Page 43 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
Tamira exchanged a quick glance with Elias. That had definitely sounded like advice rather than a threat, a warning delivered as kindly as the butler dared.
"Of course," she said. "You're absolutely right. It is true everywhere, I guess. We shouldn't poke our noses where they don't belong."
Relief flickered across the butler's features before his professional mask reasserted itself. "No apology necessary, my lady. This way, please."
They continued deeper into the basement maze until finally reaching a large storage area filled with furniture draped in dust covers, boxes stacked to the ceiling, and the accumulated detritus of the house's previous incarnation.
"The villa furnishings are primarily in this section," the butler said, gesturing broadly. "Decorative items, artwork, and smaller pieces are in the boxes along that wall. Furniture is covered but accessible."
"Perfect," Tamira said. "We'll just look around for a few minutes, get a sense of what's here, and head back up."
The butler hesitated. Clearly, leaving them there unsupervised went against every instinct, but what else could he do? Stand and watch while they poked through dusty boxes when he had a lunch service to supervise?
"I'll return to collect you when lunch is ready to be served," he said finally. "Please don't venture beyond this immediate area. The basement is confusing for those unfamiliar with its layout."
"We'll stay right here," Elias promised.
The butler's footsteps had barely faded before Tamira grabbed Elias's hand, pulling him behind a massive covered piece of furniture that might have been an armoire or a bookshelf—impossible to tell beneath its shroud.
"Finally," she breathed, and then her mouth was on his, hungry and desperate.
The kiss was everything their careful public interactions couldn't be—raw need and profound relief. His hands tangled in her hair while hers clutched at his shoulders, pulling him closer.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Elias rested his forehead against hers. "I've been dying to do that all morning."
She smiled. "I've been dying since the moment you left for the hotel."
"Tamira..." He pulled back slightly to look at her, and the emotion in his eyes made her chest tight. "This is torture. Being so close and having to pretend that we are no more than acquaintances."
"I know." She cupped his cheek, and he leaned into the touch. "We have to be careful. You heard the butler. Thisplace has eyes everywhere, and if we cause the lord humiliation…"
He shivered. "He'll have us both executed."
"We just need to be careful." She kissed him again, softer this time, savoring rather than devouring. "And we actually need to look through some boxes to make it look legitimate."
He sighed. "You're right."
They walked over to the wall of boxes, selecting one at random. Inside were crystal glasses, carefully encased in bubble wrap. Another held silver candlesticks tarnished with age. A third revealed painted plates depicting pastoral Italian scenes.
"It feels like an archaeological dig," Tamira murmured, lifting out a delicate figurine of a shepherdess. "Uncovering layers of the house's history."
"This must have been beautiful," Elias said, examining an ornate frame. "All this classical elegance stripped away for..." He gestured upward, indicating the stark modernity above them.
"Navuh must have gone through a phase." Tamira rewrapped the shepherdess. "I wonder if immortals get midlife crises. Or maybe someone told him that the Italian villa style was outdated and that he needed to modernize."
"He did that without consulting any of you?"
She snorted. "Haven't you realized by now that everything in the lord's domain is compartmentalized? We don't belong in his mansion. We belong in the harem. Over there, LadyAreana has nearly complete control over everything that's happening on the inside, but she has no say here. I'm surprised that he's allowing her to redecorate. Perhaps he hates the new decor just as much as we do."
They opened several more boxes, and Tamira made mental notes of items she might want to take to her room or that might somehow blend with the modern art in the public areas. A pair of bronze bookends shaped like lions was definitely going to her room. The set of paintings depicting mythological scenes would look great in the dining room. The throw pillows in rich burgundy might add warmth to her stark white couch.
"We should take something up," Elias suggested. "Evidence of our productivity."
"The bookends," Tamira decided. "They are small enough to carry, and I actually want to take them to my room."
As she reached for them, Elias caught her hand. "Wait. We don't know when we'll get another chance like this."
The raw need in his voice matched hers. Without discussion, they ducked behind a large piece of furniture, and this time, the kiss was accompanied by hands going under clothing.
