Page 279 of The Spider Queen
“Are you hungry?” he asked. His tone was pleasant if a tad cool. Was that how he always sounded?
“Not really.” I looked up at him to find his lips pulled into a grin. “It was just…something to do.”
He grasped the strings that held his mask in place. He pulled it off and set it aside.
My mouth parted in surprise. He’d been handsome and mysterious with the mask. Without it, he was a true sight to behold. His indigo eyes seemed to gleam and his dark hair appeared even blacker—as black as mine. His cheekbones were high and sharp.
He smiled slowly; he knew the effect he had on me.
“Hello,” the server said, suddenly appearing at our table. “May I get you—”
“Bottle of Dom,” Lucifer said without taking his eyes off me.
“Bottle of Dom,” I repeated, my voice a murmur, completely mesmerized by the man sitting across from me. His stare bore into me, and I felt like he’d lassoed my heart and was trying to tug me toward him.
The server departed.
“Impressed?”
I smiled. “No.”
He grinned back. “Your turn.”
“My turn what?” I asked.
“I want to see you.”
With great hesitation, I lifted my fingers to my mask and removed it. His eyes scanned my face like he was memorizing it.
The server returned with our bottle of champagne, effectively ruining the intimacy of the moment. But the hum of awareness remained.
Once Lucifer deemed the champagne acceptable, the server poured us two glasses and then placed the bottle in an ice bucket before discreetly leaving.
“I have to remember to tell Flynn he has really good staff here,” I blurted out. My nerves were a tangled mess. I never got rattled; it didn’t happen.
“Flynn?” He cocked his head to the side. The gesture seemed odd, like it wasn’t normal for him. Like it was contrived.
I frowned. “Yes. The owner of the hotel. I—ah—know him.”
“Do you?” His voice was a purr. A seductive warning.
Reaching for my flute of champagne, I said, “I made a gift for his wife. It’s why I’m here. At the masquerade.” I took a sip. “You must know them too, if you’re here for their party.”
“I know them,” he said. “I just didn’t like the way you said his name with such casual affection.”
My eyes narrowed. “Odd thing for you to be upset about, don’t you think? We’re strangers.”
“Are we?” he murmured. His long fingers gripped the delicate stem of his flute, but he didn’t move to pick it up.
“We don’t even know each other’s names,” I pointed out.
“Names mean nothing.” He leaned forward ever so slightly, and finally—finally—I was able to detect an emotion from him. Want. Not lust, but a deep soulful yearning.
My eyes widened in surprise. Of all the emotions I’d expected from him, that wasn’t one of them. But I intuitively knew that Lucifer didn’t show anything he didn’t want to.
“You know something happened between us… When we locked eyes in the ballroom.”
I swallowed hard to clear my throat before speaking. I was used to being the one who was the straight shooter—but only when it came to other people’s emotions. Now I knew how uncomfortable I made others feel, since it was now turned around on me.
