by Lexie Ray
“Fair enough.”
“Now back to Mads being sloshed,” Dwayne said with eagerness.
Even though Mads had opened the conversation, Jai picked his words very carefully. “It turns out that Mads likes to teach people things when he’s drunk.”
“Teach people?” Jamie pressed.
“He taught the bartender how to throw the bottles about when making a drink.”
“Mads does bar tricks,” Dwayne whispered happily.
“He also taught someone how to fold penguins out of towels, another how to properly tune their violin, and educated most of the bar on the proper steps of a traditional waltz. And tango. And something that looked like it belonged in Pride and Prejudice.”
“The Regency era,” Malcolm helpfully supplied.
“It was an interesting and informative night.”
“Jai was a most capable student. I am certain that he remembers most of the steps.”
Jai instantly looked for some kind of diversion. While the change might have been subtle, Mads’ mood had finally improved. He didn’t want to be the one that broke it, but he also didn’t want to be the center of attention any longer than he had to.
“I don’t have a partner,” Jai finally decided on. “And you kind of need one for a waltz.”
Mads didn’t miss a beat. “Natalie is quite skilled at the waltz. I am certain that she would make the most excellent partner.”
It took Jai a few heartbeats to catch onto why Mads was being so persistent. Mads was observant, and Malcolm was not subtle. Neither was Natalie, with her distaste for the company. Of course, saying anything about his behavior directly would be rude. But giving her a means of escape via a dance was forgivable.
“Okay,” Jai said as he put his book on the coffee table and stood up. He met Natalie’s carefully schooled expression. “If you want to, that is.”
“Yes,” came the instant reply. She stood up so fast that she almost smacked Malcolm in the jaw. “I could never deprive someone of bettering their education, whatever the field.”
“Splendid. Jamie, Filip, would you be so kind as to move the furniture back?”
It didn’t take long to clear a space within the ring of warmth that the fire offered. The others moved back as Natalie neared and settled into the shifted furniture. It didn’t help ease the sensation of feeling like a show. Mads began to play once again, the notes complicated but sweet, and Jai took the cue to bow to his partner. After a moment of hesitation, Natalie returned the gesture with a curtsy.
The music swelled, and they drew closer to each other. As they took their positions, Jai discovered that the back of her dress dipped slightly, exposing a patch of skin just over her shoulder blade. It left the palm of his hand against the slightly chilled material of her dress and his fingers against her scorching skin. It was distracting, and taking her hand didn’t help to steel his nerve.
Jai was suddenly very grateful that this style of the waltz left enough room between them to fit a third person. But he hadn’t accounted for their similar heights. All the people he had gotten to practice with in the past were either taller than him or shorter. Natalie’s slight heels put them on the exact same level, making eye contact unavoidable. It added an intimacy that Jai wasn’t prepared for.
It was a blessing when the beat finally caught up and they could begin to dance. The box step was an easy enough movement to fall into, although he had forgotten about the rise and fall. Natalie easily reminded him. The biggest surprise was how easily Natalie let him take the lead. She followed him around the room, her grace and expertise easily disguising Jai’s missteps until he got back into the rhythm.
They spun across the cleared space, the piano’s song rolling off the walls and filling the room. Beyond that, the rest of the world had fallen away. Jai couldn’t hear the others and couldn’t look away from Natalie’s hypnotic gaze long enough to look for them. It was growing harder to keep his mind focused on any kind of reality beyond them, the waltz, and the twinkling keys.
“Was I not supposed to bow?” His sudden question startled him more than it did her. He found it slightly comforting to know that no one else would hear the outburst. “Mads taught me to bow.”
“You are. You surprised me, is all.” A few seconds passed before she broke the silence. “You did so very well.”
“Thanks. It took me thirty minutes of practice before Mads was satisfied with it.”
“I must confess that I am jealous,” she said. “He tutored me ruthlessly for days until he deemed my curtsy passable.”
Jai chuckled. “That sounds like him.”
“Jai,” she sighed.
“Natalie,” he said in a matching tone.
“Must I again remind you of our situation?”
Jai laughed. He couldn’t help it, even when he saw anger flare across Natalie’s face.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because this is either hilarious or insulting,” he said as he calmed himself down. “Either you believe that you’re so completely irresistible that I can’t possibly leave you alone, or you think that I’m the kind of guy that doesn’t understand that women have opinions that should be taken seriously.”
“You are right. That does sound insulting to one of us.”
“I would like to think that it’s you.”
Natalie glanced at Malcolm for a moment. He had been watching with a bored expression that he now tried to cover with a broad smile.
“It has been my experience that men are often blind to a woman’s wishes. Or they do not particularly care.”
“Yeah, that’s what we call a jerk. I like to think I’m not a jerk.”
“First appearances would suggest that you are not,” she grudgingly admitted.
“Wow, did that hurt you to say?”
“Slightly.”
Jai laughed as they whirled around the room, and it only took a few rotations for Natalie to join him. The time came for him to spin her, and his stomach knotted slightly for a reason that he couldn’t place. He was sure that he got his footwork wrong, but Natalie once again managed to cover for his inexperience.
His hand felt icy until it returned to its place against her back. Her own fingers shifted against his arm like she was trying to find a comfortable position. He couldn’t account for the squeeze she gave his bicep, though. Their dance continued and, while they remained silent, the awkwardness didn’t return. Jai didn’t look away from her eyes, and he didn’t want to. He was comfortable and happy to simply swirl and spin with Natalie in his arms. Then the music fell silent, and the moment was gone.
Reality snapped back into place as the small crowd around them erupted in applause. Reluctantly, Jai removed his hands. For a brief moment, he could make himself believe that Natalie’s touch lingered as well. But she soon stepped back and dipped into a curtsy. He bowed.
“That was great,” Andrea said.
Beside her, Dwayne bounced on the balls of his feet. “Teach me! Teach me! I’m going to look so hot doing that.”
“Yes, you are, babe,” Andrea soothed as she patted his arm.
“You know,” Malcolm said with a voice a bit too loud for the silence. “I do know a few steps. I didn’t mention it before, well, because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. Now that I see the competition, I’m not so worried.” He turned his eyes to Natalie and lifted his hand. “May I have the next dance?”
“I am afraid your services are already engaged,” Mads cut in. “Willow would like to learn and, since you are experienced, I believe you will be a good teacher.” Inclining his head to Willow, he still didn’t make any eye contact with Malcolm. “If you will take your place, Willow, we can begin.”
Her lips quirked into a lopsided smirk as she stood up from the bench. It was completely obvious that Mads had no intention of allowing Malcolm near Natalie, but there wasn’t really a polite way to call him out on it, or for Malcolm to protest without looking like a horrible person.
“Now then,
” Mads said as he poised his fingers over the keys once more. “I am going to slow this down by half. Natalie, Jai, if you could make your footwork noticeable. Everyone else, follow along.”
Jai couldn’t hide his smile as he turned back to Natalie and lifted his hand. “Again?”
Natalie’s fingers were warm and soft as she slipped her hand into his.
“That is agreeable.” Her smile melted into a look of absolute certainty. “Then I am getting back to my work.”
Chapter Nine
Natalie’s fingers ached by the time she put down the chalk and stepped back to look at her array of blackboards. The second Mads had allowed her, she had almost run back to her laboratory, her apparent protector in tow. In his unfounded wisdom, Mads had decided that Jai was the one to accompany her around the castle. She couldn’t understand why. Jai was the smallest out of all of his men, the least physically imposing, and he dressed with no ounce of effort to be intimidating. If anything, his thick sweaters looked rather cuddly.
She had considered him the worst possible choice until she was back in her beloved lab. A fire was already burning and, just as he had in the library, Jai took the most comfortable chair in the room, brought it closer to the light of the fire, and resumed his book. From the moment he cracked the spine, he hadn’t made a single attempt to start any kind of conversation. He just let her get to work, which was something Natalie was grateful for.
Heaving a sigh, she stretched her arms over her head and turned back to the room. It was high time for a break, and she settled into the other seat. She glanced at Jai and rolled her eyes.
“I appreciate the effort, but you can stop now.”
Jai held up his finger and continued to read.
“Jai.”
“Almost done.” He drew out the word until he finally marked the page with his finger and looked up at her. “What was that?”
“You really expect me to believe that you were reading?”
His brow furrowed, but he still smiled. “I was.”
“You were on page 302 when you sat down. Now you are on 304. You are either the slowest reader possible, or you have spent your time otherwise occupied.”
“And judging by your tone, that ‘otherwise occupied’ translates in your head to something along the lines of staring at you wistfully.”
“Or something equally undesirable,” she said as she brushed off her skirt.
“And you know what pages I was on by…?”
“A simple calculation,” Natalie said.
“By taking in the size of the book in general.”
“And the thickness of each individual page, taking into account the wear and tear of each page and the extra thickness it would apply.”
“Very thorough,” he noted.
“It is simple math.”
“And you accounted for everything?”
“Of course.”
“Did you happen to notice the cover?”
Natalie glanced at the book and her stomach clenched. “The Count of Monto Cristo,” she read aloud.
“Different book,” he noted with a grin.
She swallowed as she looked for something to keep from admitting that she was wrong. “Well, obviously, you picked up a different book when you saw me turn around.”
“What?”
“The fire is still burning with far too much force. There is no possible way for you to have read as much as you did during that time.”
“Or,” he said as he reopened his book, “I restocked the fire.”
A slight blush crept up across Natalie’s cheeks as she looked around. There was a plate of food by her chair. A mix of dried fruit, nuts, and fresh bread.
“What is this doing here?”
“I asked one of your workers to bring it in. I was hungry. I thought you might be, too.”
“You called a servant?”
“Yes.
Natalie began to pick at the plate. “I did not notice.”
“You were working,” he shrugged.
Through all their conversation, Jai had continued to read. She wasn’t used to this kind of situation and found herself rather baffled on what she was supposed to do. Normally, she would treasure the silence, but she suddenly felt a need to talk to him.
“Do you normally read so much?”
“I read on my holidays,” he said. “And, until I see anything to the contrary, this is a holiday.”
“Mads will not take too kindly to hearing that.”
“He’ll be fine. We covered it on the plane.”
She nibbled on some of the bread before she could think of something else to say. “Are you enjoying your stay so far?”
“Not exactly.”
“No?” she probed before eating some nuts to keep herself silent.
“It’s all relative. Right now, I had expected to be relaxing. Getting ready for a conference, experiencing my first day off in close to a year, maybe taking a hot bath. It’s a bit of a shock to currently be in a dimly lit castle, having my character constantly called into question, and experiencing what I can only assume is a simmering family dispute.”
“It is complicated.”
“I wouldn’t think otherwise.”
Natalie chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before she blurted out, “Filip is manipulative. He controls everyone within his life, with the exception of Mads and myself. As such, he is constantly looking for ways in which he can become more influential in our lives. Malcolm is his newest attempt.”
Jai’s brow furrowed as he let the book drop onto his lap. “How does that work?”
“Malcolm’s loyalty lies with Filip. If he becomes important to me, there is the chance that he will sway my opinions so they keep more in line with Filip’s wishes.”
She hadn’t expected Jai to burst into laughter. It took a while for it to even out into a chuckle.
“What is so funny?”
“The idea that you will do anything that you don’t want to,” he said, smiling.
An unsettling feeling fluttered through the pit of her stomach. “Do you think I am incapable of sacrificing my interests for those of a loved one?”
“I think you’re capable of compromise, but you’re no one’s fool.” Humor still lingered in Jai’s eyes as he moved his attention back to his book. “You know, we should probably get some sleep.”
“It can’t be past ten.”
“It’s three in the morning.”
Natalie instantly went for her pocket watch. It wasn’t out of the norm for her to lose sight of the time as she worked, but it always caught her off guard just how much she was missing.
“Well, be that as it may, my head is too full of work for sleep.”
“Is it work, or are you just tense?”
“Whatever the case, the result is the same. Sleep will not come easily.”
“Fair enough,” Jai said as he went back to reading.
“What part are you up to?”
Jai didn’t miss a beat. Instead of trying to explain, he began to read aloud. His voice was crisp but gentle as it rolled out the words and brought the tale of obsession and revenge to life. He even masterfully conquered the scattered French words, never hesitating or faltering.
The rumble of his voice seeped into Natalie, filled her head, and cast a calming glow on the constant noise that existed within her. Settling back against her chair as best she could, she pulled her plate onto her lap, closed her eyes, and continued to eat. With the warmth of the fire and a full stomach, it was easy to let her eyes drift closed and simply listen to Jai’s voice.
***
When Jai managed to get through three chapters without Natalie making a comment or getting up to resume her work, he realized that something was up. She had fallen asleep somewhere along the line and had slumped in the chair as much as her corset would allow. At first, he tried to be delicate in moving her. It wasn’t necessary. She was dead to the world.
To help with their protection duty, Mads had supplie
d them all with the basic blueprints of the castle. Bits were still missing, but Jai knew enough to be able to judge where Natalie’s room was. Getting her there wasn’t hard. Even with the yards of fabric, Natalie was light. Not too light to be unhealthy, but on the borderline. After seeing her work habits and how easily she forgot to take care of herself, Jai wasn’t all that surprised.
Fatigue pushed down on him like a lead weight as he tucked her in and stretched out his spine. But, in accordance to Mads’ request, his watch wasn’t over until Jamie came to relieve him at dawn. His head was filled with fog and his eyes were blurring by the time Jamie gently knocked on the door.
By the time Jai got to his room, the sun was already over the horizon, and he only had enough energy left to overstock the fire, strip off his clothes, and crawl under the heavy bedsheets. They warmed quickly as he released a soft sigh. But just because he was ready, sleep didn’t come. Hours passed, and he just couldn’t tip over the precipice.
The room became thick with heat, and he pushed off the sheets. For a moment, the air was pleasantly cool against his overheated skin. It wasn’t enough. He just couldn’t get his mind to slow down enough to fully relax. With an annoyed twinge, he admitted to himself that what he really needed was some release. The more he tried to ignore it, the more unavoidable it became. He had been too tense for too long, and it just wouldn’t subside.
Finally giving in, Jai slumped onto his back and let his hand rest on his stomach. His body began to respond as if it could sense his defeat, hardening even as he sorted through his favorite fantasies. He was a talker. It was a self-discovery that he had made the first time his hand had wandered. It had led to a few embarrassing moments but was a habit he didn’t want to give up. There was something miraculous in saying a name aloud that lit an inferno under his skin. He just had to be careful who was in hearing distance and which name passed his lips.
That had caused a few problems when he had first started. He loved the sensation and the fantasy, and when his attention was pulled from it, his physical response would go with it, leaving him more frustrated than when he had started. The trick, he had discovered, was never to fantasize about someone he knew. The second he said their name, his brain would helpfully remind him that they weren’t with him. That shattered the mood pretty quickly.