That was hard because this was worse than driving with him in the BMW. Those had been close quarters, but there had been a center console between us. Now I was alone in a massive back seat with a man who kissed like a reincarnated sex god, bought half-million-dollar presents, and growled if another man got too close to me. I wanted to mind the last one more. Honestly, he’d been born in the Middle Ages, not a cave. Instead, arousal ticked in me like a time bomb, and I pressed my thighs together, trying to keep myself from exploding.
I had no idea what Julian saw in me. He had to have met far more interesting women in his life. I also felt more confused than ever because he’d made it clear that a relationship with me was out of the question. So why had he acted like he owned me?
Better yet, why had I liked it so much?
Julian remained silent next to me as the limousine pulled away from the curb. Something was preoccupying him, too. He stared out the window. How could he be so close, that my whole body felt on edge, and so far away at the same time? At least, the distance that hung between us made bringing up the cello a little easier.
I took a minute to gather my courage before I plunged into the speech I’d practiced with Olivia’s help all afternoon. “I wanted to thank you for the cello.”
His head swiveled toward me, studying me for a moment. “It pleased you?”
“Definitely,” I said quickly. He was paying attention. That was the first step. “I can hardly believe I touched something as beautiful as that Grancino. I was almost too scared to pick it up.”
A smile spread like warm honey across his face. “Pet, you have to touch it to play it. Were you satisfied with its sound?”
“Actually, I didn’t play it.” I felt like I was confessing to a murder, but he only lifted one dark brow.
“Why not?”
“It’s too much,” I blurted out. I was already off-script, so much for delivering my decision calmly and smoothly. “It feels indulgent. You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I want to indulge you,” he murmured.
His words sounded like how I imagined sex felt. I found myself wanting to play for him. I saw a vision of me, completely nude, with the cello carefully placed between my legs. My mouth went dry as he joined the fantasy. His bare hands brushed my shoulders as I played. A finger danced up my neck and unpinned my hair. Julian draped a long arm around my neck and began to play with my nipples. I gasped audibly, and the vision evaporated. Next to me, Julian straightened instinctively, his protective demeanor returning from its short hiatus.
“Are you feeling well?” he asked.
“Fine,” I lied. Now it wasn’t just my head spinning. “I was just imagining playing it for you.”
His head tilted, and he studied me for a second. “Interesting.”
“What?” So much for taking control of the situation.
“Nothing.” He waved it off, but wheels continued to turn in his eyes. It was definitely something. “I would like that.”
“What?” I asked, now completely confused.
“For you to play it for me.”
I swallowed before nodding. “I can do that, Julian, but I can’t keep it.”
“I broke yours.” He folded his hands in his lap as if waiting for me to respond to his move.
“I didn’t need such a luxurious replacement.” Why couldn’t he see that? Or maybe vampires just bought stuff at antique stores because they preferred to shop in them? It hardly mattered. “I’d be afraid to even touch it. What if I broke this one like I did the other?”
“Then you’ll likely have to settle for something other than a Grancino. There aren’t many of them left in the world.”
It was a very practical answer to my hypothetical question. But it illustrated the ocean between us. “It belongs in a museum,” I continued. “Or a private collection. It’s not meant to be played.”
Julian leaned closer and took my chin in two gloved fingers. “Don’t be ridiculous, pet. It wasn’t crafted to be in a display cabinet. Giovanni would want you to have it, and he would want you to play it.”
Of course, he’d known him. Who else had he known over his many lifetimes?
He mistook my silence for anger, and he released my chin with a sigh. “I can get you another, of course. I’m sure there’s something under one hundred.”
“You mean a hundred dollars, right?” I asked weakly.
He narrowed his eyes. “Is this about the instrument or money?”
“Can’t it be about both?” The price tag alone was bad enough, but the thought of playing something that old and precious felt wrong. “I don’t deserve that cello.”
“I’ve heard you play, and I disagree,” he said quietly. “There’s another arrangement we could reach if you’re concerned about its cost.”
God, I hoped he wanted me to play it for him. Naked.
“Consider it compensation.”
“Are you giving me a job?” I glanced down at the dress. My gaze snagged on the uncovered swell of my breasts. Was that why he’d sent me something so sexy to wear? Because he wanted me to be his escort–in the legally questionable sense of the word?
“In a way, and trust me, after tonight alone, you’ll have earned it.”
He dropped the statement with a casual air that didn’t match the explosion that followed his words.
“Why is that?”
“Because my mother is going to be at this party,” he said simply.
I collapsed into my seat and groaned. Outside, the city shifted into rows of houses, each neatly contained in its own box, surrounded by carefully trimmed shrubs. But as the limo traveled, the houses got larger, taking up lots the size of two or three of the neat little houses. Then, they sprawled into mansions peeking out from security gates that separated the world inside them from the rest of us. I couldn’t imagine where I would find myself this evening. Would it be one of these estates? If his mother was going to be there, it must be. This date, as he called it, was not what I was expecting. His mother hadn’t been very friendly, and I doubted she would be happy to see me again. Being asked to be a call girl was starting to sound okay in comparison. “Why?”
