Page 70 of Research with Rivals
“I’m aware.”
I licked my lips and tried to think of a way to explain it to him. To make him understand the risks he seemed determined to avoid. But the way he tracked my tongue sent a different heat flooding me.
This was out of control. I had to make him see. “Last time we didn’t know the risks, we ended up magically bound.”
“Not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me by far,” he mumbled.
His entire life was structured around avoiding risk. I couldn’t let him do this. We would find another way. “You only think that because of the magic.”
He laughed. Actually laughed, but it wasn’t carefree and full of mirth. “Evelyn”—he shook his head—“let’s stop pretending the blood magic can alter our emotions.”
I wasn’t breathing. Had he said what I thought he said?
His fingers were in the auburn strands of his hair as he continued. “You know it as well as I do. The magic may be inconvenient. It may be uncomfortable when we separate. It may force us to spend time together, but neither of ourintentions involved manipulating emotions. I don’t even think blood magic could do such a thing.”
Ambrose must have mistaken my incredulity for fear. He stepped forward again and reached for me. Then he must have realized that wasn’t something we usually did, and let his hand drop to his side.
“I didn’t think you knew,” I breathed.
“Knew what? Knew that this magic has been awkward, distracting, and a million other things, but that I’m thankful for every moment we’ve had together? Or that I’ve been studying you for weeks, but I loved every new fact and facet of you I’ve learned from this connection?” His last words came out in almost a whisper. “I’m not sure I would have discovered them otherwise.”
A smile tipped his lip, and he continued. “Like knowing that you prefer vegetables to meat, and I am sure that it comes from your belief that blood-magic-grown plants can sustain the continent?”
Something wet hit my cheek, breaking me from my stupor.
“Or that when your hair is braided, that means you’re in battle armor, and you’re expecting a fight.”
I laughed, but it was watery. “I wear my hair in a braid to the library every day.”
“Exactly,” he said.
Was I crying? How could he have cataloged such things? Then his face got more pensive.
“Or the lengths you’ll go to not to burden others, not to make your problems their problems, even though I know for a fact your friends are trying to rid you of that habit.” He’d stepped even closer. His long fingers wrapped around my shoulders slowly—so slowly—like he was giving me every moment to get away.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, unsure why I was hot and cold at the same time.
He tilted his head in a way that had once made him look condescending but was now a teasing question all its own. A silentyou know why.
“If you knew that the magic wasn’t affecting our emotions, then why did you stop us last night?” I asked. He’d known, and he’d still said no. It was his right, of course. I just couldn’t reconcile it with what I thought he was saying now.
“I didn’t thinkyouknew,” he said on a sigh. “But of course you did. I’m sure you figured it out before I did. You didn’t want to burden me with the knowledge.”
The hint of what I’d previously thought was exasperation was now drenched in fondness—something I never would have learned about him without our magical connection. If I hadn’t seen the way he spoke to his siblings. If I hadn’t understood the way he teased them.
“I’d very much like to kiss you again, if we have all of that cleared up,” I said.
His smile was broad, lighting up the room even though it was pitch black outside. “If I’m going to touch you, which I also would very much like to do, I think you should explore our connection again first.”
I let my head hang in mock exasperation. “It’s always work first with you.”
His smirk was sinful, a look I’d never expected to see on the serious researcher’s face. “I believe strongly in a work-and-reward system. Let’s do at least one test, see if you can get comfortable enough to tell Lord Arctos and … the Vesten Point something more concrete tomorrow.”
He stumbled over the titleVesten Point, like he wasn’t sure he liked it. I knew him to be one of Carter’s biggest fans, and Iwas sure he’d be even more so when we discussed what Carter had shared about the tree—about how the position was chosen.
I was about to tell him, had opened my mouth to do so, when his hand slid from my shoulder to my sternum. My skin heated with every inch he crossed. I could tell him later. Now, I needed to focus on this. The heat from his palm felt like we’d arrived at the reward without having done any of the work.
But that was the beauty of doing what I loved for work. It never felt like a chore.
