shoulders spoke volumes if you knew what book you were reading. I'd spent a lot of time learning to read this book. Doyle knew all his men's moods like any good leader. Kitto might have been oblivious, but it was hard to know what the little goblin noticed and what he didn't.
Julian stayed pressed to my side, a lot closer to me than Doyle was sitting, though he moved his hand to let Doyle's shoulder touch mine. It also put Julian's hand on the back of the couch, touching Doyle's back.
Julian was in love with Adam, I knew that, but I also knew that he wasn't entirely kidding about me sharing my men. Maybe he and Adam had a special arrangement, or maybe no one could be around the sidhe and not wonder. Maybe.
Julian was stiffer, quieter beside me now, as if he were concentrating on not moving his hand too much. Doyle would tolerate the touch, but not if it was too much. Doyle had the same rules for uninvited men as for uninvited women. A thousand years of forced celibacy had made Doyle, and many of the guards, make very unfeylike rules about casual touching. If you couldn't complete the act, then teasing was too much like torture. Rhys had always had different rules, as had Galen: They preferred something to nothing.
Ethan looked at the two guards, his scowl deepening. His eyes flicked to Kitto, and disgust showed on his face.
"What's your problem, Ethan?" I asked.
He blinked and glared at me. "I just don't like monsters, no matter how pretty they are."
Julian took his arm off the couch and sat forward, leaning toward the other man. "Am I going to have to send you home?"
"You're not my father ... or my brother." That last was said with a lot of heat. Did Ethan have a problem with Julian dating his brother?
Julian leaned back a little, his head to one side as though he'd just thought of something new. "We're not going to air our private business in front of anyone, no matter how charming. But if you can't deal with this assignment, then I'll call Adam and the two of you can change jobs. He won't have a problem with Meredith being here."
"He doesn't have a problem with a lot of things," Ethan said, and the heat was very clearly directed toward Julian.
"I'll call Adam and tell him you'll be heading his way." Julian took a small cell phone from an inner jacket pocket.
"I'm in charge of this operation, Julian. You're just here in case we need magical backup."
Julian sighed, gazing at the phone in his hand. "If you're in charge, Ethan, then act like it. Because right now you're embarrassing yourself in front of these good people."
"People?" Ethan stood, doing his best to tower over us. "These aren't people; they're non-humans."
A clear ringing voice came from behind Ethan. "Well, if that's how you feel, Mr. Kane, perhaps I was in error when I employed your agency."
Maeve Reed was standing in the hallway on the edge of the vanilla carpet sea. She didn't look happy.
Chapter 9-10
Chapter 9
Maeve Reed was using magic to appear more human. She was tall, slender with a bare swell of hips to ruin the line of her tan slacks. Her long-sleeved blouse was pale harvest gold unbuttoned to midchest, giving tantalizing glimpses of tanned flesh and the edge of small firm breasts. If I'd tried wearing something like that, I'd have fallen out all over the place. She was built like most of the top fashion models, except she didn't have to starve or exercise to look like this. It was just the way she looked.
A thin brown headband kept her long blond hair in place. The hair hung straight and fine to her waist. Her skin was a nice medium tan. After all, the immortal don't have to sweat skin cancer. Her makeup was so light and so artful that at first I thought she wasn't wearing any. The bones of her face were sculpted and lovely, and the eyes were a startling, drowning blue.
She was beautiful as she came toward us, but it was a human beauty. She was hiding herself from us. Maybe it was habit by now, or maybe she had her reasons.
Julian was on his feet meeting her before she got to the couch. He murmured to her, probably apologizing for Ethan and his unfortunate "non-human" comment.
She shook her head, making her tiny gold earrings shiver. "If this is