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“I won’t lie, if you don’t stop moving like that, I’ll be no better thanhim.” Dimitri’s rough voice held a delicious tension.
“Sasha,” I said and twisted in his lap. “Nothing between us is a lie.”
“There’s nothing else between us.” His hand traveled up to play with the buckles on my thigh, his actions contradicting his words.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, remembering how clothes had loosened and kisses turned ravenous that last night in the palace.
“You want to get out of here?” I brushed my lips against the corner of his mouth, an almost-kiss for this almost-moment. My magic wormed its way through the cracks in his walls to find a hunger matching my own as our lips hovered close.
“I—” He bit off whatever was about to come next, and I knew he would kiss me, knew we would not stop, but I also felt the distrust that had not previously been there. We were physically close, nothing else.
“If there’s food on the market, Pebble will know,” I said and spun out of his lap, pulling him along as if starting a dance between the tables. Some patrons laughed while others shouted for us to watch our step. No one was focusing on his face.
Rushing down the stairs, Dimitri caught me around the waist just as I was about to crash into the server coming up. Both laughing we apologized and continued slower to the bar at the stern.
“You still throw me around.” Amusement danced in his eyes, the blue more summer sky than ice, the brown almost black when the corners crinkled together. I wanted to disappear into that darkness.
“I might have worn other clothes and had better table manners, but otherwise it was all me.”
He stopped me in front of the bar. “That man was Councilor Mars Heridan.” Dimitri swallowed, looking over my head and I recognized his reluctance and grief. “He’s one of the people who voted with my father to kill my child… I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for getting leverage. Thank you.”
His thumb stroked my cheek, and despite how we had been seated before, I blushed as my heart swelled. I had not expected him to share his reasons. Had not expected him to trust me with anything yet.
“Will someone care he was seen with a courtesan?”
“Marriage vows are holy—or should be. You’re right that they’re broken too often, but in this case, it matters quite a lot. All his wealth comes from his wife’s family, and I know they’re protective of her. To ensure she wasn’t being robbed, they made him sign additional contracts before the wedding. I don’t remember the details, but believe he broke at least one up there.”
“That’s… unconventional.” How many married men had my mother entertained? Had any of them risked similar consequences when they came to our apartment? Threatened her to stay silent? Perhaps that was why she had agreed to marry Kirill and all that came with it. One horrible client—a husband—was still better than a cast ofothers.
“Whatever you use the information for, he deserves it. Just… don’t let the woman get hurt.”
“It’s not her fault,” he easily agreed and must have seen the surprise on my face. “I might not understand much of your life, or those around us, but I know everyone does what they need to survive. If it hurts no one, she doesn’t deserve to be shamed for it. Least of all by me.”
How different from how he spoke when we met. Or perhaps I had heard what I wanted, wishing to condemn the handsome prince, and seeking a reason to keep myself separate.
Neither of us had known the other, but we were starting to.
“Let’s find your missing food,” I said, directing us onward.
Pebble—bald, wide, and with eyes dark enough I wondered if he colored the lashes—dressed to match the Sinking Spoon. His coat was as red as the dress I had worn to three-day worship when I was pushed off a balcony and discovered my magic and starched shirt perfect black. From behind the bar, he commanded the staff, solved problems before they arose, and discreetly vetted those who sought entrance to the gambling den below the surface. The Sinking Spoon had been a place where Kirill’s loans were too often spent.
When we stopped before him, I expected Dimitri to take the lead, but he remained silent as Pebble looked us over.
He nodded to me. “Kirill’s girl. Who’re you looking for? You’ll find trouble today. With the old bat dead, many thought their debts gone as well.”
“I’m here for information instead of money.”
Pebble grunted and focused on the prince. “And you?”
“Sasha,” he said and quickly tilted the hat up, then looked down as if shy.
“As this girl has nothing to spend on information—usually has nothing at all to spend—I assume you’re the one who’s looking for answers.”
I leaned into Dimitri. “We both are. It’s nothing that’ll cause trouble.”
Pebble grinned, flashing two gold teeth. “Oh, you’re all trouble, girl, but you’ve never brought any to my ship that I didn’t deserve.”
I smiled in response, hoping he saw the gratitude in my eyes. More than once, he had fed me and Lumi for free.
