Lace & Lead

She didn’t like the look on his face. It was far too calculating and she wasn’t willing to dissect her motives. It was far easier to rationalise the care as part of her desire to have an effective protector. Admitting that she’d really wanted to do it because she hated the thought of him being in pain was far more complicated.

The fact that she’d also been itching to get her hands on his bare skin didn’t even factor into it.

“Do you mind if I shower?”

He reached past her and turned it on. “The water starts out cold. Give it a minute to heat up.”

“I will.”

He shifted awkwardly, finally hooking a thumb over his shoulder and blurting out, “I’ll be in the garage.”

He closed the door behind him as he went and Emmaline slumped against it. She was going to be stuck here with him—only the gods knew for how long—and even worse, he was actually being nice.

“Too bad he can’t stay such a pompous ass,” she mumbled to herself.

She felt far more human after her nearly hour-long shower, even if she did have to put on the same dress. It wasn’t filthy but she missed the sensation of clean fabric against her skin. The corset went on with a fight. Until she had different undergarments she didn’t intend to put on a show, but she did compromise and didn’t tie it as tightly as her father or his high-class friends would have wanted. This small act of rebellion thrilled her.

She emerged from the bedroom carefully, trying to get a feel for the layout of the apartment. The kitchen was small but practical and the living space was empty. Apparently, Taggart hadn’t been lying when he said his money was best spent on toys. That made the garage intriguing.

The door leading out of the kitchen took her into a small room with a sink and laundry tub. Several bottles of cleaners sat in neat rows above the sink. A pile of carefully folded rags sat nearby. The mirror above the sink was the only chaotic area, almost completely covered with pictures, most of them taped up haphazardly.

The one that caught her attention featured a younger looking Taggart with a pretty, blonde woman. They had their arms around each other and it was clear that the picture was taken while the woman was laughing. Emmaline’s heart constricted. Taggart wore a carefree smile that left strange butterflies in her stomach. A smudge, clearly grown over time, obscured the bottom right corner of the picture. She leaned in to take a closer look but a strange sound from the room beyond distracted her.

The adjoining door opened easily and she was assaulted by the scent of oil, dirt and hot metal. There was a flash of bright light but when she turned to look, it was gone. All she saw was Taggart, arms cording as he pulled at a hunk of metal on some rust bucket. Another gru

nt and tug and the plate came off. He tossed it to the side, picked up the torch and spotted her.

Gods, what a man.

The tank top she’d been trying to keep clean was already a mess, covered in rust, dirt and speckled with oil. He’d changed into thick canvas pants that were equally thrashed. The welding goggles were down, hiding his light blue eyes. A bemused grin was offset by a long smudge of something across his cheek.

He wiped his forehead with a forearm as he put down the torch and another smudge appeared. So that’s how it happens.

“You may not want to wear that out here,” he called to her while gesturing at her dress.

“Why not?”

“I’d hate for it to get ruined.”

The thought had never crossed her mind that this was her only dress. She felt horrible for her accidental indifference. Taggart’s suddenly shuttered expression said he’d figured her out. She’d grown up with money and dresses often were only worn once, but it pointed out yet again how different their lives had been.

“I needed to talk to you,” she said. Nervousness was starting to creep in.

He shut off the torch, peeled off his gloves and the goggles and strode toward her, business-like. “What?”

“How long am I going to be here?”

“Not sure.”

“Can I go out?”

“Nope.”

That rankled, even if she’d been expecting it. “Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

She frowned. “That’s a horrible answer.”