Page 186 of A Tribute of Fire

Jason held out his hand, offering it to me.

With no hesitation I laced my fingers with his. “Yes.”

I was ready to follow wherever he wanted to go if it meant I would get to be with him.

Ignoring the warning voice in my head, I let him lead me away.

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

His palm was warm and calloused and the act of holding his hand felt intimate. I liked how it connected us.

I didn’t have long to enjoy the feeling, though, because we didn’t go far. He led me just across the alley to a door in a small building.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. Let’s find out,” he said. He released my hand and I curled my fingers in so that I wouldn’t reach for him again.

He began lifting nearby vases, and under one he found a key. I shook my head. If only things had been that easy for me with finding the treasury key. He put it into the lock and I heard the click. He pushed the door open.

Despite it being bright outside, the main room was darkened. It was a small home that had curtains drawn over the windows. “How did you know this would be empty?” I asked as he walked inside.

“An educated guess. They close this neighborhood down for the festival and the residents leave.”

I knew that, but it didn’t mean everyone followed the rules and vacated. “Isn’t this trespassing?”

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” he said.

“We’re still breaking into someone’s home.”

“You’ve never had a problem breaking into places you’re not supposed to before,” he said, cajoling me to step inside.

He was impossible to resist. I entered and looked around. It didn’t have a second floor, and so everything was in this main room. A table and two chairs, a fireplace for cooking, pots and pans hung up on the wall.

And one massive bed in the corner that seemed to draw my eye no matter where else I tried to look.

My heart thudded quickly. It got worse when Jason shut the door and I heard the lock click into place.

We were completely, utterly alone. We wouldn’t be disturbed. I could stay here for the rest of the night and no one would know. My body ached with that knowledge.

He’d never had a problem with kissing me passionately in public places. What would it be like in private?

Where no one could accidentally interrupt us?

“Were you planning this?” I asked him, feeling a little apprehensive.

“How could I?” he said with a small smile, putting the key on the table. “I didn’t know that you would find me tonight. I make things up as I go along.”

His reassurance eased the knot that had been forming in my chest. “I’m the same way.”

“I know.” He seemed to fill all of the space, his broad shoulders and muscled arms blocking everything else out. Even if he had planned to bring me here, I didn’t think I would have minded.

“Have I mentioned how much I like your green tunic?” he asked. “You look beautiful in it.”

“I don’t,” I responded, immediately rejecting his words. I’d compared myself against Chryseis and found myself utterly lacking. I wasn’t beautiful. Not like she was.

“You do,” he insisted. “So much so that I’m having a hard time restraining myself.”

“From what?”

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