Page 64 of You Only Love Twice
"Well." A flush of heat worked its way down her throat. One would think her the veriest maid. "Hullo again."
It was as if her words broke the stalemate. "This will help to warm you," he said, crossing to the bed and dumping the pile of clothes he'd fetched upon it. "You slept well?"
"Tolerably." How polite they were this evening. Oh, no, neither of them was affected by what had happened earlier that morning at all. Gemma's eyes narrowed. "You've brought me warm clothes."
Because he'd known how cold she was.
Keeping any hint of her turmoil off her face, she crossed to the bed, rubbing the thick wool of the skirt. Her eyebrows rose. "I suppose 'warm' is definitely one word we could use to describe this dress."
Along with hideous.
And what was he doing? Raiding lady’s wardrobes throughout the city? Or stealing them from washing lines? She had a brief image of him stalking the London night, in pursuit of female undergarments. Despite her circumstances, Gemma couldn’t retain her laugh.
"What's so amusing?" Obsidian asked suspiciously.
Gemma couldn't help herself. She gave into the urge, a choked giggle escaping her. "Nothing."
"You don't like the dress."
"No, I appreciate it, I do." She captured his wrist, squeezing softly, trying to thank him for the considerate thought. "I just... I'm not certain if you intend to dress me like a nun." Gemma turned and held up the heavy brown wool gown, shaking it out. "After what happened this morning, one would think you wanted to cover every inch of me."
Obsidian turned away from her, scraping a hand over his face. "It's not as though I can escape you. There was little else that looked to fit you."
"Kind of difficult to forget, is it not?"
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Incredibly difficult. But then I keep telling myself this will end. I might as well enjoy the pleasures to be found in the meantime."
I see.
"And how does it end?" She asked the question that had been plaguing her all morning. "Your fellowdhampirwish to kill me. Are you going to keep me locked away forever? I suspect they'll eventually notice you're missing."
"They already know I'm involved." He paced a little. "They must have followed me to Mably House."
Gemma froze. She hadn't considered the implications when he cut the tracking device from his skin, but he'd been giving up one of the ties of his allegiance as he did it. "What does that mean for you?"
He turned those stark gray eyes upon her, hands clasped behind his back. "Ghost needs me. He cannot afford to punish me too severely, and if... if it comes down to the pair of us, I'm probably the only one who could strike him down. He knows that. He'll be wary."
"How does he need you?"
His expression shuttered. "I cannot tell you the answer to that."
"Cannot? Or will not?" She held the blanket together as she reached for her shift. Damn him.
Turning around, he gave her his back. "Will not. We're not allies, Gemma. I don’t even know if I can trust you. We share an immediate, short-term goal."
"Keeping me alive."
"Indeed."
She stared at the broad planes of his back. "This is ridiculous. It's not as though you've not seen every inch of me," she said dryly, tossing the blanket aside and hauling the shift over her head, and then the scratchy wool gown. It was precisely as wretched as she'd expected.
"I knew this morning was a mistake," he growled. "You're not going to let me forget it, are you?"
Gemma laughed. "What do you think? Button me up?"
"I swear you're trying to torture me."
"Every. Day," she promised with a faint smile, gathering her hair into a knot and presenting her back to him. Obsidian tugged her gown together and swiftly did the buttons up. "But I think you're not as innocent as you claim to be."
