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The next song started.
Serene cleared her throat. “Cardon?”
“Yes?”
She wet her bottom lip.
His eyes darted to follow the motion, his attention lingering on her mouth. Tingles wound down her spine. “Maybe we should take a walk outside,” she said. “Get some air.”
Be alone.A dangerous idea, but deliciously tempting.
For a brief moment, she worried he’d say no. That he would shield the emotions shining in his eyes, like he’d done so many times since their kiss on the beach in Duvan.
Instead, his grip on her hand flexed. “Let’s tell Wilf.”
A thrill shot through her, continuing to spark when he released all of her but one hand.
He’d never held her hand like this.
He pulled her through the crowd and spoke briefly to Wilf. The large man was still playing with the loud group of men, and though he noticed their joined hands, he didn’t say anything; merely nodded.
Cardon tugged her toward the door, threading their way through the common room until, finally, they were free.
The night air was muggy, due to the earlier rains, but still cooler than inside the inn. The ground was muddy, but flat stones wound a path around the back of the inn. Cardon continued to hold her hand as they navigated the stepping stones, which led them toward the stable.
“Did you learn anything interesting tonight?” Cardon asked.
She’d learned that dancing with Cardon was one of her favorite things—but that probably wasn’t what he meant. “Not especially,” she said. If she gave too many of the details Dakaar had shared, Cardon might want to find the man and question him. Then again, she hadn’t noticed him in the common room—maybe he’d left. “There was more talk about those disappearances,” she said. “Not just families, but lone travelers, and even twenty men who work a nearby vineyard.”
Cardon frowned. “I think that was the discussion at Wilf’s table just now. Twenty grown men. Laborers, at that. They wouldn’t have been taken without a fight.”
“Who would take them? And where?Why?”
“I’m hoping Buhari might have some answers for us.”
She thought of her uncle, who hadn’t been seen in months. Better not to share that, though; he would certainly question Dakaar about any possible trouble awaiting them at the capital.
They reached the barn, but instead of going inside, Cardon led her around the side, still following the stepping stones.
“You’re a good dancer,” Serene said.
“Surprised?”
“A little.”
The corner of his mouth quirked. “I suppose that’s fair. I took lessons after becoming a bodyguard.”
“Why?”
“I never knew if an occasion would call for me to dance, but I wanted to be prepared.”
That sounded very much like Cardon. He was always prepared and unruffled. “Your easy confidence has always impressed me,” she admitted.
He glanced over at her, his surprise evident. “You’re the most confident person I know.”
“I don’t feel very confident these days.”
He squeezed her fingers. “It doesn’t show.”
