The look in his eye is lethal and half-crazed. “What’s wrong withme?”
I take an instinctive step back, shrugging my shoulder strap back into place.
“You came out in public in that dress that is hardly appropriate for a bedroom, brought yet another man who isn’t me upstairs with you, and, from the sound of things, were nearly assaulted in the process.”
I shove his chest. “I took care of it. He had valuable information and loose lips. I thought I could entice him to share more.”
“Let’s get one thing straight,” he says, one fist clenched at his side. “You’re my wife, and as much of a performance as that may be for you, I expect you to at the very least be discreet.”
“You’re jealous.” I smile, and a terrible idea pops into my head. “You thought your cock was going to be the next one in my mouth, and you’re disappointed he beat you to it. I know it’s hard to manage disappointment, but?—”
Henry is on me in a second, pinning me to the wall, one hand in my hair, the other on my hip. “Stop trying to rile me up because I denied you an orgasm. Given how much you show off, I thought you would be pleased to have another opportunity to perform.”
I wish I had never let him touch me. I’m furious with myself for letting him when I don’t trust him. When I need to keep my head.
Hyperaware of his proximity, I want him to step away so I can have some space to think. But a bigger part of me doesn’t want him to step away at all. That part of me wants him to finish what he started.
He lifts his hand from my hair. When I flinch, he freezes with his hand in the air. “There’s a flower petal.”
“Oh.” I’m mortified by the unnecessary vigilance, by the way I’ve just confirmed something he suspected.
He plucks something from the top of my head and holds up a pale white petal.
I stare at it in his palm.
He clenches his jaw. “Harlow. Why did you flinch?”
I force myself to meet his eyes with as much defiance as I can muster. “Because you’re an animal.”
Henry’s eyes narrow. “Not that kind of animal.” He steps away and runs a hand over his face. “We learned something valuable tonight. I’m sorry about the note. I didn’t mean to drop it. I think I can write down what it said.”
I appraise him skeptically, body still buzzing.
He crosses the room, unties the bindings on Shane’s wrists, and fastens the cords on the curtains where they belong. Then, he gestures toward the door.
“I should get you home. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
I want to argue, but we’re literally in a room with a dead body. Apoisoneddead body. I never stay at a scene this long. I’m getting sloppy—or, rather, Henry is making me sloppy.
He grabs his coat from the bed and tosses it at me. “Put that on.”
I pull on the oversized coat, take his arm, and let him lead me away from yet another poisoned corpse.
42
HARLOW
I’ve been searching through the Carrenwell House library for an hour when Kellan finds me.
I don’t even need to look up from my research to know that it’s him. His aura and the rhythm of his gait as he saunters across the room are so familiar. I glance at him when he’s a few feet away.
In the foggy gray morning light, he looks depleted. His aura is a dull orange, like he’s been over-exerting himself or using too much magic too quickly.
“You’re up early,” he says, peeking over the stack of books I’ve pulled from the shelves.
“Henry is a cuddler. I have to escape the first chance I get if I don’t want to be smothered,” I say.
What I don’t say is that I hesitated to leave the bed when he shifted enough for me to squirm free this morning. I’m pretty sure he only holds me because he’s worried I’ll sleepwalk again and he’ll lose his chance to get the men he needs to defend the fort. Whatever his reasons, I’ve never slept as heavily as I do with Henry’s arm curled protectively around me.
