Read Online Steele-Faced (Daggers & Steele Book 6) by Alex P. Berg - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alex P. Berg
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heady scent, and when I caught them, her eyes sparkled as brightly as her earrings.
The music stopped, and I brought us to a halt. Breath ran heavy through my nostrils, and I could tell Shay’s did, too. Her mouth hung open by a sliver, and her bosom rose and fell rhythmically, a bosom that I had great difficulty keeping my eyes off of. Sweat kissed her skin like morning dew, and she looked at me with soulful eyes.
I wasn’t sure what else she expected of me, but then I remembered my manners. I gave her a short bow. “Thank you for the dance, my lady.”
“I, ah…” Shay swallowed. “My pleasure. Although…perhaps you’d accompany me to the deck? Suddenly I find myself quite warm, and some fresh air could do me good.”
She wasn’t the only one. My shirt stuck to my chest, and my heart beat like a drum, though not necessarily from physical exertion.
I nodded dumbly and held out my arm.
10
A cold breeze hit us the moment I cracked the door to the Prodigious’s exterior, which was barren thanks to the wind’s efforts.
Shay shivered. “Well, this isn’t going to take as long as I thought.”
I stripped my coat off and offered it. “Here.”
Shay eyed it. “You sure?”
“I’m tough and thick-skinned.”
“Liar. You hate winter.”
“I’m also still warm from dancing. Maybe even more so than you.”
Shay didn’t respond to that. She presented me her back, and I helped her slip into the jacket. She crossed to the ship’s railing, leaned over, and rested her elbows against the polished wood.
I took a place at her left. The moon shone high in the sky, probably three or four days shy of full, surrounded by a sea of stars that glimmered palely in the bright moonlight. In the distance, behind the ship’s stern, New Welwic’s lights burned like a second sky. Waves slapped the ship’s hull, playing out a steady beat. Behind the melody of the ocean, I detected a low murmur, deep and muffled and distant. The roar of the ship’s engines, perhaps.
I tilted my head toward the city lights. “Hard to believe we’re so far away already. I can’t even tell we’re moving, and my stomach is usually finely tuned to that sort of thing.”
“You suffer from seasickness?” asked Shay.
“Depends on the size of the boat,” I said. “This is more of a small island, though.”
“Apparently, I don’t either.”
“Apparently?” I said.
Shay turned her head toward me and sighed. “Alright. Confession time. I’d never been on a ship until today.”
“Really?” I said. “That can’t be true. We were on that skiff together when we dove into New Welwic’s underbelly.”
“A skiff is not a ship,” said Shay. “It’s a boat.”
“Correct you are, my nautically-informed dance partner,” I said. “But small vessels are worse than big ones when it comes to sea sickness.”
“We weren’t at sea,” said Shay. “We were in a cistern. My point is, I’d never set sail before today. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve travelled, but it was always via land.”
“Well then, you hit the jackpot,” I said. “Because I have set foot on ships before, and this is by far the largest, nicest, most modern one I’ve ever seen. And it may be the first one in history with a ballroom in it.”
“Jackpot…” said Shay. “Intended or unintended gambling metaphor?”
“Subliminal, perhaps?” I said. “It’s hard to stop thinking about the poker tournament entirely, although…I did. During our dance.”
Shay emitted something between a hum and a purr. “Likewise.”
I felt myself drifting toward her, my elbows gliding across the railing and my shoulder closing on hers. Maybe the breeze pushed me.
Shay tucked her left hand under my right, and the clasped pair hung over the ship’s lip. “So what is it about the tournament that preys on your mind?”
At the moment, nothing about the competition preyed on me. Shay did, though, with the breeze pressing the tail of her dress against her legs and
The music stopped, and I brought us to a halt. Breath ran heavy through my nostrils, and I could tell Shay’s did, too. Her mouth hung open by a sliver, and her bosom rose and fell rhythmically, a bosom that I had great difficulty keeping my eyes off of. Sweat kissed her skin like morning dew, and she looked at me with soulful eyes.
I wasn’t sure what else she expected of me, but then I remembered my manners. I gave her a short bow. “Thank you for the dance, my lady.”
“I, ah…” Shay swallowed. “My pleasure. Although…perhaps you’d accompany me to the deck? Suddenly I find myself quite warm, and some fresh air could do me good.”
She wasn’t the only one. My shirt stuck to my chest, and my heart beat like a drum, though not necessarily from physical exertion.
I nodded dumbly and held out my arm.
10
A cold breeze hit us the moment I cracked the door to the Prodigious’s exterior, which was barren thanks to the wind’s efforts.
Shay shivered. “Well, this isn’t going to take as long as I thought.”
I stripped my coat off and offered it. “Here.”
Shay eyed it. “You sure?”
“I’m tough and thick-skinned.”
“Liar. You hate winter.”
“I’m also still warm from dancing. Maybe even more so than you.”
Shay didn’t respond to that. She presented me her back, and I helped her slip into the jacket. She crossed to the ship’s railing, leaned over, and rested her elbows against the polished wood.
I took a place at her left. The moon shone high in the sky, probably three or four days shy of full, surrounded by a sea of stars that glimmered palely in the bright moonlight. In the distance, behind the ship’s stern, New Welwic’s lights burned like a second sky. Waves slapped the ship’s hull, playing out a steady beat. Behind the melody of the ocean, I detected a low murmur, deep and muffled and distant. The roar of the ship’s engines, perhaps.
I tilted my head toward the city lights. “Hard to believe we’re so far away already. I can’t even tell we’re moving, and my stomach is usually finely tuned to that sort of thing.”
“You suffer from seasickness?” asked Shay.
“Depends on the size of the boat,” I said. “This is more of a small island, though.”
“Apparently, I don’t either.”
“Apparently?” I said.
Shay turned her head toward me and sighed. “Alright. Confession time. I’d never been on a ship until today.”
“Really?” I said. “That can’t be true. We were on that skiff together when we dove into New Welwic’s underbelly.”
“A skiff is not a ship,” said Shay. “It’s a boat.”
“Correct you are, my nautically-informed dance partner,” I said. “But small vessels are worse than big ones when it comes to sea sickness.”
“We weren’t at sea,” said Shay. “We were in a cistern. My point is, I’d never set sail before today. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve travelled, but it was always via land.”
“Well then, you hit the jackpot,” I said. “Because I have set foot on ships before, and this is by far the largest, nicest, most modern one I’ve ever seen. And it may be the first one in history with a ballroom in it.”
“Jackpot…” said Shay. “Intended or unintended gambling metaphor?”
“Subliminal, perhaps?” I said. “It’s hard to stop thinking about the poker tournament entirely, although…I did. During our dance.”
Shay emitted something between a hum and a purr. “Likewise.”
I felt myself drifting toward her, my elbows gliding across the railing and my shoulder closing on hers. Maybe the breeze pushed me.
Shay tucked her left hand under my right, and the clasped pair hung over the ship’s lip. “So what is it about the tournament that preys on your mind?”
At the moment, nothing about the competition preyed on me. Shay did, though, with the breeze pressing the tail of her dress against her legs and
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