Page 45 of Unearthing the Smuggler's Heart
"It will be all right," he whispered, only to be shushed with a panicked ferocity that made him want to laugh despite the situation. "Listen," he told her, holding up a finger.
The voices of several ladies overlapped in boisterous conversation beyond the door, punctuated by giggles and sighs and the shuffling of cards. Someone had discovered the pianoforte, and the plinking sound of testing the keys threaded through the rest.
The sound of it took a moment to work its way into Jade's thoughts, but he could see the realization hit her when her shoulders relaxed and a little sigh escaped her.
They would have to be quite loud to be overheard.
He took her hand and pulled her over to his side of the little nook, nestling her back against his chest so that he could wrap his arms around her. If they must sit in wait, they might as well enjoy it.
He had a sudden, powerful urge to drop a kiss onto the crown of her head, just behind the little lace ruffle she was wearing at her crown. He frowned, wondering what the hell he'd want to do that for, but decided to give in anyway, and found no resistance from the lady at the gesture.
And Lord knows she'd make it known if she disliked something. That thought sent another pang into him, resounding with an aching echo in his chest and a wry smile on his lips. This closet was having a strange effect on him.
"Why does he hate you?" she whispered, tilting her head up so that her hushed voice would be closer to his ear. "Dumand, I mean."
The warmth of her breath sent goose bumps along his neck and down his arms.
"Because I know a secret about him that could ruin his life," Mathias responded carefully. "And as soon as he realized that, he declared war, even though I've given no indication of an intent to betray him. We were friends once. I was friends with the entire port guard in the old days; we'd play cards while contraband went in and out of theHarpy."
"It must be a very terrible secret," Jade replied, searching for his hand in the dark, her fingers twining in between his own. "It's a terrible thing to always feel afraid. Have you told him?"
"Told him what?"
"That you would never betray his confidence," she said, and he swore he couldfeelthe wrinkling of her brow in that statement.
"No, I suppose I haven't," he said, thinking through that incident from so many years ago. "I suppose I thought it was implicit at the time, and in the years since, I've had no opportunity for polite discourse."
She nodded, squeezing his hand. After a moment, she said, "Perhaps you could send a letter."
"I think that would rather exacerbate his rage," Mathias replied, stifling a laugh. "It would come across as a reminder, a threat."
"Not if you worded it correctly," she returned, nudging him.
They lapsed into silence, listening to the merriment happening on the other side of the door. The gentlemen had joined the ladies, and the mingling of voices had a musical quality to it.
He realized, with no small amount of surprise, that Jade was not going to ask what Dumand's secret was. Did she withhold her curiosity from habit? Was it out of respect for a man she'd never met? Or perhaps she thought he would refuse to answer, if she did ask.
"I let him kiss me," Mathias blurted out, forgetting for a moment to whisper. "He leaned in, and I knew his intent, and I was young enough to be curious as to what it would be like to be kissed by another man."
"Oh," she said calmly. "Whatwasit like?"
"It was fine," he said with a shrug. "It wasn't unpleasant. But it didn't spark my blood the way a woman's kiss does, and I told him as casually as I could that any furthering of romance between us simply was not for me. He reacted as though I'd shoved a spear into his gut, and well..."
"Yes." She nodded, releasing a gust of breath. "I would probably hate you too."
He was momentarily stunned. He wasn't sure what he expected from her at the truth, at the thing he had never told another soul. Disgust? Shock? Horror? Certainly he hadn't expected sympathy for the devil.
"Rest assured," he said to her in a soft whisper. "Your kisses only make me want you more."
"Mm," she replied, which was not much of a reply at all.
Mathias frowned into the darkness.
* * *
By the timethe drawing room quieted, Jade had dozed off with her head against Mathias's chest, warm in his embrace. He was gentle shaking her awake, but the grog of slumber was a seductive one, and she found herself struggling to get her eyes open again, blinking hard as memories of where they were and what they were about slowly trickled back into her consciousness.
She sat up, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her hands and indulging in a deep, bone-creaking yawn before she turned to her partner in crime. "Is it safe?" she whispered.
