Page 30 of A Shade Too Far
He didn’t make excuses or try to justify himself. It was a true apology.
I reached for his head but stopped shy of touching him. We didn’t have the kind of relationship where I could sink my fingers into his curls and tell him he was forgiven. “Thank you and I’m sorry for throwing a pen at your head.” I paused. “And the mean things I wrote about you.”
“Did I warrant a list?” He laughed.
“You better believe it. Mazel tov.”
“Quelle horreur.” He moved at the same moment that I stretched out my leg to shove my foot in my sandal, resulting in his hand brushing up the back of my bare calf.
I froze and Laurent lifted his head up.
The space between us felt prickly, but in a good way, like it was waking me up, while the faint trace of cedar that always clung to him wove around me, drawing me closer. I leaned forward, unable to resist its lure. I didn’t want his apology.
A hot spark flared in his eyes, his hand warm against my skin. He splayed his fingers out, making the tiniest stroking motion.
A strangled moan came out of the back of my throat, and mortified, I clapped my hand over my mouth.
Watching me through half-shut lids, he danced his hand higher.
My breath hitched.
Behind us a window slammed, and he jerked away, staring at his hand for a second before abruptly dropping it.
The sensation of the press of his fingers on my calf was fading, and I wished I could capture it, or better still, have him touch me again. “Laurent?”
He took a deep breath like he was steadying himself and sat back on his calves. “You had a bug.”
“Huh?” I patted down my arms and chest but didn’t find one.
“On your…” He skimmed his hand lightly against the back of my leg, his eyes tracking the line of his movement.
“Oh.” I ducked my head so he didn’t see my confusion.
Laurent slowly pushed to his feet. “I’ll go retrieve the golem and then we will go speak with Nav. Attends ici, d’accord?” He raked his hand through his hair. “I mean—”
“I got it.” I clenched my thighs against the roughness of his voice. “I’ll wait, but I’m going to contact Zev. He can end this.”
“He won’t. Not even for Tatiana.”
I slid on my sandals. “Do you know the deal between them?”
“Many theories, no actual idea. Be back soon.”
I watched him leave, torn between reluctance and relief.
Okay, there seemed to be mutual attraction, but that didn’t mean either of us would act on it, especially if Laurent had resorted to using bug excuses instead of admitting it. It didn’t mean we wouldn’t either. Besides, getting involved with Laurent, even for sex, would be heady, but possibly overwhelming since he operated at such an intense level for everything.
I trailed my fingers over the goosebumps on my arms. What would it be like to be laid utterly bare for him to worship me? If he was game, could I keep that kind of carnal encounter emotion-free when we were already so tangled up in different ways? After all the upheaval in my life lately, I’d chosen to put relationships on hold. Laurent didn’t seem like he was in a place in his life for that either, but I had a lot of doubts about us pulling off friends with benefits.
Regardless, any decisions around our sexual tension had to wait until we dealt with the Pulsa diNura. I pulled out my phone to research it, but the few results merely reinforced what Tatiana had told me about Prime Minister Rabin and the popularity of the curse, especially toward Israeli politicians.
I dove deeper, going into the Ohrist forums on the dark web that I’d found when stocking up on some weapons a while back. Sentiment on those boards was torn between the belief that the curse was a hoax and that anyone slapped with it was doomed. Overall, there was little discussion on the topic, with no mention of either anyone specializing in carrying out the threat or how to neutralize it.
My librarian colleague hadn’t gotten back to me yet, so I contacted Harry, a gargoyle bartender, to set up a meeting with Zev. Gargoyles were treated as neutral parties in the magical community, and provided you used one as an intermediary, you wouldn’t get hurt. Neither would the gargoyle, lest the attacker wanted to experience swift and lethal repercussions as gargoyles were an endangered species. Harry was the latest to hold that position.
He agreed to arrange it, adding that at this rate, he should get me a punch card. With every ten meetings get a free coffee. It would be filled in no time. He wasn’t wrong. Geez. What did that say about my life?
“Miriam?” Tatiana’s assistant Marjorie sat down beside me once I’d wrapped up the call. Fresh faced and dressed in a cute romper, she looked like she’d be equally at home on a college brochure or a trendy makeup ad. In comparison, I felt like I should be in the woods, leaning on my cane and holding out a poisoned apple. “Am I interrupting?”
