that got left behind on St. Regis.”
“Oh, that’s okay. You needn’t do that,” she said hurriedly, pleased at the offer.
“I’d very much like to, though, Tabby. Will you let me?”
She cocked her head to one side at the soft note of entreaty in his low voice, and then she gave him a dazzling smile of acceptance. He really wanted to do this. How could she refuse? A man like Dev Colter would feel guilty at the knowledge that he’d been the cause of her leaving her trinkets behind on St.
Regis. Such a thoughtful person!
“That’s very kind of you, Dev. If you’re quite sure you want to do this…”
“I am.”
She lifted a shoulder in helpless appreciation. “Then thanks. I’ll think of you every time I look at him,”
she added with a grin.
“What is it about him that’s going to remind you of me? The fiery breath or the nasty-looking tail?”
“I think it’s the eyes,” she said musingly and then blushed as she realized it was the truth. Brilliant silver pools filled with a barely masked vulnerability. That was what she saw when she looked into Dev’s eyes.
That night she again floated into dinner on his arm, and it seemed to Tabitha that her conversation had never been so witty and intelligent. The evening drifted past on dragon’s wings, full of magic and shimmering excitement Dev must have felt some of the sorcery, because he seemed as wrapped up in her as she was in him. Everywhere she led, he followed, willingly changing conversational directions, duplicating her order of turbot with cucumber sauce at dinner and insisting that she choose the wine.
So enthralled was she in the warm, vibrant relationship which seemed to be developing that Tabitha was unaware of the increasingly frequent glances she was receiving from more than one nearby male passenger. Her animation and sparkling excitement were like small, glittering lures that frequently caught the attention of others. But after so many years of playing the role of observer rather than participant, Tabitha was not equipped now to recognize that kind of subtle masculine attention.
Dev, on the other hand, discovered he’d developed a whole new set of instincts where Tabitha Graham was concerned. Sitting across from her in the cocktail lounge later he saw disaster approaching long before it walked over to the table. He did some quick evaluation of the situation even as Tabby began a detailed discussion of basilisks.
“That’s the creature that supposedly kills with only a glance,” she was saying chattily as Dev watched a rugged, athletic-looking, blond man start toward the table. “It could be a completely fabulous creature with no basis in reality, but some people have pointed out that it could simply have been confused with some reptiles which can spit their venom. Those poor monks sitting around their tables dutifully writing out bestiaries had no way of verifying many of the reports they got about animals in far-off places, remember. At any rate, although any creature who looked straight at it reportedly keeled over, the thing was apparently vulnerable to weasels. That was the theory at the time.”
Dev tried to produce a basilisk-style stare which he directed at the blond man who was now directly behind Tabitha. It had no effect, probably because the other male had eyes only for Tabby. He’d taken one glance at Dev’s cane earlier in the evening and had undoubtedly concluded, quite accurately, that it limited the older man’s social activities. And the band was a very good one that night. Dev knew Tabitha was about to be asked to dance.
“Excuse me,” the man said with a smile that came straight off a California beach. “Would you care to dance?” Tabitha looked up in surprised confusion. Before she could respond, the stranger turned to Dev and went on coolly, “I’m sure you won’t mind if I borrow her for a while, will you?” Left unspoken was the rest of the sentence but Dev heard it, anyway. After all you
“Oh, that’s okay. You needn’t do that,” she said hurriedly, pleased at the offer.
“I’d very much like to, though, Tabby. Will you let me?”
She cocked her head to one side at the soft note of entreaty in his low voice, and then she gave him a dazzling smile of acceptance. He really wanted to do this. How could she refuse? A man like Dev Colter would feel guilty at the knowledge that he’d been the cause of her leaving her trinkets behind on St.
Regis. Such a thoughtful person!
“That’s very kind of you, Dev. If you’re quite sure you want to do this…”
“I am.”
She lifted a shoulder in helpless appreciation. “Then thanks. I’ll think of you every time I look at him,”
she added with a grin.
“What is it about him that’s going to remind you of me? The fiery breath or the nasty-looking tail?”
“I think it’s the eyes,” she said musingly and then blushed as she realized it was the truth. Brilliant silver pools filled with a barely masked vulnerability. That was what she saw when she looked into Dev’s eyes.
That night she again floated into dinner on his arm, and it seemed to Tabitha that her conversation had never been so witty and intelligent. The evening drifted past on dragon’s wings, full of magic and shimmering excitement Dev must have felt some of the sorcery, because he seemed as wrapped up in her as she was in him. Everywhere she led, he followed, willingly changing conversational directions, duplicating her order of turbot with cucumber sauce at dinner and insisting that she choose the wine.
So enthralled was she in the warm, vibrant relationship which seemed to be developing that Tabitha was unaware of the increasingly frequent glances she was receiving from more than one nearby male passenger. Her animation and sparkling excitement were like small, glittering lures that frequently caught the attention of others. But after so many years of playing the role of observer rather than participant, Tabitha was not equipped now to recognize that kind of subtle masculine attention.
Dev, on the other hand, discovered he’d developed a whole new set of instincts where Tabitha Graham was concerned. Sitting across from her in the cocktail lounge later he saw disaster approaching long before it walked over to the table. He did some quick evaluation of the situation even as Tabby began a detailed discussion of basilisks.
“That’s the creature that supposedly kills with only a glance,” she was saying chattily as Dev watched a rugged, athletic-looking, blond man start toward the table. “It could be a completely fabulous creature with no basis in reality, but some people have pointed out that it could simply have been confused with some reptiles which can spit their venom. Those poor monks sitting around their tables dutifully writing out bestiaries had no way of verifying many of the reports they got about animals in far-off places, remember. At any rate, although any creature who looked straight at it reportedly keeled over, the thing was apparently vulnerable to weasels. That was the theory at the time.”
Dev tried to produce a basilisk-style stare which he directed at the blond man who was now directly behind Tabitha. It had no effect, probably because the other male had eyes only for Tabby. He’d taken one glance at Dev’s cane earlier in the evening and had undoubtedly concluded, quite accurately, that it limited the older man’s social activities. And the band was a very good one that night. Dev knew Tabitha was about to be asked to dance.
“Excuse me,” the man said with a smile that came straight off a California beach. “Would you care to dance?” Tabitha looked up in surprised confusion. Before she could respond, the stranger turned to Dev and went on coolly, “I’m sure you won’t mind if I borrow her for a while, will you?” Left unspoken was the rest of the sentence but Dev heard it, anyway. After all you
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