"Um… some kind of communication device?"
"No. Those are my bionanobots," he replies without looking at me, his eyes fixed on the elevator doors.
I blink.
"Oh. Wow. So you can move them through your body whenever you want?"
"Yes. They are part of my… you could call it… defense system."
I obviously want to ask more, but I don’t because we’re already approaching level minus one.
At one point our eyes meet briefly in the reflection of the elevator wall, and there’s this tiny shift in his expression. Barely there, almost like he’s fighting back a subtle smirk.
The elevator doors open into the underground garage, where Gerard is already waiting beside the limousine.
Blue steps out first, and I follow right behind him, trying very hard not to stare again at his slim waist and beautiful neck, now half bare, with his hair swept to one side.
I fail immediately.
The entire car ride is basically me fixating on him while he stares at his tablet.
I watch his delicate fingers sliding across the glowing surface.
When he lowers his head slightly, I notice there’s something on his eyelashes. A dark sapphire shimmer. And there’s also this incredibly thin silver eyeliner tracing his eyelids, emphasizing the slight upward slant of his eyes.
Wow. He’s even wearing subtle silver glitter across his cheekbones. It’s placed so precisely that it follows the structure of the bones underneath, making his face look sharper, almost android-like.
"You have really interesting makeup on tonight," I say before I can stop myself. "It’s subtle, but really beautiful."
I’m fully expecting him to ignore that too, but he lifts his head and looks at me from beneath those dark sapphire lashes.
"That’s a lot of compliments for one evening," he says, cocking his head slightly.
"There would’ve been more, but I’m seriously holding myself back because I know that if I push it too far, I’ll end up in prison. Those ones just slipped out because I’d probably explode if I kept them in for a second longer." I give him a wide, apologetic smile.
Silence.
Yeah. Not surprising.
Blue watches me for a moment, then suddenly says, "You’re flirting with me, Gabriel."
Fuck. This is dangerous territory, and I immediately feel my face heat up.
"It’s not like that, I swear! I mean, I know you set boundaries, but can’t I simply say you look good sometimes? It’s a matter of politeness."
Silence again. Blue lowers his gaze and doesn’t answer.
Did I fix the situation?
Did he silently decide casual compliments are acceptable now? Eh, reading Blue is complicated.
Finally, we reach the gala building.
The limousine pulls up beneath a massive glass entrance glowing with white and gold light, and before the driver even fully opens the door, I’m already scanning the area with my 5-sec skill active.
Security is everywhere. Their presence isn’t obvious, just serious-looking guys in black suits with earpieces standing near the stairs, near the doors, near the metal detectors inside. A few city officers too. No crowds pressing against barriers, no reporters screaming questions. Whoever organized this gala clearly paid a fortune to keep it private.
Blue steps out first, one hand lightly adjusting the front of his coat.