Page 26 of The Incubus and the Bodyguard

Her gaze found the man behind the desk first. Silver-haired, sharp-eyed. Scars on the back of his hands.

Power radiated from Yuliy Vissarion like heat from a furnace.

A figure was slowly rising from one of the Chesterfield sofas next to the open fire.

Her step didn’t falter. Her expression didn’t change.

But something inside her went very still.

Vlad’s eyes met hers. Unlike her, he didn’t quite manage to hide his shock.

CHAPTERNINE

For the firsttime in his life, Vlad’s perfect composure nearly cracked.

His mind froze at the sight of Delphine standing in his uncle’s study, the blonde looking as coolly professional in her fitted black suit as she had been passionately wild in his bed mere hours ago.

Instinct had him reaching for his incubus powers to steady himself. The maddening void where his magic should be mocked him instead. His pulse thundered in his ears, his palms growing damp in a way they never had before he’d lost his abilities.

Tarang made a worried sound beside him.

Memories of last night flashed through Vlad’s mind. Little things he’d dismissed at the time now took on new significance. How Delphine had noticed details about his building’s security. The way her gaze had lingered on Tarang’s invisible presence. Her movements when she’d dealt with the drunk at the bar.

“Vlad.” Yuliy’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. “This is Delphine Dubois. She’ll be your new protection detail while Ilya and Milo are out of action. She’s also be assisting us with our investigation. Miss Dubois, this is my nephew, Vlad.”

The protest tearing up Vlad’s throat died on his lips. He knew his uncle had been insistent about the whole bodyguard situation, but this was the last thing he’d expected.

“Mr. Vissarion.” Delphine nodded curtly at him, her tone pure professional courtesy that betrayed nothing of their recent encounter. Her control only served to emphasize how badly he was floundering. She addressed him and Yuliy. “I appreciate you considering me for this position.”

Vlad almost blurted that he’d had nothing to do with it. He took a shallow breath and gained rigid control over his emotions.

He discovered he didn’t want Delphine to gain the upper hand.

Tarang was studying the blonde unblinkingly, as fascinated with her as he had been last night.

“Please, sit.” Yuliy indicated the leather armchairs facing him. “We have much to discuss.”

Vlad forced his feet to move, acutely conscious of Delphine’s presence as he settled into the chair beside her. Her perfume, the same scent that still clung to his sheets, teased his senses. He clenched his jaw.

She crossed her legs, the movement drawing his eye before he caught himself. He looked up and found her watching him with that same intensity she’d shown at the bar last night, except now there was nothing but cool detachment behind it.

Yuliy’s sharp gaze moved between them, like he could sense the underlying tension crackling between them. Gustav stared.

There was a soft knock at the door. It opened to reveal Lena and a tea cart packed with freshly-baked muffins and croissants.

“Miss Dubois comes highly recommended,” Yuliy told Vlad as the housekeeper began serving them a light breakfast. “She’s perfect for this job.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Vissarion,” Delphine said as she accepted a cup of tea from Lena, “I received very little information about this assignment. Even my employer was unusually vague about the details.”

Though her tone remained measured and businesslike, Vlad detected a trace of tension in her shoulders.

Not so calm after all.

The knowledge that he could read her sent a measure of relief through Vlad that made him freeze with his next heartbeat.

Wait. What am I thinking right now? I shouldn’t be giving a damn whether she’s calm or not!

His fingers whitened on his cup. There wasn’t a single good reason for him to be annoyed with the woman sitting beside him. He was positive she’d had no idea who he was when he’d approached her at the bar.

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