your help. I’m asking for a few minutes. Nothing more." His member relented, and he sighed in relief. He'd dreaded walking into his aunt's house with a hard-on.
"Very well." She accepted a servant's arm and alighted to the lawn.
When he stepped out, he gave her his arm. The second her hand landed on his sleeve, a bolt of electricity jolted him. She stiffened and sucked air between her teeth. They both turned simultaneously toward the ghost of a moon in the blue, late-morning sky.
If he never saw her again, she'd haunt him for the rest of his life. He couldn't let that happen.
She cut her gaze his way, a knowing in her glance.
Had he ruined any chance for them? I'm a fool . She was a lady and a truly fine person. Rather than courting her properly, he'd disrespected her at every opportunity. He'd treated her like a passing diversion. How would he fix this? Could he? Jorge held the garden door open for her, and she preceded him into the morning room.
Chapter Five
Just inside, she let go of his arm and hung near the door. "You're mistaken in your brother's character." Sadness rumpled her brow and softened her large eyes .
"What do you know of Youel?" A shiver ran up his neck and into his hair. He fisted his hands.
" H e treated my friend abominably, and he had ill intentions in terms of Rift. Intentions that would've harmed my family and me had he succeeded." Her chin lifted a full inch.
"You know nothing." He grabbed her wrist to keep her near.
She put cool fingertips to the back of his clutching hand. " I'm not blind ." She met his stare, but hers held tenderness. "Do you think I could live in Rift among our nobility and not realize ? I'd have to be a simpleton."
His angry heart lost some of its heat. " Y ou're certainly no ninny." How much did she understand?
"I know who you are, Jorge. What you are. I won't help you seek revenge on a brother who'd have stabbed you in the back had you tried to prevent his plan. He was ambitious in the worst way."
He shook his head, though a suspicion of truth in her statements pierced him in the chest. "No. You're wrong." He fought pain, sinking teeth into his lips.
"You're so unlike him."
"Don't say that. I practically raised him. We're the same, he and I. After my parents died, we struggled on our own nearly a year before my uncle gave us a home. Youel wasn't bad."
"He was."
The pain twisted, squeezing fingers around his heart. " Any badness in him was my fault." His knees threatened to crumple. Jorge released Yasmine as if she'd singed him. He stood straighter and retreated a step. "I won't believe it."
"You must. To believe a lie is foolish, and you're not a fool. He murdered innocents, using their deaths to lure the men he truly sought to kill. He craved power, and nothing stood in his way that he wouldn't have fought unto death to remove."
"Is that what you're saying happened?"
She closed the distance he'd created, and tenderly touched his face. "Don't take my word . Will you please hear this from someone who was there?"
His staunch defense melted under her gentle affection. Nobody had looked at him, touched him as she did now. She genuinely cared, and it rocked his flawed foundation. "Who, Yasmine? Who will tell me the truth? Who witnessed my brother's death and would be willing to tell me everything?"
"I would." His aunt stood in the solarium's doorway. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly turned a silver wolf's-head pendant at the end of a chain necklace. "I see Yasmine has prepared you well. Come. You're ready to listen to the truth." She turned, her ample hips filling the opening before she retreated into the depths of the mansion.
Jorge's stomach dropped. "Is that what you've been doing? Preparing me? Playing hard to get so I'd give chase? So I'd give you a chance to soften my resolve?" He barked a cynical laugh while his blood changed to acid. "And to think, all this time I thought I was using you to get close to Malveaux."
"What?" She stumbled a
"Very well." She accepted a servant's arm and alighted to the lawn.
When he stepped out, he gave her his arm. The second her hand landed on his sleeve, a bolt of electricity jolted him. She stiffened and sucked air between her teeth. They both turned simultaneously toward the ghost of a moon in the blue, late-morning sky.
If he never saw her again, she'd haunt him for the rest of his life. He couldn't let that happen.
She cut her gaze his way, a knowing in her glance.
Had he ruined any chance for them? I'm a fool . She was a lady and a truly fine person. Rather than courting her properly, he'd disrespected her at every opportunity. He'd treated her like a passing diversion. How would he fix this? Could he? Jorge held the garden door open for her, and she preceded him into the morning room.
Chapter Five
Just inside, she let go of his arm and hung near the door. "You're mistaken in your brother's character." Sadness rumpled her brow and softened her large eyes .
"What do you know of Youel?" A shiver ran up his neck and into his hair. He fisted his hands.
" H e treated my friend abominably, and he had ill intentions in terms of Rift. Intentions that would've harmed my family and me had he succeeded." Her chin lifted a full inch.
"You know nothing." He grabbed her wrist to keep her near.
She put cool fingertips to the back of his clutching hand. " I'm not blind ." She met his stare, but hers held tenderness. "Do you think I could live in Rift among our nobility and not realize ? I'd have to be a simpleton."
His angry heart lost some of its heat. " Y ou're certainly no ninny." How much did she understand?
"I know who you are, Jorge. What you are. I won't help you seek revenge on a brother who'd have stabbed you in the back had you tried to prevent his plan. He was ambitious in the worst way."
He shook his head, though a suspicion of truth in her statements pierced him in the chest. "No. You're wrong." He fought pain, sinking teeth into his lips.
"You're so unlike him."
"Don't say that. I practically raised him. We're the same, he and I. After my parents died, we struggled on our own nearly a year before my uncle gave us a home. Youel wasn't bad."
"He was."
The pain twisted, squeezing fingers around his heart. " Any badness in him was my fault." His knees threatened to crumple. Jorge released Yasmine as if she'd singed him. He stood straighter and retreated a step. "I won't believe it."
"You must. To believe a lie is foolish, and you're not a fool. He murdered innocents, using their deaths to lure the men he truly sought to kill. He craved power, and nothing stood in his way that he wouldn't have fought unto death to remove."
"Is that what you're saying happened?"
She closed the distance he'd created, and tenderly touched his face. "Don't take my word . Will you please hear this from someone who was there?"
His staunch defense melted under her gentle affection. Nobody had looked at him, touched him as she did now. She genuinely cared, and it rocked his flawed foundation. "Who, Yasmine? Who will tell me the truth? Who witnessed my brother's death and would be willing to tell me everything?"
"I would." His aunt stood in the solarium's doorway. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly turned a silver wolf's-head pendant at the end of a chain necklace. "I see Yasmine has prepared you well. Come. You're ready to listen to the truth." She turned, her ample hips filling the opening before she retreated into the depths of the mansion.
Jorge's stomach dropped. "Is that what you've been doing? Preparing me? Playing hard to get so I'd give chase? So I'd give you a chance to soften my resolve?" He barked a cynical laugh while his blood changed to acid. "And to think, all this time I thought I was using you to get close to Malveaux."
"What?" She stumbled a
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