His shoulders lifted in a hint of a shrug. “No. But I hoped to speak with him. I need an ally.”
“Other than me, you mean.”
His amber eyes crinkled with amusement. “Are you my ally?”
“Well, duh! I don’t have much choice, you know.”
He inclined his head, causing a lock of that fabulous black hair of his to slide forward across his cheek. My hormones took notice, but didn’t go nuts.
“Point taken,” he said. “But I suspect Adam has skills and contacts that we might find useful.”
“And you trust him?” I sure as hell didn’t.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have delivered myself into his hands.”
My heart thudded. “This was your idea! You told him to kidnap me and lock me up.”
Lugh laughed. “No, not in so many words. I asked him to help and protect you. He decided on the manner in which he would do so.”
I had a few colorful things I wanted to say, but Lugh kept talking.
“Truly, Morgan, he is a good man, and he’ll keep you safe to the best of his ability.”
“A good man? Excuse me, but were you napping earlier this evening?”
Lugh’s shrug was elegant. “I didn’t say he was a nice man.”
“Sorry, in my book, good men don’t whip their lovers.” Judgmental? Maybe so. But also heartfelt.
His stare pierced me. “Even if their lovers enjoy it?”
“Even if.”
Lugh looked disappointed in me. “If you could inhabit another’s skin as we do, your mind would be less narrow.”
I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but I didn’t know him well enough. Yeah, I actually have to know someone pretty well to be vulgar with them. I settled for willing myself to wake up from my dream.
I didn’t expect it to work, but almost immediately my eyes opened and I found myself curled into a protective ball in bed. The room was still pitch black, my body heavy with exhaustion and interrupted sleep. I stretched and turned over, and before I had time to wonder if I’d now be awake the rest of the night, I was asleep again.
I woke up the next morning to the sound of someone clomping around my room. I blinked bleary eyes and turned away from the wall.
The clomping was the sound of Adam’s biker boots impacting the wooden floor. I sat up cautiously, keeping my eyes fixed on him, but he had his back to me and didn’t seem inclined to look in my direction.
He dropped a tray onto the writing desk, rattling dishes and silverware. It was just a wild guess, but I thought he was still pissed at me. I slid my feet out of bed, studying the tension in his broad shoulders. He must have heard me stirring, but he didn’t look my way.
After putting the tray down, he made a beeline for the door. I gathered he planned to leave without once speaking to me or even looking at me. But, sad to say, he was the closest thing I had to a friend right now, and I needed him. I swallowed my fear and my pride.
“Adam, wait,” I said as he jerked open my door.
He froze with the door halfway open, his hand still on the knob. Still, he didn’t turn toward me, though I had a good view of his profile. His mouth was set in grim lines, his eyes narrowed, but it didn’t look like anger. It looked more like pain.
“Did I cause irreparable damage?” I asked. I had to keep my voice fairly low so it wouldn’t wobble. Despite Lugh’s pep talk last night, I still felt really bad about the trouble I’d instigated.
He hesitated a long time in the doorway, then pushed the door closed and turned to face me. A muscle at the corner of his eye ticked, and his face looked paler than usual. For about half a second, that puzzled me. Then a sneaking suspicion crept into my mind.
“Are you hurt?” I asked him. He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. I remembered what I’d heard last night.
I raised my eyebrows. “You’ve had plenty of time to heal the damage.”
He shrugged, but the movement made him wince. “If I were so inclined, yes.”
It offered me an unwanted glimpse into his psyche. “Would Dominic have any objection to you healing yourself?”
His chin jutted out stubbornly. “Doesn’t matter.”
Yeah, I knew what I was looking at, all right. Self-loathing: an emotion with which I was intimately familiar. It meant it wasn’t so much me he was pissed at as himself. I found myself in reluctant sympathy.
“Dominic’s demon could have told him the truth, too. It’s not all on your shoulders.”
His eyes closed and he heaved a sigh. “I still should have told him. To hell with our laws. It’s not like Dom would have told anyone else.” He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I might never forgive you for the way you did it, but I’m glad he knows the truth.”
I accepted that as gracefully as I could. I wondered how Adam had managed to get so attached to the real Dominic so quickly, but I wasn’t nosy enough to ask.
I was, however, fond enough of meddling to ask, “So is Dominic enjoying this whole martyr bit you’ve got going on?”
Adam’s sensual lips twisted into an ugly snarl. “I’d be very careful what I said if I were you.” His demon glowed in his eyes.
Oh yeah, I’d hit a sore spot, all right. A smart woman would have done exactly what he suggested. I guess that means I’m not that smart.
“I know you mean to punish yourself, but I can’t see Dominic as the kind of guy who — ”
He took a menacing step in my direction. “Shut. Up.”
“I would if I didn’t need your help and all, but you’re not much good to me — or to Lugh — if you’re wigging out. So I’m asking you to ask yourself who you’re hurting more by not healing yourself. My money’s on Dominic. So I suggest you cancel the pity party and heal.”
Both Adam’s fists were clenched at his sides, and the glow in his eyes was almost too bright to look at. “Damn you!”
I shrugged, trying to look casual and unworried while my insides quivered. Adam in a rage is one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen. “Some would argue that I already am.”
I watched him struggle with himself for a long time. If the struggle went the wrong way, I had a sneaking suspicion he was going to forget his scruples about needing consent to hurt someone. I felt almost as bad about this whole mess as he did, but not enough to martyr myself for it. Which begs the question, why did I set myself up for it? But some questions I don’t want to ponder.
Finally, the glow in his eyes died. His shoulders sagged, and he shook his head with what looked like disgust.
“You’re right. I’m being a self-absorbed idiot.”
“So you’ll heal yourself?”
He nodded.
We both jumped at the sound of clapping hands. I guess we’d both been so focused on our staring contest, neither one of us had noticed Dominic opening the door. His eyes were brighter, more alive than I’d ever seen them.
“Brava!” he said, still clapping as he looked at me. “I never thought I’d see anyone best Adam in a battle of wills.”
“Fuck you,” Adam said, but there was no heat in his words.
Dominic grinned wider. “Any time, handsome.”
Apparently, he’d forgotten to be bashful around me. I’d have been embarrassed, but it was actually kind of cute — especially Adam’s chagrin. Offhand, I’d say Dominic had forgiven him, which made me feel a hell of a lot better. I might not understand or approve of their relationship, but I didn’t want to be the one to break it up. At least, not like that.
Dominic peeked over at the tray Adam had set down forever and a day ago. He frowned theatrically. “I see I slaved over a hot stove for nothing.” He looked at Adam. “Why don’t we invite our guest to join us downstairs for breakfast? We can discuss strategy.”
Adam hesitated only a moment before agreeing. “If you want to shower and change before you come down, we’ll wait,” he said. “We’ll be in the kitchen, down the stairs and to your right. Just follow the smell of food.”
“I’ll see you in a few,” I said.
I can’t tell you how much better I felt when they left and didn’t lock the door behind them.