My Lord Immortality (Immortal Rogues #3)(34)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

Although the broad face did not react to the offhand words, there was no missing the sudden tension that tightened about the runner.

"Yes, sir. Quite understandable." He rubbed his chin absently. "Did you happen to notice anyone about?"

"No, I…" Sebastian paused deliberately. "Well, I did happen to see Mr. Ramone pass by. He must have been in a hurry since he did not appear to hear me when I called out a greeting."

It was clumsily obvious, but thankfully Mr. Ryan did not appear suspicious. Instead, his eyes abruptly narrowed in concentration.

"Mr. Ramone? You are certain he was the gentleman you saw?"

Sebastian lifted his brows. "Of course. Even at a distance, his well -pampered curls are unmistakable."

The runner struggled to repress a wry smile. "Quite right."

"I fear I did not notice anyone else about."

"Very good, sir." Mr. Ryan subjected Sebastian to one last searching glance before offering an awkward bow. "I will trouble you no further."

Sebastian graciously escorted the man back into the foyer and opened the door. He was uncertain if he had managed to fool the runner completely, but he could at least be assured that the man’s entire attention would not be focused on William.

Stepping onto the front porch, Mr. Ryan paused abruptly and glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh, Mr. St. Ives."

"Yes?"

"If you do come across young William, would you please send word to me at Bow Street?"

He smiled easily. "You may be assured I will not forget."

The runner smiled thinly, perhaps well aware that Sebastian was not being nearly as forthcoming as he would desire. Still, there was little he could do without direct proof.

"Good day, sir."

Turning, the man continued down the stairs and Sebastian firmly closed and locked the heavy door. Only then did he step toward the center of the foyer and cross his arms over his chest.

"All right, Amelia. You may come out," he commanded in exasperated tones. There was a long pause before she stepped slowly from behind a large urn. He heaved a long-suffering sigh. "I thought I told you to wait in the kitchen."

She had the grace to blush, although her eyes flashed with a stubborn fire.

"I had to hear."

"And William?" he prompted.

"He is busily washing the dishes. It is a chore he enjoys."

Sebastian was not at all reassured. The devil take her. What if William had dropped a plate?

Or come in search of company?

"It was a risk you should not have taken."

She could not have missed his stern expression and the hint of censure in his words, but astonishingly she moved brashly toward him, the enchanting dimples making a sudden appearance.

"Thank you," she said softly, not halting until she was standing far too close for his peace of mind.

Sebastian struggled to contain his annoyance. Amelia might have ruined all with her impetuous behavior. But even as the thought went through his mind, he already knew it was a lost battle.

How could he possibly remain immune to those dark eyes that shimmered with open admiration, or the sweet smile that made so much pleasure swirl through his body?

He was a vampire, not a bloody saint.

"Thank you for what?" he demanded absently, his mind far more consumed with the sheer muslin that revealed a great deal too much.

"For confusing Mr. Ryan, of course." Seemingly unaware of the sudden prickles of heat in the air, she placed her hands trustingly upon his chest. "You were … marvelous."

He did not intend to move, but somehow his hands found their way to her shoulders. Once there, it was only natural that they would sweep toward the plunging bodice of her nightrail. The warm satin of her skin was like a magnet.

"Hardly marvelous," he was forced to protest, his heart kicking as he felt a shiver race through her body. "I do not believe Mr. Ryan is entirely convinced that you and William have left London."

Her eyes darkened, her hands tentatively smoothing over the muscles of his chest.

"Perhaps not, but now he must consider Mr. Ramone as a suspect," she said, her hands audaciously lowered toward his tightly clenched stomach. "That was quite brilliant."

Sebastian caught his breath, his teeth gritting as her touch sent a violent surge of need through his body. Blessed Nefri. A few more moments and he might forget it was the middle of the morning and they were standing in the center of the open foyer.

It would be so delightfully easy. A few tugs upon the muslin nightrail. A few steps toward the nearby rug. A few kisses. And then … paradise.

So much for his notorious restraint, he acknowledged wryly. At the moment he would gladly exchange every book he had ever owned for a soft bed and several hours of delicious privacy with this maiden.

Closing his eyes, he shifted to grasp her roaming hands. The sweet torture was more than any lusty vampire could bear.

"Amelia," he groaned in ragged tones. "You truly are a minx."

Her low chuckle did nothing to ease the aching tension that gripped his body.

"Are you sorry that you were sent to protect me?"

"No." He lifted his lids to gaze deep into her eyes. "No, I am not sorry."

A stillness settled about her as she regarded him with a haunting glimpse of vulnerability.

"Neither am I."

Amelia was on the library floor putting together a simple wooden puzzle with her fretful brother when Sebastian entered the room. Glancing up, she felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of him.

Despite the fact that she had been sheltered beneath his roof for the past two days, she had rarely been al-lowed to catch sight of him. He claimed that he had been busy ensuring that the devious Mr. Ramone did not make any further attempts to approach her. Perhaps it was a genuine excuse. But she had a deep suspicion that he was deliberately avoiding her company.

Now she found her gaze sweeping avidly over his body and lingering upon the chiseled features that plagued her dreams without mercy.

Her breath caught. The horrifying knowledge that he was not even human should have made his faintly exotic beauty repelling rather than fascinating, and the honey-accented voice something to be feared.

Unaccountably, however, Amelia could not gaze upon him and see a monster to be feared.

Nor even a mere guardian who would protect her and then vanish at swiftly as he had arrived.

He was, quite simply, the man who had charged into her lonely world and made her remember that she was a woman.

In silence she watched his approach, sensing the strain that he was careful to keep hidden. She wished she had the power to ease his burdens. Unfortunately, he remained far too aloof for her to offer her comfort. All she could do at the moment was avoid adding to his concerns.