Page 9 of Control's Undoing

“Trop bien,” Xavier murmured when they reached the top, though Annie didn’t understand his enthusiasm.

Like the office below, this larger room was in need of a thorough cleaning, something she suspected didn’t—or couldn’t—happen often, given the fact every flat surface was occupied with stacks of papers, old maps, ancient books, and a variety of task lamps, as well as clear tool cases.It looked like an artist’s workshop, or the restoration room in a museum, though a bit more cluttered and dustier than any museum would allow.

One table had bookbinding equipment, and she was pretty sure the box filled with white plastic bottles and a case of cotton buds was for varnish restoration.Shallow plastic bins were stacked together, and a table near the front window had a large magnifying glass and round task light bolted to the side, both on adjustable spring arms.

There was a large antique desk in one corner containing a computer with double monitors.It was also cluttered with an assortment of magnifying glasses, several empty teacups, an overstuffed jar of pens, and—at last—a personal item, which in this case was a small, framed photograph of a woman with curly red hair, freckles, large-framed glasses, and the warmest, most joyful smile Annie had ever seen.She didn’t know who the woman was, but Annie knew she’d like her.

“Will ye have some tea?”Colum asked, his first genuine attempt at social niceties.

Annie wasn’t much of a tea drinker, strong coffee her chosen hot beverage, but she wasn’t going to turn down a jolt of caffeine.“That would be very nice, Colum.Thank you.”

“Milk,” Colum said.

It wasn’t until she replied, “Black is just fine,” and Colum crinkled his nose, that Annie realized he hadn’t been asking how she wanted it.Apparently “black” was doing it wrong.

When he turned to the other man, Xavier shook his head.“No, thank you.I had good coffee this morning.”

Had he put a slight emphasis on the word “good?”

Colum escaped up another staircase and she heard the sound of running water, then the clinking of cups.It would take Colum a few minutes to boil the water.

Annie turned to Xavier, looking him up and down once more.His attitude hovered just this side of “asshole,” but he got away with it because he was hot.She cocked her head, trying to pinpoint why he was hot, besides the obvious.Annie was good at figuring people out fast, and she settled on Xavier’s hotness being a dark academia vibe.He was the kind of man who was vaguely insulting, until he cornered you in a library, pushed you against the shelves, and told you how desperately he loved you, using beautiful poetic words even as he touched you in unspeakably filthy ways.

Whoa.Okay, she needed to get laid.Not that she was wrong about Xavier.She was nearly one hundred percent sure she was right, but the way her body reacted to that mental image told her the dry spell had to stop.

Xavier’s lips twitched sardonically as he slowly looked her over as if he could hear her thoughts.

Colum returned, carrying two steaming mugs.

She took the one he offered her with a smile, then she walked over to a seating area in a large alcove made by the stairwell and sat on an overstuffed couch—which was surprisingly free of clutter.

Xavier followed suit, claiming a wingback chair, as Colum remained standing, holding his mug.

Annie patted the spot next to her on the couch.“You can sit with me, Colum.”

He nodded, slowly crossing the room to join her, clinging almost comically to the far side of the couch, placing as much distance between them as possible.He took a sip of his tea, though she suspected it wasn’t thirst driving that action as much as he was stalling.

“You’re American,” Xavier said after an awkwardly long silence.

Annie nodded.

“A member of the Trinity Masters?”Xavier asked her, in an attempt to get the ball rolling.

She nodded again.“You’ve heard of them?”

“Oui.”

A quick glance at Colum confirmed he also appeared to know about them.“Looks like I’m the only one in the dark,” she confessed.“I just found out about the Masters’ Admiralty when the Grand Master asked me to travel here.Though I suppose it makes sense there would be a similar society on this side of the ocean.”

“Our society is considerably older than yours,” Xavier pointed out.

“I’m sure it is.I’m assuming the societies have a similar setup?A Grand Master with counselors?”

Xavier shook his head.“No.Our society is made up of autonomous territories.”

“Territories?”Annie asked.“You mean countries?”

Xavier drew in a breath, and she got the impression he was annoyed by her questions.He looked at Colum, who blinked a few times.

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