Leah stared up at him. Then she whispered, “Uh… something to know about me. I’m not very familiar with the high road.”
This time Lucien smiled. “I am aware of that but this time, you’ll need to embark on an adventure and discover it.”
She smiled back, humor lighting her eyes, making them luminescent, as she whispered, “Embark on an adventure.”
Lucien very much wanted to savor the amusement he gave to Leah but he didn’t have the time.
So he continued, “Cressida will be irritating. She will say things, perhaps even do things that might be maddening or even hurtful. Do your best to ignore her. I’ll deal with her and I promise to talk through with you anything you may have questions about after she leaves.” He waited for her nod, received it and went on, “My father is another matter.”
Her head tipped to the side. “Your father?”
“We do not share a close relationship,” he disclosed.
“Oh,” she whispered.
“Not even slightly,” he went on.
“Oh,” she repeated on a whisper.
“I do not like him. I do not respect him. And I do not trust him. He has reached out to Isobel and therefore she brought him to our home. I’ve had words with Bel. But I cannot know his intentions. He may be charming. He may be condescending. Either way, you must treat him with respect no matter what.”
“Okay.” She was still whispering.
Lucien’s arms gave her another squeeze. “No matter what, Leah. I’ll do my best to control him but, like Cressida, he’s uncontrollable and unpredictable. The only thing I can ask is that you control your reactions.”
“I’ll control my reactions, Lucien.”
After her immediate response, he studied her again. The inquisitiveness was gone. The warmth muted. The concern evident.
He did not like this but he nodded.
“I also ask you not to share anything about you and me,” he went on.
Leah blinked. Then she asked, “What?”
“Nothing about us, Leah. They know I live with you. They know you are my concubine. They know I hold deep regard for you. Any personal information is not theirs to have. Not your nightmares. None of your abilities. Not what you are to me.”
He felt her body stiffen and she asked quietly, “What I am to you?”
“That we’re lovers.”
Understandable confusion suffused her face and she started, “But –”
“It is none of their concern.”
“Of course not,” she replied. “But won’t they know that already?”
“They would make that assumption,” he lied. “I simply wish you to avoid any discussion about it. Any at all.”
Her head tipped to the side again and the confusion in her features increased. “Why would they discuss it?”
“Again, Cressida and my father are uncontrollable and unpredictable. They may bring it up to provoke you. Don’t be drawn in and if I ask you to leave the room, you do it. Immediately.”
She stared at him a moment before she admitted, “This is kind of freaking me out, Lucien.”
His arms gave her another squeeze and his neck bent so he could touch his mouth too briefly to hers. When he lifted his head, he held her eyes.
“You feel safe with me,” he reminded her, her lids lowered slowly for a languid blink he liked very much then she nodded. “Then you must trust me because I promise you, my pet, I will keep you safe.”