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“The irony of you speaking about insanity…” Adrian muttered under his breath. He parted his lips with disinterest and turned back to me. “You’re his problem now. Or he’s your problem. One of the two.”
He turned to go up the stairs. I pulled him back by his sleeve.
“You can’t leave me here with him!” I said.
He looked down at my hand on him and smirked, seduction glittering behind his eyelashes. “Would you rather come with me?”
I swallowed with disgust and detached myself from his sleeve. He bounced an eyebrow at me and went up the stairs, leaving me alone with the colorfully robed man sobbing over his counter of dry bread.
I pursed my lips.
“He’s gone,” I muttered. “You can drop the act.”
Luc instantly straightened, putting on a dashing smile, wrapping one arm around his waist, and resting his chin on the opposite hand.
“So observant,” he said coolly.
I smirked. “Messing with the captain’s head, are you?”
“Messing with the captain’s head is one of my simple pleasures,” Luc replied. “Along with sunsets on the sea, a glass of rum with an intimate partner, or a slow song full of regret.”
I stepped forward, looking at the arrangement of breads and fruits around the kitchen. Soup boiled in a pot nearly the same height as my knees, the sharp spices of cumin and chili powder hitting my nose.
I leaned against the counter on my elbow, taking in Luc’s facial expressions. Though they were dramatic, they were genuine; they were as wild as his clothes and seemingly as dangerous as the knives beside him.
“Also…” He stepped in closer to meet me, a razor-sharp smile on his lips. “I enjoy observing beautiful women to see what dark secrets they hold.”
He studied me like a painting, his eyes darting around my face frantically like he was looking for a secret code on a map. He swooped into my personal space, his face in the same breath of air as my own.
“You smell like the sea,” he commented.
“I’ve been on a boat all night,” I replied. “And I live next to the shore.”
He touched the sleeve of my dress. “Your family is wealthy.”
“Used to be.”
“You find me attractive.”
He raised his eyebrow and bit his lip. I wasn’t impressed, even though he was trying very hard to impress me.
“Not especially,” I replied honestly.
He held his smile, regardless. “Not even a little?”
His voice raised slightly, attempting to sound charming.
I shook my head at him. “I’m afraid not.”
His bright green eyes sparkled with interest and surprise. “How fascinating…”
“So what will I be doing here?” I asked, stepping back. “It doesn’t look like there’s much you haven’t already covered.”
He took a deep breath, puffing out his chest with pride. “It doesn’t seem like much, but this kitchen is critical to the morale of the men. Nothing lifts a man’s soul like coming back to a hot meal after a day of stealing and killing.”
I froze, scrunching my nose. “That’s not what you really do, is it?”
“Me? No. Gentle as a fish, I am. I leave all that to the captain and his men.”
