Page 56 of Bargains with Benefits
Vincent’s hand covered mine, lifting it to his lips. “Second thoughts?”
I gently bumped his shoulder. “I knew we’d get here.”
He gripped my hand tighter. “You know I don’t need the information.”
First, I wasn’t sure that was true. One thing we hadn’t talked about was how much longer his boss would wait. He must be facing pressure to report on his findings. It seemed very Vincent to keep that pressure to himself. I shook my head. As much as I wanted him to succeed in his career goals, this wasn’t only for him.
“Ineed it.” I turned my hand to meet his, intertwining our fingers. “Out of the blue, Darius wants to start fresh. That’swhat tonight is...trying to forge a relationship with my father.” I cleared my throat as I tested out the title instead of his name. “If I think there is any chance of it succeeding, I need to know that he is not involved with this.”
“I’m sorry that I made you doubt him at all.”
“You didn’t create and submit the evidence!” I said. Vincent’s face turned pensive at that, but I continued. “Here is the plan. I’m sure tonight will be a formal meal. He even said my grandmother would dine with us. I’ll excuse myself when they move us from the dining room to the family room for a digestif. You will find a reason to follow me. I can leave my bag there. Say I needed it and chase after me.”
“You’re giving this a lot of thought,” he said.
“Well, I’m nervous. I ramble when I’m nervous. You should know that by now.”
“You’re beautiful when you ramble. I support your decision to play spy in your father’s house, but can we discuss what we might find?”
“I know what we might find, Vincent.” I sighed. “That is why I must do this. If I were sure he was uninvolved, I’d say we could skip it, but I’m not. Mom was so sure he only cared about pureblood fae and power. He never came back to see me after deciding I had none. That doesn’t speak to someone with no motive to stop others from being educated in magic.” I’d worked up steam on my argument. “If that is the kind of male he is, I don’t want anything to do with him. Even if he is finally ready to act like my father.” I nodded more to myself than anyone, but Vincent’s dark brown eyes were molten when I’d finished.
“You really shouldn’t look at me like that,” I said, and yet I couldn’t help but wiggle in my seat as I spoke. The attention was indecent, to say the least.
“I wish I’d kissed you the first night we met,” he said. “When you complimented my wind while insulting me.”
“You could make up for it now.” I smirked.
His lips were on mine before I took another breath. He picked up right where we’d left off in the cottage. His tongue stroked mine as it invaded my mouth. His hand was at my neck, tilting my head to grant a better angle. A chill ran up my spine, the cold thrill mixing decadently with the heat pooling low in my stomach. Wind danced along my neck and shoulders, and I shivered in delight when his arms pulled me closer to him as he drew away with a last, lingering press of his mouth to mine.
He shifted in his seat, and I did the same. He set my senses alive in a way I had yet to feel—an unspeakable excitement mixed with a perfect calm in my chest at what the night would bring. I knew I was taking many risks. Coming into my father’s house was a big step. Dining with him and my grandmother, who I’d never met, was another. Determining if he could have such animosity toward half-fae as to work against us was icing on the cake.
“I’m glad you’re with me,” I said, holding Vincent’s gaze.
“There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
26
Vincent
Pierce House was in the Norden District. It was right on the water where the bay curved to the sea. It was almost unfair that Darius got the best of both views in Sandrin. I was sure his water magic felt right at home here. As quickly as the thought crossed my mind, my hand balled into a fist at my side as we approached the sprawling manor.
I couldn’t believe he’d kept Luna from this.
I’d never been to Pierce House. It was not a big surprise, given that the truce between fae courts was new. It looked like my parents’ home—the one I’d grown up in.
I reached for Luna’s hand again as the coach rolled unevenly onto a large, circular path. I stepped down, releasing Luna momentarily only to offer my hand again as she exited. It was safe to say I was obsessed with her touch.
She craned her neck to take in the brick building. It was all a single story. This pointed to its age. Newer buildings in Sandrin were two or even three floors. More citizens than everwanted to live in the city, so vertical space was necessary. Only the original homes, claimed by old fae, still took up so much land. I shook my head, wondering what he did with all the space. I’d told my parents years ago that they should downsize. They’d tutted and patted my shoulder like I knew nothing. I probably didn’t when it came to the status symbol these old houses were to the fae.
As an old fae family, multiple generations of Pierce’s lived here. I stewed again as I remembered that Luna had never been granted that privilege. Darius had a small family, from the court records I saw. He was an only child, so in reality, he and his parents lived in this massive building, although it was common knowledge that Klein, Darius’s father, was in the north doing some Norden magic research.
It seemed like such a waste. I truly hoped we’d find nothing tonight that supported the tip received by the paper. Part of me wondered if there was any chance that Darius’s isolation from Luna had anything to do with her mother. The more she spoke about her, the more concerned I was with her mother’s efforts to disregard part of her nature. Luna was fae and human. Half of each, and wholly perfect. I wished she’d had more people in her life who made her feel that way.
She hooked her hand around my arm as we strolled toward the door. I glared at the coat sleeve preventing her hand from reaching my skin. Instead, I let my hand rest over hers while my gaze roamed the scenery. The grounds were beautiful. One of the perks of water magic was that he could pull water directly from the sea to ensure all his plants were properly hydrated. The lush grass, growing ivy, and full copse of trees made it seem like we might be in the park.
“Ready?” I asked, raising a hand to knock.
She nodded, thankfully, because the large wooden door opened before my knuckles even rapped against it.
