Diana drew in a shuddering breath and looked Esha in the eyes. She looked tough, and she looked serious. And she had some major connections in this crazy new world. She’d need her. Vi would need her.
Especially if Cadan and this Warren guy were going to go all alpha male on her and stand in her way. She was going to need an ally.
“All right.” Diana forced her voice to be level as she held out her hand. “Deal. And…thank you for telling me. For helping me. For trusting me.”
“It was shitty news. I’m sorry.” Esha looked down at the Chairman, who’d nudged her with his head. He was looking pointedly at the door. “Someone is coming up the stairs. I’ve got to go. But hurry. This is only getting worse. Do whatever you can to figure this out. Whatever you can.”
Esha pressed a card into Diana’s palm. Then they disappeared.
Diana was staring blindly at the floor when Cadan knocked on the door a minute later.
“Everything all right?” he said as he walked through the doorway. “I thought I heard something.”
Diana raised her head to meet his eyes, knowing that her face reflected the bleakness within her.
“Ah, Diana, what’s wrong?” There was something in his eyes, some pain or longing she couldn’t recognize, that made her breath catch in her lungs. Like he hurt for her or wanted to fix her. Maybe both. But the way he stared at her, as if she were someone, could steal the very heart from her. She’d never been the recipient of such a stare, or of such intensity.
Yet he hid things from her. Things that were so vital they’d killed her friend. Or as good as.
“Why did you hide the importance of Verulamium from me?” she asked.
“I dinna.”
She had no idea if she should believe him or not. “But you’re trying to keep me from discovering who I was. I’m certain of it. It’s because of my past, isn’t it? You’ve got a stake in this whole thing, but I’ve got no idea what it is.”
He dragged a hand across his face, then spun around and stalked toward the window. His big hand gripped the wooden sill so tightly that the tension radiated down his arm, making the muscles and veins stand out in harsh relief.
He’s hiding something. She was certain of it now. But what it might be terrified her. She cared for him, hated that he pulled away from her, but was afraid she knew the reason why.
She approached him, determined to force the truth from him if necessary. So much depended on it. She wanted to tell him about Vivienne, but didn’t think she should reveal her connection to Esha. If he was working against her, she’d need Esha more than ever.
She laid a hand on the bunched muscles of his shoulder, all too aware of the latent strength of the man she was cornering. “You’re becoming someone to me, Cadan. And you know the answers that I’m seeking. I’m running out of time to discover them on my own. You’ve got to tell me what you’re hiding. Why you’re hiding it.”
***
“Leave it, Diana.” Cadan turned and took a step toward the door, desperate to get out of there before he did something he regretted, but she grabbed his arm and jerked him to a stop in front of her.
“No.” She glared up at him, her hands tightening their grip on his arm. “Tell me why you’ve lied, damn it. Tell me why you get close to me, kiss me, then stop and storm off. It’s because of what you know, isn’t it?”
She wanted to know the whole, horrible story? That she tempted him with every move she made, reminded him of all that he’d lost? Made him think that everything could be better with her, except that if he went for it, it would all crumble to dust around him with her death?
Nay. These things he would not tell her. But helpless to stop himself, he cupped the back of her head and drew her to him, so close that he could almost feel her. The scant inch of air between their bodies vibrated with tension. Her scent washed over him, arresting and familiar, and the feel of her, the heat of her, stole the caution from his mind and tore the words from his throat.
“You want to know why I’ve lied?”
She nodded, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide. Desperation and fear glimmered in their depths.
“Because I want you, damn it. I care for you. I’ve never been able to stop, no’ for thousands of years. But I can never have you.”
Desperate and crazed, he pulled her to him and crushed his mouth to hers. He kissed her with the fierceness and desperation of a man who had everything to lose and knew that it was already gone.
When she threw her arms about his neck, he clutched her closer, sinking his hand into her hair and wrapping his arm about her waist.
Just a moment more.
Just a moment of this thing he could never have. This person. He thrust his tongue between her lips, desperate to imprint her taste upon his mind. She was sweet and soft beneath his lips, everything he’d longed for and more than he’d ever expected. More than he could have. Three times he’d failed to keep his distance. Three times, yet it would have to be enough. He’d have to make it enough.
He pulled away, leaving her flushed.