Aeromancist - The Beginning (Seven Forbidden Arts 2)

His lips quirked. “Please. I insist.”

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “What do you want to know?”

He rubbed a thumb over his lips, dragging her attention to the action as he contemplated his answer. “What is your best feature?”

“My best feature?” She played with her fork. What kind of a question was that?

“Indulge me,” he said in a husky voice.

She cleared her throat. “I have a lot of determination and—”

“I meant physical.”

Lann Dréan was definitely unsettling, but she had no intention of giving him the pleasure of the knowledge. “I like my hair.”

A slow smile stretched his lips as his eyes caressed her face. “I wouldn’t know what to choose. Every part of you is perfect.”

The compliment caught her off guard. She was pretty enough, but she was far from perfect. This wasn’t the direction their conversation should be taking.

She took a sip of her wine, hiding her discomfort behind the action. “I love this wine. It’s really good. What is it?”

He dragged a finger along the rim of the glass, much like he’d done with the glass of Scotch in his office. “Carmenere,” he said without breaking eye contact. “It’s my favorite. What’s yours?”

She gave a nervous laugh. “What is this? Twenty questions?”

A frown flickered across his brow. “Is that a game?”

“Yes.” She searched his face. “Is this?”

All amusement vanished from his eyes. They filled with calculated intent. “No.”

She swallowed. Determined to bring the conversation back to safer ground, she said, “I love coffee, ice cream, and poetry.” She took another big mouthful of wine. “There. Now you know all the boring facts about me.”

“You’re far from boring, Katherine.”

“Do you like coffee and ice cream?”

He simply smiled.

No, he liked Scotch, priceless books, and having a renovated monastery as a home all to himself.

“Point proven,” she said, returning his smile.

When Lann lifted the bottle of wine to refill her glass, she noticed her glass was already empty. She shook her head and reached for her glass of water instead. “No, thanks. I’ve had enough.”

“Are you in a relationship, Katherine?”

The question took the wind out of her sails, almost making her choke on the sip of water she’d taken. It wasn’t the question itself as much as his directness. “Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering if I’m keeping you away from a boyfriend.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I had a boyfriend.”

Approval flashed in his eyes. “Good.”

Lann wasn’t in a relationship. It had been all over one of the pony newspapers this morning. There was speculation about the reason for the wealthy foreigner’s celibacy, but if the heat in his golden eyes was anything to go by, it had nothing to do with the fact that he wasn’t interested in women.

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Are you bisexual?” The minute the question was out, she regretted it. She had to have appeared either curious or interested, and neither was the impression she was aiming for. Her cheeks heating a little, she said, “You don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.”

“I see you’ve read the article.” His smile was tight. “No, I like women very much.”

“I shouldn’t have pried.”

“On the contrary. Feel free to ask me anything.”

She knew where this was going and she couldn’t do it. Lann was a keeper, but he didn’t keep. Another fact she’d learned thanks to the gossip snippets.

“It’s getting late,” she said, pushing back her chair.

He immediately got to his feet. “Of course.”

His compliance both surprised and disappointed her, and the latter sentiment scared her. Oblivious to her turmoil, he took her hand and led her down the dimly lit hallway past the garden that was dark now, except for two spotlights that cast the trees and shrubs in a veil of green light.

Every part of her was aware of his strong fingers that were folded around hers. Her nerve endings came alive, making her skin tingle with an electric crackle. Even if she wanted nothing more than to escape the disturbing sensations, pulling away would only demonstrate that she was affected, so she did nothing but experience the effect he had on her in silence.

At the library, he stopped, took a key from his pocket, and unlocked the door.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I want to show you my library.”

“But I’ve had the tour.”

“Not by me,” he said, ushering her inside.

During the day, the broad windows let in plenty of natural light, but now they were dark, and the dim ceiling spots cast the wood in a warm glow that washed over her together with the magical scent of ink and leather. Lann flicked on the light, and, as always, she looked at the spines with the embossed gold titles in awe.

Taking her elbow, he led her to the back of the room where the most fragile books were displayed in a glass cabinet, and surprised her by unlocking the door with a cylinder key from his keychain.