aroma of fresh coffee in the air told her he either wasn’t far away or was intending to come back.
Wrapping her arms around herself, the gentle breeze ruffling her dress, she hovered awkwardly before heading over to the terrace.
There was no sign of him out there either.
She headed back inside and perched on the sofa, only to stand again as he appeared down the hallway that mirrored Jake’s.
With only a swift glance in her direction, he stepped behind the bar. He emerged moments later with a glass tumbler of amber liquid in one hand and a mug in the other. Stepping up to her, he handed her the coffee. ‘You look like you need this.’
She looked distrustfully at the contents then back into his sullen green eyes.
‘Don’t worry, I haven’t drugged it,’ he said. ‘As you’ve seen, I’m not that subtle.’
She accepted it, the heat making her hands tingle.
‘Come with me,’ he said, and turned back the way he had come.
Chapter Nine
L eila remained warily rooted to the spot for a moment. But reminding herself to be acquiescent, she followed him down the hall.
Reaching the end and opening the only door on the right-hand side, Caleb indicated for her to enter first.
Leila snapped back a breath as she stepped inside. The room had to be at least thirty-by-fifty foot. Three out of the four walls were masked floor to ceiling with bookcases, housing the largest collection of books she had ever seen outside of the library.
Void of any artificial light, the expanse was ignited by an amber blush from the roaring fire set in the bookless wall to her right; a warm glow that mingled with moonlight from the two tall segregated sash windows ahead. Facing the window directly in front of her was a winged-back armchair, its forest green and gold fabric complementing the heavily embossed drapes that pooled in excess on the polished dark-wood floor.
Another winged-back chair sat beside the fire, facing a double sofa with its back to Leila. Central to that wall and beside the fireplace was an ajar door, darkness looming from within, another bookcase on the far side of it. A lengthy mahogany table, accompanied by two chairs, sat in the distance to her left.
She looked up at the ceiling, spellbound for a moment by the intricacy of what was clearly the original plaster coving of the building, two ceiling roses encircling the black chandeliers. The musty scent of books and leather mingled with the aroma of burning wood filled the room.
Leila glanced nervously over her shoulder as Caleb closed the door behind them, stepped over to the fire and placed his drink on the ornate mahogany mantelpiece.
‘Take a seat,’ he said, the fire clearly for her benefit and doubtlessly the primary reason he’d led her to the room.
As he disappeared through the dark doorway, she hesitated for a moment before perching central on the sofa. She leaned forward and craned her neck so as to peer into the room now ignited by a faint, distant glow. A heavy drawn-back curtain hung over the solitary sash window to the left, partially covering the window seat. Beside the window was a large, broad chest of drawers. A black metal bed seemed to sit against the wall directly ahead of the door, an ornate brass orb marking the corner. Aside from that, all she could see were the bedcovers, the same rich navy as the curtains.
She pressed her knees together, grateful for the tingling heat already encompassing her feet and shins as she tucked her slightly in-turned feet into the warm tufts of the deep-pile rug. She took a sip of her hot drink, grateful for the added warmth sliding down her throat. The coffee was sweet, the kind of sweetness that was given to assist someone after shock.
Caleb emerged minutes later, his blood-smattered grey shirt removed. In its place he wore a black one which he’d left unfastened, displaying every honed, hardened muscle of his bare chest. She could now see the tattoo that coiled around his neck was the aggressive upward
Wrapping her arms around herself, the gentle breeze ruffling her dress, she hovered awkwardly before heading over to the terrace.
There was no sign of him out there either.
She headed back inside and perched on the sofa, only to stand again as he appeared down the hallway that mirrored Jake’s.
With only a swift glance in her direction, he stepped behind the bar. He emerged moments later with a glass tumbler of amber liquid in one hand and a mug in the other. Stepping up to her, he handed her the coffee. ‘You look like you need this.’
She looked distrustfully at the contents then back into his sullen green eyes.
‘Don’t worry, I haven’t drugged it,’ he said. ‘As you’ve seen, I’m not that subtle.’
She accepted it, the heat making her hands tingle.
‘Come with me,’ he said, and turned back the way he had come.
Chapter Nine
L eila remained warily rooted to the spot for a moment. But reminding herself to be acquiescent, she followed him down the hall.
Reaching the end and opening the only door on the right-hand side, Caleb indicated for her to enter first.
Leila snapped back a breath as she stepped inside. The room had to be at least thirty-by-fifty foot. Three out of the four walls were masked floor to ceiling with bookcases, housing the largest collection of books she had ever seen outside of the library.
Void of any artificial light, the expanse was ignited by an amber blush from the roaring fire set in the bookless wall to her right; a warm glow that mingled with moonlight from the two tall segregated sash windows ahead. Facing the window directly in front of her was a winged-back armchair, its forest green and gold fabric complementing the heavily embossed drapes that pooled in excess on the polished dark-wood floor.
Another winged-back chair sat beside the fire, facing a double sofa with its back to Leila. Central to that wall and beside the fireplace was an ajar door, darkness looming from within, another bookcase on the far side of it. A lengthy mahogany table, accompanied by two chairs, sat in the distance to her left.
She looked up at the ceiling, spellbound for a moment by the intricacy of what was clearly the original plaster coving of the building, two ceiling roses encircling the black chandeliers. The musty scent of books and leather mingled with the aroma of burning wood filled the room.
Leila glanced nervously over her shoulder as Caleb closed the door behind them, stepped over to the fire and placed his drink on the ornate mahogany mantelpiece.
‘Take a seat,’ he said, the fire clearly for her benefit and doubtlessly the primary reason he’d led her to the room.
As he disappeared through the dark doorway, she hesitated for a moment before perching central on the sofa. She leaned forward and craned her neck so as to peer into the room now ignited by a faint, distant glow. A heavy drawn-back curtain hung over the solitary sash window to the left, partially covering the window seat. Beside the window was a large, broad chest of drawers. A black metal bed seemed to sit against the wall directly ahead of the door, an ornate brass orb marking the corner. Aside from that, all she could see were the bedcovers, the same rich navy as the curtains.
She pressed her knees together, grateful for the tingling heat already encompassing her feet and shins as she tucked her slightly in-turned feet into the warm tufts of the deep-pile rug. She took a sip of her hot drink, grateful for the added warmth sliding down her throat. The coffee was sweet, the kind of sweetness that was given to assist someone after shock.
Caleb emerged minutes later, his blood-smattered grey shirt removed. In its place he wore a black one which he’d left unfastened, displaying every honed, hardened muscle of his bare chest. She could now see the tattoo that coiled around his neck was the aggressive upward
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