Page 54 of The Beast's Heart

He must be referring to the fantasy game. It was Enrique who slayed him eventually, climbing right up onto his back to ‘stab’ him with a stick.

“Oh please. You were wonderful today.”

I can practically feel the warmth of his body as he flushes with pleasure at my compliment. I can see now, at this distance, that his eyes are bloodshot, and I can smell Scotch on his breath.

I turn back to my task, ignoring the prickle along my spine in response to his proximity and the unwelcome pull of desire low in my stomach.He’s with Geoff. No doubt about that now. Whatever happened earlier, it wasn’t what I thought.“If anything, all the excitement today tired him out and he slept more deeply as a result.”

“Do you really mean that?” Adam asks, voice so very near my ear.

“Yes, one of my nieces was a chronic bedwetter and that’s what the psychologist says. They grow out of?—”

“I meant about how I was. With them.”

Wonderful.“I did. I…” I turn to find he’s moved even closer. We’re close enough to kiss. His eyes are scanning my face and my breath catches.

He’s drunk and clearly horny.

I slide out from between him and the machine. “We should get back to them.”

Adam follows after me, with clean linens draped over one arm.

Upstairs, Alisha’s got Enrique calm, clean and dry back in his own room. They’re a little surprised to see Adam with me, but not too startled after spending the better part of the day with him.

He made himself a mug of cocoa too and he sits with them to enjoy it while I go deliver the remaining two drinks and sort out Alisha’s bed.

Ben is still awake, peering over the covers.

“Here you go, as promised.” I pass him the mug and he wraps both hands around it and blows on it in case. (It isn’t too hot. I made sure of that.)

“Is Enrique okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine.”

Ben’s wispy blond hair’s grown a little in the time I’ve been here and it hangs in his eyes when he leans forward to sip his drink. On impulse, I reach out and brush it aside. He leans into the touch. It makes my throat go tight.

Despite Mal’s earlier grumbles, I find him passed out on top of the covers. I set the cocoa on the bedside table and carefully pull the extra blanket from the foot of the bed over him, tucking it securely around him. He seems so very small here like this. Myheart squeezes. I leave the cocoa on the table so he knows I kept my promise.

Once the other two are tucked into bed, I expect Adam will head back to Geoff. But as I try to say goodnight, and express my thanks for his assistance, he takes my elbow and says, “I want to show you something.”

He leads me back downstairs and at first I think he’s taking me to the ballroom, with its stunning painted panels. But he takes me right to the end of the right-hand passage, to the very last door. The locked one, that’s directly beneath his rooms. He pulls a small bunch of keys from a pocket and unlocks it.

“The contents are quite valuable. Didn’t want them to be discovered by small explorers who might unwittingly cause damage.”

The door creaks as he pushes it open. The space beyond is completely dark, but the smell that rushes out to greet us is musty, old,paper. Instantly familiar. He flicks on the lights and my breath leaves my body. A library. The most beautiful library I’ve ever seen.

Books line every wall, and the stacks are made up of elaborate serpentine shelves, in white and gold, somewhere between rococo and art nouveau. The floor is wooden, but a deep burgundy, navy and gold runner stretches the entire length.

There must be hundreds of books here. At the far end of the room, there’s a reading area with two cream Chelsey Sofas and an electric fireplace that must be wired into the lights, because it popped to life automatically, offering all of the coziness of the real thing with none of the hazard to the books.

“You like it?” Adam asks.

“It may just be the most amazing place I’ve ever been.”

His hand brushes mine and he slips the key into my palm. “Figure you might enjoy a retreat now and then. Somewhere pretty and quiet.”

I turn to face him as my fist closes around the key.He’s still standing so close.“You’re certain?”

“Yeah. It’s all a bit wasted on me. Lloyd was the intellectual.”

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