Page 51 of When She Tempts (The Fallen)
When mixed with kava-kava, it can induce powerful, hypnotic sleep. Fast acting.
The words stir inside my head. Wait…
I suck in a harsh breath.
Oh my God,this is it. This is how I get that key! I can use this recipe and make Giorgio fall asleep.
I hop out of the armchair and circle the room, a triumphant feeling flourishing inside my chest. Sophia makes a soft bark, eyeing me with a hint of suspicion.
Make the tea, give it to Giorgio, and wait until he falls asleep. I’ll get the key from his pocket, get inside his office, and get my freaking phone. Oh my God. Can it be any more perfect?
The look on his face when he realizes how I’ve outsmarted him? Oh, I am going to be waiting with my camera, ready to take a picture.
A laugh bursts out of me.
Only there’s one problem. How can I get him to drink this tea without making it obvious something is going on?
I halt in the center of the room and adjust the thick book under my arm. This is where I have to be really smart. He can’t suspect foul play.
I spend the rest of the afternoon mulling the problem over. When I get called down for dinner, I still haven’t come up with anything, and my head pulses with frustration as I make it down to the dining room.
I’m so distracted, I’m sure I won’t be able to hold a single conversation at dinner, but when I enter the room, only Giorgio sits at the table.
“Where is everyone?”
His dark gaze lands on me. “I asked them to have their dinner in the staff house.”
My brows pinch together. “Why?”
He rises from his seat and puts a hand on the back of the chair beside him. “I wanted to give you some space after the past few days. I know it can be a lot to be around new people every meal.” He drags the chair out and motions for me to have a seat.
A tiny flutter appears in my belly. I ignore it and sit down beside him.
“It’s fine. You didn’t need to do that.”
He pushes my chair in. “They don’t mind.”
When his hand accidentally brushes my shoulder, sparks crackle against my skin. We’re about to have dinner, alone.
In an alternate universe, this could have been a date. I’ve been on a few dates before— Well, more like I thought we were just hanging out as friends, but the guys I was with clearly had something else in mind.
How the tables have turned.
Giorgio’s changed into a simple button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves. My eyes trace the thick veins that snake up his forearms, and I get a sudden urge to run my fingertips over them. Instead, I curl my hands into fists and press them into my lap.
The air around us grows heavy with silence.
He breaks it first. “I shouldn’t have pushed you as hard as I did after last night,” he says gruffly as he places a napkin over his lap.
Oh.I wasn’t expecting that.
“It’s fine.”
He slides his palm over his chin. “Did you have a good time in the garden?”
“I didn’t go. It was too wet. I stayed in the library.”
“Ah.” I think I see his lips give a small twitch before he reaches over and removes the domed lids off the plates in front of us.
