“Thank you.” She could feel the heat of another blush cover her cheeks and hear his soft laughter.
“That is so wonderful,” he said almost to himself.
Kendra looked up from beneath her thick lashes, gray/green eyes curious even as her cheeks turned rosy. “You like my blushes?”
“Yes,” he answered simply. He raised her hand to his lips and she shivered again at their icy touch.
“Why are you so cold?” she asked bluntly.
“The evening air does have a bit of a bite,” he said smoothly, moving her hand out of his and onto the sleeve of his jacket. “Come, we should get you someplace warm and find you something to eat.”
“I don’t want to be a burden.” Kendra could feel the long lean muscles flexing under her fingers. They were almost like rock, so hard she couldn’t help but wonder if anything would cut him.
“You are no burden, Kendra. My family will enjoy you. I promise you that. No one will hurt you or force you to do anything you don’t want to do. You can trust me.”
Kendra closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh. “But I’ll still have to go home some time.” Her voice was quiet and he bent his head closer to her.
“Not until we are sure you’ll be safe. I won’t send you back to those people who wanted to hurt you. You can trust me, Kendra.”
Her small tongue slipped out to wet her lips and she opened her eyes just in time to see a pained look cross his face and his own eyes shut for a moment. Then his face smoothed out and he opened his own eyes, that look gone. “I do trust you, Mr. Davalos.”
“Lucian,” he said softly. “I’d love to hear my name upon your lips, Kendra.”
“Lucian,” she repeated. “I do trust you, Lucian.”
His eyes closed again and a small moan seemed to come from deep in his chest. “You are a temptation, Kendra. You could tempt a man to lose his soul for you.”
“I-I didn’t mean…”
“No, of course you didn’t.” He smiled, an angelic smile that made his blue eyes dance. “You can’t help it.” He pulled her up a short walk of steps that led to a huge brownstone house. “Home sweet home,” he said, pulling out a small ring of keys and unlocking the front door. He stood there a moment, his head cocked as if he were listening to something she couldn’t hear. Then he pulled her inside, closing and locking the door after her.
From where she stood, she could see the huge rooms, beautifully furnished with expensive furniture and beautiful paintings upon the wall. Next to them, her shawl looked downright shabby and her skirt blouse combination made her look like part of the help.
Except they were probably better dressed than she. The thought gave her pause and she hung back, tugging on her arm that he still held. “I-I’m not d-dressed right,” she stuttered.
Lucian chuckled. “This is my home, Kendra. You’re dressed just fine.” He reached out and picked a stray thread from her shawl then let it flutter to the floor. “Now you’re perfect.”
His voice flowed like honey over her battered nerves and she found herself drawn along with him, through the rooms until he stopped outside double doors that were closed. Smiling, he turned toward her, reaching out to lift the heavy fall of her flame colored curls.
“This is the first thing I noticed about you,” he said in a soft whisper that was still silky sweet. “The color drew my eyes like you were aflame. I wanted to dig my hands in just to feel the satiny texture.” He brushed his hand over her forehead, his fingers skimming over her cheek and down to her chin. “You are very beautiful, Kendra. My family will welcome you here, so don’t fear. All right?”
He seemed to hesitate, one palm smoothing the riot of curls that bounced around her face and shoulders. Kendra finally nodded, her reward was the brightness of his smile and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, squeezing lightly before reaching out to grab one of the double doors. Giving her one last glance, he pushed open the door and led her in.
The room was huge, the walls filled with floor to ceiling shelves covered in books. There were more books in this one room than Kendra could ever remember seeing before in her life. A fire roared in a huge brick fireplace, the flames leaping over the logs eagerly. Paintings covered the walls where the shelves stopped, works done by the masters. Some she recognized though her experience was meager.
Her eyes moved over the room, storing every detail into her mind to take out and savor later. It was only as her eyes settled on the fireplace did she note the other people in the room.
It was easy to miss them for they sat still as statues. Then one rose, with the grace of a dancer and the almost impossible beauty like one of those paintings she’d been admiring. The woman was tall, statuesque, her complexion perfect roses and cream. She held her hands out, one to Lucian, the other, impossibly, to her.
“Welcome, Kendra, to our home. We are so happy to have you here.”
Her words were sincerely spoken, her voice soft and lilting. She pressed her cold cheek to Kendra’s warm one.
Kendra didn’t shy from the woman, her words and mannerisms made her feel so welcomed. It was just strange, how did she know her name?
“Kendra, this is my mother, Liriana.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Kendra dropped a small curtsey, unsure of what to say or do. It was as if Liriana’s actions opened the floodgates, for then they were all there, gathered around, speaking at once. Kendra felt herself shifted from arms to arms as she was hugged, her cheek kissed. Names flew and she found herself unable to remember any but Liriana’s.
“All right, that’s enough for now.” Liriana’s voice was loud enough to be heard over the roar of the crowd and she shooed the family back to their seats. “Kendra, you must be exhausted. I’ll let Lucian show you to your room.”
“My room?” Kendra asked, confusion causing another blush to cover her cheeks.