Page 38 of Lured By Shadows

“Of course, Young Master,” she replied, finally lifting her eyes to meet mine. “Young miss, may I offer you a selection of carefully curated picks, or would you feel more comfortable browsing our catalog so I may compile items based on your preferences?"

Her formality made my words catch in my throat. “Um… can I see the magazine?” I asked.

“Yes, young miss.” She gestured toward a cream-colored couch trimmed with gold. It looked like it belonged in a royal sitting room, not an actual store.

Culver’s palm pressed lightly against my back again, nudging me forward. Instead of bratting out on him, I let him lead.

Emotional maturity was very unlike me. That was what I called growth.

“You didn’t have to bring me here,” I muttered as I sat down. “You didn’t even ask, really.”

Culver settled beside me, crossing one leg over the other like he’d been doing this his entire life. Because he probably had. “So you’d rather not be here?” he asked. “We can leave if you want.”

“Culver,” I hissed, folding my arms across my chest. “Of course I wanna be here. I just can’t afford any of this.”

“This is my establishment,” he replied simply, as if that explained everything.

“That’s not the point,” I muttered, glancing toward the woman as she returned with a leather-bound catalog. “How am I supposed to pay you back?”

His mouth twitched, almost into a smile, and when he spoke, his voice dropped lower. “There are plenty of ways you could.”

Sir. We were in public.

I choked on my own air, humiliatingly.

Really keeping the mystery alive, Ira.

I doubled over, coughing as if my lungs had betrayed me. The woman gasped in horror. “Oh—young miss! I should have brought you something to drink. My sincerest apologies! Young Master, please forgive me!”

Culver didn’t spare her a glance. His hand found my back, moving in slow, steady circles, calming me. “Easy,” he murmured. “Breathe.”

“I’m fine,” I wheezed, waving a hand as she rushed off for water. “Just—water would be great.”

Once the coughing subsided, embarrassment flooded in, hot and suffocating. I glared at him through watery eyes. “Are you serious right now?”

He blinked, genuinely confused. “About what?”

“What do you want from me?” My voice dropped to a whisper for his ears alone. My heartbeat thudded painfully hard beneath my ribs. “Because the only thing I can think of that I have to offer is my body.”

His gaze traveled slowly over me, thorough and attentive. My eyes. My mouth. The slope of my neck. His pupils darkened when they lingered just below my collarbone, and I resisted the instinct to tug my shirt higher.

“That is not my intention,” he said quietly. Control coiled beneath his tone, like something lethal trapped behind glass. “I tease you because you are… compelling. But I apologize. I should be more mindful of time and place.”

His words sounded gentle, but the look in his eyes carried something far less controlled.

I let out a shaky breath and, without really thinking, leaned into him. My forehead met his chest, solid and unyielding. His scent wrapped around me, warm and mint-tinged, rich in a way that did nothing to quiet my thoughts.

It settled over me quietly at first, a nagging disappointment I didn’t fully understand. His words left me feeling brushed aside somehow, and I hated how much that disturbed me. Maybe it was because the pull toward him already felt so raw, intense enough that part of me wanted to stop overthinking and simply give in before things had the chance to become complicated. I forced myself upright and grabbed the catalog, flipping to a random page before my thoughts spiraled any further.

I didn’t move away from him. If anything, I shifted closer. Our thighs brushed, and I settled naturally into the curve of his body like I’d already grown used to being there. “So,” I said lightly, “I just circle what I like?”

“Yes,” he replied, his breath humming softly against my ear. His arm stretched along the back of the couch, fingers grazing my shoulder, and a flutter rolled through my chest.

“And as for payment,” he added quietly, “you need not concern yourself. You’ve already repaid me.”

I frowned. “How?”

“By being here.” His fingers slipped into my hair again, and this time I didn’t stop him.