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He paused. “Yes?”
“Thank you. For intervening. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I’m grateful. I know you saved–” Her throat closed around the word as she choked on a sob and covered her face with her hands.
Without considering the choice, Luc closed the space between them and gathered her in his arms. “You had a scare, Brinna.” His hands moved across the silk of her bodice to offer her comfort. “You’re safe here. I promise.”
Then she wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him as though she might disintegrate into nothing if she didn’t. And while that would have terrified him at one time—maybe still did—with Brinna, it seemed right, somehow.
After she’d spent her tears, She stepped away and swiped at her eyes. “Thank you.”
He accepted with a quick nod, feeling like he didn’t deserve it since he’d been an ass earlier, which was more of the same for him. “How about some tea?” he asked. “And perhaps you’re hungry?”
“I could drink some tea.” She offered a teary smile.
Struggling to look at her, he glanced at the open door. “Do you think you can find your way back to the main room?”
“If I don’t show up, you can come looking for me.”
“Okay.” He nodded, his gaze on something he wouldn’t have been able to name over her shoulder.
“Lucian?”
Her voice, his name as a question, drew his gaze back to hers.
Her cheeks darkened. “I’m sorry to ask, but could you help me? With my dress’s buttons?”
His heart constricted in his chest with awareness, heat spreading out toward his limbs.
Brinna turned, offering him her back. “My sisters helped me, earlier. I can’t reach–”
“Right. Sure.” His eyes drifted to the back of her neck once more, to the golden swirls of her hair teasing the skin there. “I’ll just…”
He fumbled with the top closure, his racing heartbeat making it difficult because for some reason his hands were trembling. He leaned back, opened his hands wide, fisted them, then resumed his task. When the first button was finally unfastened, he slid his fingers to the next, released it, then to the next, his heart thumping erratically inside his chest as each released button revealed more of her.
She sighed, and Luc couldn’t help but let his thumb brush her exposed skin as he slid his hands to the next button. Chills formed on her skin as vibrant heat raced across his, connecting with his heart, blooming with fiery awareness. He imagined leaning forward, pressing his lips to the naked skin of her shoulder.
He didn’t.
Perhaps this is one of those kinds of fantasies.
Luc shook his head and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” Brinna asked, turning her head, tilting it to look at him.
He gave her a quick smile and a nod. “Perfect. Almost done.”
She held the now gaping dress against her front. “I think I can do the rest. Thank you.”
Luc pulled his hands away and cleared his throat. “Right. Yes. I’ll go and put on the tea.”
As he retraced their steps to the living room, he replayed unfastening her dress on a loop in his mind and walked across the now darkened skybridges in a kind of daze. She had a constellation of beauty marks on her shoulder that trailed down her back. He imagined kissing each one.
By the time he reached the kitchen, he simply stood in the room staring at the windows, having forgotten what he was supposed to do. His thoughts were filled with Brinna, his singing woodland fairy, noting the sun kissing the horizon cast the sky a similar shade to Brinna’s hair.
The sound of moving air jolted him back. He pressed his fingers against his chest and turned away from the windows.What the hell was wrong with him?
Nix swirled into the room still clothed in his black wedding attire. “Luc–” He strode toward him. “Where is she?”
“Safe.” Luc crossed the room to put on a kettle of water. “Did you find it?”
