Page 30 of Goblins Don't Count
“Oh, right,” I said, and handed over the card. “Actually, I never paid Clarinda.”
He dropped the card. His green skin was so startling against all the purple of my dress. “The card is yours to keep. May I hold your hand?”
“I can’t keep your card.” I frowned down at his hand, waiting for me without the slightest twitch. His hand was steady. I slowly put my hand on his, and then his fingers curled, swallowing my skin under his.
“You can. I know that you’re Lady Justice, but try to take as much advantage of your position as possible.”
“I am. That’s why we’re in a big glossy car going to a gala, so I can interview the rich and powerful about the two deaths no one wants to call murder.”
“But you could also buy things.”
“I don’t like shopping.”
“You could use a new car.”
“I like my old one.”
“A new taser.” He looked at me long enough to raise a brow before he returned his attention to the window.
“I’ll let you buy one for my birthday. Why do you keep looking out the window? Do you not like looking at me?” I was starting to feel self-conscious about it.
He sighed heavily and then tucked my hand in both of his. “I am concentrating.”
“On what?”
“On not eating your dress.”
I snickered. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“But holding my hand doesn’t make you want to eat my dress?”
“No. It distracts me from the dress.”
I frowned at our hands, his completely covering mine. He wanted my dress, but happily, touching me reminded him that he could resist. Delightful. It was time to stop thinking about dating in all its futility and get my mind back on work.
Someone had broken into two locked offices without doing any damage to the doors or the locks, and shot two people without anyone hearing anything. One had a suicide note, the other had nothing. Who would gain from outing the late senator as corrupt? And getting him out of the way before the next election came up? What part did the judge play in all of that?
How were the judge and the representative connected? I hadn’t found any crossover in their personal lives. They worked in completely different branches of the government. They’d known each other, seen each other at events like the governor’s ball, but how could their deaths be linked?
“We’re here. Are we going to dance?”
I shot Sashimi an alarmed look. “Dance?”
“Yes. It’s a ball. People dance at balls, in between interrogating the guests.”
I frowned at him and chewed on my bottom lip. “My dancing is dangerous.”
“Perfect. We’ll have at least three. One at the beginning, one in the middle, and one right before we leave.” He slid out of the car and helped me out, still holding onto my hand. I let him tuck it into his arm and lead me up the broad steps.
“Seriously, you don’t want to dance with me,” I hissed while trying to look pleasant and normal, and not like a purple nun. People kept giving us double-takes. Most of those were aimed at the goblin beside me.
“Seriously, it is necessary to dance at a ball. It’s either that or eat your dress.” He gave me a demure smile, closed-mouth so I didn’t see his sharp teeth.
“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I would never. And don’t say that I didn’t warn you, although it was already too late.”
