interrupted his musings. When her problems faded for a while, the difference in her face was astonishing. As she’d held the buff-colored kitten, she had looked up at him and grinned. He had returned the smile when she did. Even now, standing in his office, he realized he was again thinking fondly of the memory. And smiling.
And the cat…
Ah, well, one problem at a time. Unless it decided to start something, Justus was content to let it slide.
He sat on the edge of the desk and let his shoulders slump. His ward stone provided some protection, but she could still pull him in, no matter whether she intended to or not. Using it yesterday to cloak her, hiding her from the hunters, was an impulsive act. The change from happiness to abject misery was chilling when the hunter’s signature touched her. Now he knew why. She was their prey.
So, he had taken her hand to envelope her in the magic of his ward stone, not knowing if it would even work.
The memory of that small hand in his caused Justus to look down, and he flexed his fingers. She had placed her hand in his, so trusting and willing, and now he felt warmth spread in him that he had never felt before.
With a start, Justus pounded his fist into the palm of his other hand and growled. Shit. He needed to guard his actions, or he would end up forgetting himself and be the instrument to their capture by the Imperium.
Justus felt a thrum against his arms, the familiar tingle.
Sable was close, and his heart began to beat faster with the knowledge he may have to find a way to leave if he couldn’t control himself.
With the murmur of voices from the front room, Justus opened the office door.
Emmett was telling a story about Maggie, and Sable chuckled. The sound of that laugh made him gasp softly and then curse again, despite his promise to himself. Damn that tener unus crap. What a mess he had gotten into. He averted his eyes when she walked to the middle of the shop floor. But she laughed again, and he couldn’t stop himself from looking at her.
He marveled at his lack of observation. How could he not have noticed the rich color of her hair, like the varied red and deep brown of his mahogany wood? It had a wave, soft not curly, and it flowed over her shoulders like liquid.
On one arm, the silver bracelets, made of several hoops and medallions, chimed, and the burnished metal complimented her loosely gathered turquoise T-shirt. The vivid color of the shirt and the silver teased his memory, and he frowned as it slithered into his brain and then slipped away when Sable turned to him, still smiling. He stiffened in response to her presence, and her easy smile died as she looked at him.
He realized now that his strange obsession with her was due to the magical aura surrounding her, a tener unus . He wondered what the effect would have had on him without the ward stone. Bad idea, to allow that thought to take hold, and he turned away without attempting a greeting. But even then, his body responded and his pulse and respiration increased as the mental picture sprang into his imagination. He sucked in a breath, pulled a chair from a dining room display, and sat down.
Get a grip, he savagely told himself.
She turned away, nervously plucking at her blouse, then smoothing the material.
Emmett inspected the newly arranged shelves, sliding a finger along on the clean surface.
“Geez,” he said. “You got busy yesterday. This place looks really different, almost like a store and everything.” He winked at Sable.
She snickered. “It just took a fresh eye, is all. Justus did most of the cleaning before I got here.”
“So, what we doin’ today? Gonna work on the web site?” Emmett said.
She nodded, glancing at the silent Justus. “I suppose so,” she said slowly. She adjusted her bracelet, and the charms jangled. The sound captured his full attention.
The turquoise color of her blouse against the silver bands, the musical chimes as the bracelets moved up her arm,
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