ she demanded before she could stop herself.
His brow lifted along with an enigmatic smile that set her teeth on edge. ‘Bonsoir to you, too.’
Panic hammered beneath her skin but she refused to let it run free. ‘Please answer me.’
Fabrice appeared, took Damion’s briefcase and melted back into the hallway. Damion’s gaze stayed locked on hers.
Reiko licked her lips. ‘Tell me what you meant or I’ll walk out of here right now and you’ll never find your painting.’
He tensed slightly, then exhaled. ‘Put away your claws, kitten. I won’t hurt you.’
The unexpected gentleness stopped her breath. She stared at him, dread rising within her at the look in his eyes.
No, he couldn’t know. But the hairs on her forearms tingled with acute premonition. With every fibre of her being, she wanted to silence him before he spoke, but there was no way to prevent it.
‘Tell me about your accident, Reiko.’
CHAPTER SIX
‘HOW … HOW DID you find out?’
‘You’re not the only one who has access to information, Reiko.’
