Tree Of Souls (Transfusion Saga #6) - Stephanie Hudson Page 0,83

mutter,

“Or I could just get ignored and you make all the decisions,” I muttered mockingly, making him finally respond,

“Now that sounds like a good plan.” I rolled my eyes at the window this time and ignored him.

“Relax, there is a restaurant at the hotel where we can sit and talk, besides, I need to retrieve my phone from my room.” I looked down at the pockets on his shorts in a questioning way,

“It needed charging,” he informed me, as if this mattered but it made me laugh,

“What’s funny about that?”

“Only that it is probably the most human thing I have ever heard you say.” He scoffed before removing his glasses and hooking the arm of them in the neck of his T-shirt, so they hung there.

“So, this hotel of yours, this isn’t the part where you left out that it was in Germany or Portland, Maine…right?” I asked because I felt strangely as if I needed to speak. He granted me a grin before saying,

“It’s the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Centre.” Of course, I knew of it naturally as it was a beautiful building, with a lot of history.

“Waldorf Astoria all booked up?” I asked making him grant me a wry look before telling me,

“I have investments in the hotel.” I scoffed a murmured,

“Of course, you do.” But this wasn’t what struck me,

“So, the Notre Dame huh…? Well, that’s close then,” I commented quietly, wondering if he was staying there because of how close it was.

“Seven minutes from the museum and ten minutes from your apartment,” he told me, and I released a deep heavy sigh, making him chuckle.

“I didn’t have a hope, did I?” I asked in a deflated tone making him pick up my hand, and raise it to his lips to kiss as he told me,

“No, you didn’t, but if it helps, you gave it a good try, sweetheart.” I yanked my hand from his and mumbled,

“Patronizing, condescending, arrogant…” he laughed before turning to me and saying,

“You can’t say that I didn’t warn you.”

“Yes, because that makes a whole month of buses, cruise ships and car journeys so much better and seem so worth it!” I snapped making him shrug his shoulders just as we pulled up to his hotel that looked more like the entrance to some English castle.

“Yes, well it’s lucky for you, that out of the both of us, my tenaciousness was fueled on the grounds of making you safe, whereas yours was just reckless and foolish,” he said making my mouth drop open. Then without looking back at me or my astonished (had I just been slapped without realising it) face, he got out of the car, doing so the moment the door was opened outside the hotel. I then leaned forward to the driver and said,

“If I give you 4000 shekels, would you just speed away, like right now?” He granted me a wide eyed, questioning look at what was the offer of over a thousand dollars to drive me somewhere. But the sound of the growl outside told me what his answer would be.

“Don’t fucking try it.” Then Lucius’ hand came into view and he said my name in warning, making me release a frustrated sigh before getting out of the car, after first slapping his hand away and ignoring his courteous gesture.

Oh, and let’s not forget the part where I tripped over my own feet and fell into him anyway. The second his hands went to my hips to steady me, my breath hitched and his, in response to the sound, squeezed me tighter. Damn him and his ability to turn me into a mindless twit!

This meant that I had no option at salvaging this other than to take a deep breath and try and at least appear to be taking charge of my life. So, I tagged his sunglasses from the neck of his T shirt, flicked out the arm, put them on and tapped his cheek, before telling him,

“Thanks, handsome, now did you say something about a bar?” Then I started to walk towards the entrance, leaving him behind and left muttering to himself,

“Must be losing my damn touch.” I grinned to myself and felt him catch me up just as I was looking up at the impressive entrance, his next correction was,

“And it was a restaurant, not a bar.”

“Same jazz,” I replied without looking, instead taking in the two turrets of pale stone blocks and the building in between, with glass doors set back through a stone