“I’m sure distractions are unwelcome when you’re on a dangerous assignment. Am I right? I only ask the same courtesy.” She looked toward the road. “Did you park nearby?”
“No. It’s a nice night for a stroll.” I inclined my head and walked down the long driveway.
“I can have my driver take you wherever you need to go,” she called out.
“That’s okay,” I said quietly, knowing she could hear me just fine. “God gave me these legs for a reason.”
Chapter 23
When on guard duty, Christian usually stayed outside all night so he could hear everything. Footfalls in the grass, an approaching car, a racing heart, clothes rustling in the breeze—they were all easy to pick up without the obstructive walls inside a house or building. And because he knew how being inside could interfere with Vampire senses, he was certain Lenore hadn’t heard anything—there were enough walls between the basement and the roof.
“Christian, may I see you downstairs in the study?” Lenore asked, her voice distant but loud enough that he knew it must have been carried up through the bathroom pipes.
The pipes.
“For feck’s sake.” He finished drying off his face with a towel. After shutting off the faucet, he headed to the first floor in no great hurry. Christian had no desire to be anyone’s puppy, and yet Lenore still treated him the way she had all those years ago.
Her heartbeat wasn’t within range, but clinking noises drew him to the downstairs bathroom. He knocked.
When she didn’t answer, Christian slid his jaw to the side and turned the knob. The first thing he saw was Lenore in the bathtub. All four corners of the square monstrosity were alight with candles, but none penetrated through the milk she bathed in. Small silver pins held up her hair as Lenore continued pouring a pale green liquid into a brandy glass.
“Absinthe?” she offered.
His eyes skated over to the glass block window beside the tub. They were old-fashioned and probably original to the house.
“At least close the door behind you.”
“As if the draft is bothersome.”
“No, but Wilson poured my bath, and he hasn’t gone to bed yet. I hear him stirring like a little mouse.”
“As if showing off your body to random men is bothersome.” Christian closed the door behind him and flattened his back against it.
Lenore placed a sugar cube on a flat absinthe spoon and laid it across the glass rim. The candle beside it flickered when she moved her hand to lift a small glass bottle. It had a spout, and by the looks of the condensation, the water was chilled. It wasn’t the traditional fountain enthusiasts used. Lenore slowly poured water over the sugar cube until it dissolved into the crystal glass. Once finished, she lifted the milky alcohol and held it in front of her face. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Everything we do in life should have a ritual—a series of planned steps that raises every action to an art form. Not reckless and sloppy, like having sex on a rooftop.” Lenore lifted the glass to her lips and drank.
Christian averted his gaze. “I see you’re still bathing in milk.”
“You’re welcome to join me.”
“I’m afraid I’m lactose intolerant.”
Lenore set the glass aside. “It’s not the same as fresh milk from the cow. No one knows where food comes from anymore. It’s just cartons on a shelf.”
“That’s udderly fascinating.”
“Perhaps I should purchase a few goats.”
“You’ll need a lot of teats to fill that tub.”
“Puns are for the common folk. Your humor was always your weakest asset.”
“If you called me here to reprimand me, save your breath. I’m a grown man, and I’m fully aware of what the parameters of my job are.”
“Are you? Before you were spirited away by sexual impulses, your full attention was on keeping me safe.”
“I thought she was an intruder.”
“Do you seduce all your suspects?”
Christian studied his fingernails. Lenore sounded jealous, and that gave him a measure of amusement.
“If you want to have sex with her, I can arrange something. It’ll require my finding a safe place, and we’ll have to time it. How does a church sound?” She flicked the milk and sent a few drops in his direction. “It would be trite of me to report such an infraction to Viktor, but if our relationship deepens, I can’t make any promises to protect you when mistakes are made.”
“You should set your sights a little higher than a man who pays a few misfits to lock up criminals. There are powerful