Steamed by Katie MacAlister Page B

end the Moghul empire.”
    He made a wry face. “I think there’s probably more to it than that.”
    “What do you mean?” I asked quickly.
    “Just that there are usually two sides to every story, and I like to hear them both before making an opinion.” His eyes, so oddly mismatched, and yet able to stir me right down to my soul, watched me with mild curiosity.
    I was silent for a few minutes, not wanting to dwell on the direction my thoughts were headed. “I will have to smuggle you off the Tesla somehow. I see no other answer to this situation.”
    “What will happen if your buddy’s men find out?”
    I examined my fingertips. “The emperor has been beleaguered of late by spies sent by the Black Hand. He has decreed that anyone found guilty of a charge of espionage be executed with all due haste.”
    “Good God,” Jack exclaimed. “You don’t mean to say he’d kill you if they found out Hallie and I were on board?”
    “I have no doubt I would be charged as a spy,” I answered, rubbing a slight spot on one of my fingernails.
    “But the emperor is a friend of yours. A . . . er . . . former boyfriend?”
    He was fishing for that bit of information, but I let it go. Enough people knew that particular truth to keep me from spending an undue amount of energy to hide it.
    “The laws are quite clear. My relationship with William was long in the past, and would have no bearing on any action taken in the present. If I was found guilty of being a spy, I would be executed.”
    “I’m sorry,” he said after a minute of silence.
    I glanced up to find his expression earnest.
    “I’m sorry that I’ve put you in such a bind. You seem like a nice woman, Octavia. I don’t regret at all having the opportunity to meet you, but I regret that our being here has messed things up for you.”
    Several responses ran through my mind at that moment: I could tell him that it was all right (but it wasn’t); I could say that he wasn’t to worry or be concerned (but he should do both); I could simply say that we would cope (how?), but what came out of my mouth was something completely different. “I refuse to be attracted to you,” I said, leaning forward toward him. “You can be just as charming as you like, but it will mean nothing to me. Nothing.”
    His eyes widened with mirth as I realized what I had said. I fought the simultaneous urge to cover my mouth in horror and run away in embarrassment.
    “I find myself in the position of apologizing to you a second time,” I said stiffly, wishing for a moment that I was a thousand miles away. “I assure you that I do not normally speak so unguardedly or rudely, even to strangers.”
    “I’m glad you did. It takes a lot of strain off of me. You have no idea how daunting it is to try to determine if a woman is interested in you without stepping into sexual harassment territory. I was wondering how I was going to do it with you all buttoned up and repressed.”
    “I am not repressed,” I said, standing. “Not that I intend to discuss the subject with you any further. I apologize for my unwarranted comments, but let that be the end of it. If you will excuse me, I must consult with Mr. Mowen about possible ways we might hide your sister and you from the authorities when we land.”
    He followed me as I went to the door. I gave him a stern look that he met with an insouciant grin. “You’re not going to just let me wander around alone, are you? Not a notorious airship pirate like me? I could do any number of dangerous things if I wasn’t under your eye.”
    “You are not in the least bit subtle,” I said, my hand on the doorknob.
    “I always thought subtle was boring,” he said, moving closer. “I may get slapped for this, but what the hell. You only live once, right?”
    Before I could ask him what he was talking about, he put his hands on my hips and pulled me into a loose embrace.
    “What do you think you’re doing?” I asked, then damned myself for such an inane