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Ethan Devereux, whom she had only just met, suddenly came a very close second.
Merida stood there, trying to unscramble her mind so she could answer his question as to how long a commissioned rug would take to make.
‘I would think around eighteen months.’
‘What if I wanted it sooner?’
‘Ubaid has many artisans. If they were focused on one piece, perhaps a year...’
‘And what if I wanted it sooner than that?’ he pushed.
‘I’m afraid it would take time. Patience.’
Reece might never forgive her, but instead of promising limitless artisans, all devoted to pleasing this man who could name his price, she told him instead that he would have to wait.
Only they weren’t talking about rugs. She was quite sure of that.
And so was he.
‘I don’t have patience,’ Ethan said, and the words were delivered with a slight snap, for he knew now why he hadn’t invited her to dinner.
For it would bejustdinner.
And then another dinner.
No, he did not have the patience for that.
He wanted to know how she tasted rather than where she was from and what she was like.
And so, instead of pushing, he ended the encounter.
‘Well,’ he said, ‘thank you for the tour. It’s been interesting.’
Unexpectedly so. And in unexpected ways, he thought.
Merida saw him to the door and then stood, her smile fixed, as they shook hands again, but for a dangerous second longer than the first time.
She did not glance down at his hands but she could feel each of his fingers, long and slender, as they closed around hers. And she breathed through her mouth, rather than her nose, for the scent of him had her wanting to draw closer.
‘It was a pleasure to meet you,’ Merida said through lips that did not want to talk. It was as if they yearned to meet his.
She wanted to return to the dark velvet space from which they had so recently emerged.
What the hell was happening to her?
‘Thank you for visiting,’ Merida said calmly, whenGet out, get out, get outwas what she wanted to scream. Only her acting experience allowed composure to reign on her features.
He didn’t say thank you again.
And he didn’t wish her a good evening.
Ethan Devereux simply left.
And he left behind a vortex within her.
She watched the doorman farewell him, and the driver open his car door, and as he disappeared inside Merida learned that she could breathe again.
The devil had left the building.
