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“Do as you wish.” The king waved his hand to dismiss Geryon, more interested in the party before him.

Once again, a shiver coursed through her as his fingers drew down her spine before he backed away.

Like she often did, Valerie ignored him.

She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction that he may have gotten under her skin. She was planning to pretend she found him, and what he had said to her in the library, insignificant.

Valerie was the last to disappear for the night. It put her in the spotlight, and she left quickly after Wyetta.

She sighed when she reached the stairs leading to her living quarters.I tire already of playing Cecily.

“It appears the dove has fallen into the spider’s web,” a deep, husky voice sounded when she rounded the corner.

Valerie spotted the guard leaning against the wall, his back and the bottom of one boot placed against it. He was peering at his nails like he found them of interest.

Turning her chin up slightly, she lifted the skirts of her dress to walk up the curving staircase. He’d been near the bottom and began to follow her.

“Come now. Ignoring the spider will not save the dove.”

“It is a fantastical thought that a bird would be trapped by something so minor as the webbing of an insect.” She eyed him out of the corner of her lids. “Perhaps the spider should be wary of being eaten.”

“What about a bird-eating spider?”

She gave a mocking, snorting laugh as she continued to climb. He continued to follow. “They do not cast webs.”

They came to the centre of the staircase curve, a place that couldn’t be seen from the bottom or the top.

“True,” he answered. Suddenly, he pushed her against the stone wall, pinning her in place with a hand on either side of her head. “They lunge for their fluttering prey.”

“You are crowding me. I would prefer you give me space.”

Valerie folded her arms, giving him a look that said she was already bored of this. She wasn’t, though. This handsome man crowding her was causing her heart to quicken.

Instead of backing away, he leaned forward, so that his elbows were against the wall, rather than his hands. This brought him closer, and he began to lift one of her fallen waves away from her forehead to tuck it behind her ear.

“No. I do not think I will.” She noted she was a fraction taller than him. “You are a rather bewitching looking thing.”

His eyes were following his hands while he continued to push away the hair that had fallen from her ties. He delicately brushed the strands over her shoulders. There was a gentleness about it, one she didn’t expect from a soldier like him.

“Once again, you attempt to flatter me, but your actions are not those of a gentleman.”

His metallic blue eyes shot to hers, and she noted the wicked glint in them. “I have never once believed myself to be of man, whether that be gentle or rough.”

Valerie couldn’t help wondering what he meant, her brow crinkling ever so slightly.

“Your words confuse me.” Her look fell back to her normal composure. “Now, I demand you move, before we are caught in this nefarious position.”

“Do not fret. I assure you, we will not be seen.”

She knew he was right. The only way they would be caught is if Victoria came down the stairs, which she wouldn’t, or if Vermont and his lord-in-waiting were to appear, which they wouldn’t until the early hours of the morning.

The spot they were hidden in was out of sight, but it wasn’t out of ear.

“Perhaps I can show you what I meant.” One of his hands lowered to bunch up her skirts.

Before she could answer him, he pressed his lips against hers.

Ever since their interlude in the library, Valerie, sneakily peering through her lashes throughout the day, had noticed him watching her. It wasn’t obvious, but it was hard not to think of him when she was so aware of him.