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“I see that Rachel brought you some clothes,” I said, feeling ridiculous at the poor attempt at conversation.
She nodded, keeping her eyes averted. “Apparently white’s not my color.”
“What is your color?”
She peeked at me shyly and shrugged. “I’m not really sure,” she admitted. “I don’t do a lot of my own shopping.”
My neck drew back, lips twisting into a moue. “Why not?”
Briar shrugged. “Father takes care of most of those things for me.”
I snorted before I could stop myself, and Briar jerked her head up, eyes narrowing. Immediately, I changed my expression.
“You should know what you like,” I insisted. “You’re a grown woman, aren’t you? I was told you’re twenty-five?”
Again, her cheeks tinged crimson, and she nodded, her throat bobbing as she swallowed nervously.
She’s wondering what else I know about her,I thought.
“Meet me downstairs in twenty minutes,” I declared on a whim.
Startled, her eyes met mine. “Why?”
“In the rotunda, by the door,” I concluded, taking to the hallway again. I hadn’t realized how much closer I’d stepped toward her until that moment, and I had to get out before I did something stupid. At least Briar didn’t seem to notice how near I was to her.
Hurrying into the huge upper-floor corridor, I almost collided with Rachel, who lounged against the wall, waiting for me to exit. I started in surprise.
“I thought you were going to the office,” I grunted. “Were you spying on me?”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I value my head,” she replied, keeping stride with me as I started walking again. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything from me.”
Abruptly, I stopped and looked at her, trying to discern the true meaning of her words. “What would I need from you?”
Rachel cast me an innocent stare, but I didn’t believe it for a second.
“Nothing. I don’t know,” she answered demurely. “I’m your assistant, Ash. That’s what I do: Assist, remember?”
I hated it when she did this. Her damn fae powers gave her much freer insight than most, but she was too smart to ask direct questions about what was going on in my head.
“If I need something, I’ll be sure to ask you,” I growled. “You can go to the office. I’ll keep an eye on Briar today.”
She grinned and bounced away, the skip in her step annoying me.
“Rachel!”
Pausing at the top of the stairs, she eyed me expectantly.
“Cancel any meetings today.”
“I already did,” she informed me, and I frowned but made no comment as she disappeared down the steps and out of the house toward my offices at the far end of the estate grounds.
Wisely, Briar didn’t keep me waiting long in the foyer. She appeared less than twenty minutes later and wore a different outfit. This one covered more of her silken skin, but the blue of the V-neck shirt brought out the gleam of her impeccant irises better than the sundress had, and I found myself entranced by the beauty of her stare.
“We’ll have breakfast and go shopping,” I announced, reaching purposefully for the door.
“What?”
Marching onward, I pretended not to notice if she was following after me, but I heard her scurrying to keep pace. I slowed subtly enough to let her join my side, but not so much that she recognized I was doing it.
