He shrugs, totally unapologetic.
“Did you follow me here?”
Carter grunts noncommittally, his expression stony.
“What the hell is the matter with you?”
His brows pull in. “Me? I’m not the one sneaking out of bed in the middle of the damn night.”
“I wasn’tsneaking.” I roll my eyes. “I wanted some air.”
“On top of a damn turret? What, you’re too good for regular terraces now? Or maybe you’re hoping some Prince Charming will spot you up there and come swooping in to sweep you off your feet — that would really complete this little fairy tale scenario you’ve been playing out…”
“God!” I snap, my voice rising with my temper. “You are such an unbelievable asshole, it’s actually astonishing sometimes.”
Before I can blink, he sets one finger against my lips — a clear warning to keep quiet. I try to find more words, but they’ve all evaporated from my head. My train of thought went completely off the rails the moment he touched me.
Carter seems to realize what he’s done because the breath hitches in his throat and, in the space between one heartbeat and the next, his gaze drops to fix on my mouth.
His finger.
My lips.
My heart is in overdrive, pounding so hard I worry he’ll be able to hear it. I watch the pulse leaping in his neck and wonder if his is beating just as fast.
“You shouldn’t go up there alone,” Carter murmurs finally, his voice rougher than usual. He still hasn’t moved his hand away, so when I manage to eke out a response, every word forms against his fingertip.
“Then come with me.”
I’m not sure why I say it — maybe I’m still high. Maybe I’m just crazy. Because there is no reason in the world I should be inviting Carter Thorne to climb the castle’s tallest tower with me in the middle of the night. And there’s no reason in the world he’d ever agree — not with things as they currently stand between us. Not when everything is so frigid and strained and complicated.
And yet…
The swift denial I was expecting never arrives. He simply stands there looking at me, conflict playing out over his face. I know the internal war he’s waging — self-control versus self-sabotage. I know, because that I’ve been fighting that same battle for quite some time now.
Fighting andlosing, I might add.
Before he can reject me flat-out, I step backward, turn to the tapestry, and shove it aside once more. My hand gropes in the dark for the knob. When I shove open the panel, I pause briefly before I step inside.
“I’m going up with or without you,” I whisper, wishing my voice wasn’t so shaky. “If you want to come, fine. If not, well… I don’t need a babysitter. I’m quite capable of—”
“Oh, just shut up.”
His low growl hits my ears a second before his chest hits my back and then, before I know it, he’s pushing me into the stairwell. My feet stumble slightly on the uneven stone floor. Carter steadies me automatically, gripping my biceps in a light hold I somehow feel throughout every corner of my body. I can’t help but notice his hands linger a second longer than strictly necessary before he releases me. Or maybe that’s just my imagination.
The door swings shut, closing us inside the narrow chamber. Without the meager light from the hallway sconces, it’s pitch black. I can’t see the stairs in front of me, let alone the man still hovering close at my back.
“Did you even think to bring a light on this asinine adventure of yours?” he asks lowly.
I grope at the pockets of my jacket, but they’re empty.
Shit!
How the hell could I forget a light?
My cheeks flame with embarrassment and I’m suddenly thankful it’s too dark for him to see my face. “Well… I…” I swallow hard. “I can run back to my room and—”
He sighs deeply. “Forget it.” His heat disappears from my back and I think he’s leaving me altogether… until I hear him running his hands along the wall, feeling for something. “Maybe it’s still here…”