Army Of The Winter Court (Skeleton Key) (3 page)

“Oh crap, I have to go. My group started ten minutes ago.” She stood quickly, her chair scraping across the floor loudly as she bent down, to pick up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

“I wish you’d stay,” he said quietly with one hand outstretched on the table, as if he were trying to keep himself from reaching out and taking her hand.

She stopped her hurried movements and looked at him, studying his face. Impossibly bright blue eyes, the color of tropical water, watched her as she debated his request. Jet black hair just long enough to graze his ears and a few longer strands on top, brushed across his forehead. Ian was a very handsome man and the thought of spending more time with him sent butterflies swarming in her stomach. She pinched her bottom lip between her forefinger and thumb, trying to decide.
 

“I—”

“I’ll tell you what, if you need to go now, then have dinner with me.”

“I'm not sure… I don’t really know you.”

“That’s why we'll have dinner together.” He smiled at her confidently.

Evvie’s eyes darted toward the doorway. She had enjoyed talking with him and couldn’t remember the last time she allowed herself to go out and have fun.
 

“Okay. Yes, I think I’d like that. When?” she agreed, turning to face him again.

“Excellent,” Ian beamed. “Meet me at the Glass House, in front of the sun sculpture, at seven tomorrow.”

She grimaced, sucking air in through her teeth.
 

“I can’t, I have to work tomorrow night.” Evvie paused at the slight frown on his face as he tried to hide his disappointment. “I’m free Friday. Does that work?”

“That is perfect.” His smile widened again as he stood. “I will see you in three nights. I look forward to it.”

“Yeah, me too,” Evvie said, surprised that she meant it. She rushed toward the door, pausing briefly to look back at the man watching her leave.

CHAPTER THREE

Evvie

Nervously glancing at her watch one more time, Evvie tapped her foot. Ian was twenty minutes late. She turned on the heel of her black knee high boots and examined the glass sun sculpture behind her. Swirling tentacles of red, yellow and orange were clustered around the sphere creating a fiery effect, light shining from within. It looked like a cross between the sun and a glowing sea anemone.
 

Behind the sun sat the Glass House, dimly lit by the massive red and white chandelier made of glass birds that spanned the length of the building.
 

Five more minutes, then I’ll leave… Ugh, why did I agree to go out with some guy I just met? He probably forgot all about me.

Evvie watched as couples walked through, holding onto each other’s arms, snuggling close, laughing and speaking in hushed tones.
That
was why she’d agreed; she wanted the chance to be close to someone like that, even if it was just for one night. Evvie tugged on the thick braid that rested over one shoulder and twirled the end around her index finger.

Pulling her long black coat tighter around her, she felt foolish for dressing up. The temptation to wear more than her standard jeans, a tee and a scarf had gotten the best of her and she’d gone with heels, a red pencil skirt and one of Silvia’s lacy, black, sleeveless tops. Now she felt silly dressed up and standing in front of the giant glass sun.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” a rich, velvety voice said from behind her.
 

Whirling around she tipped to the side, losing her balance on the tall heels she wasn’t quite used to. His strong hands reached out and gripped her shoulders, steadying her.

“Easy there,” he said smiling.

“I thought you weren’t going to show up,” Evvie blurted out. His face fell and she immediately regretted her words. It didn’t matter if he were late—it was rude of her and she could have at least said hello first. “Sorry,” she added looking away.

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. I should have been on time. Unfortunately, I was unable to get away any sooner.” A knuckle lifted her chin until she met his eyes. “Will you forgive me?”

Evvie pulled her chin away and nodded, the damp chill of the night air forgotten. The yellow light that radiated from behind her cast an ethereal glow over his face, though it didn’t suit him, it muddied the dazzling blue of his eyes to a dull grey and made his skin appear pale.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” she said waving her hand dismissively.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, just a few minutes,” she lied.

“I’ll make it up to you.” He stepped back and offered her his arm, a smile once again gracing his face. “Shall we?”

“Mmm,” Evvie nodded and looped her arm through his.

They started down the path of the outside gardens, tall spires of glass in every color shooting up from the ground, some straight as an arrow, others curled and curved into floral shapes, mixed in between the live plants and bushes of the garden.
 

Red glowing glass birds were arranged in a flock taking flight, emerging from one of the trees. Bright pink glass shaped like kelp lined one side of the walkway, its sweeping contours gave it the impression of swaying back and forth between gentle ocean waves.
 

“It’s beautiful,” Evvie said breathlessly, awed by the delicate glass work in each and every piece. “I wish I had my camera with me.”

“I’m glad you are enjoying it. Haven’t you been here before?” Ian asked.

“No,” she admitted.

He placed a hand over hers and once again his touch on her skin sent a shiver through her.
 

“I’m surprised. With your love of photography, I would have expected you to have hundreds of stunning images of this place.”

“I just haven’t had the time. Besides, it’s more of a place people go to on dates than by themselves.” She bit down on the inside of her cheek.
 

Did I really just say that out loud?

“So, this is a date then?” Ian teased.

“Uh… I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. I thought it was just dinner, but we can call it a date if you’d like.” She paused, and turned to look up at a seven-foot high blue and white dandelion puff.
 

After a moment he spoke, his voice thick and low, “I would like that, very much.”

Evvie looked sideways from the corner of her eye, before turning to face him. “Okay.”

Somehow, the simple reply she gave seemed to be enough for him. Chilled from the crisp air, she shivered.

“Let’s see if our table is ready,” he suggested.

“Our table?” She looked around.
 

Please tell me he’s not one of those rich guys who does weird things to try and impress women.
She begged silently.

He pointed up, drawing her eye to the tall restaurant, sixty stories high above them that overlooked the city. A small gasp escaped her lips. Dining up there had never even occurred to her.

“I suddenly feel very underdressed,” Evvie murmured.

His hands caressed her shoulders as he leaned to whisper in her ear.
 

“Don’t—you look stunning, just as you are.” His warm breath brushed against her ear, sending a tingling sensation over her as goosebumps formed across the skin of her arms.

Placing a hand on her lower back, he guided her toward the base of the tower and past a wide circular water fountain. It had a simple round base with a sparkling pool of water, one stream of water shot up in the center surrounded by half a dozen small spurts. The sound of the water, a soft symphony, called to mind images of gentle meandering rivers.

“I want to do something really quick,” she said pulling her purse and digging around until she pulled out two pennies. Grinning, she handed one to him and hurried to the fountain.

Evvie closed her eyes, then flipped the coin into the water. It hit with a soft splash and sank to the bottom, the golden copper glittered against the light blue concrete bottom. Ian paused next to her and cocked his head to the side.

“Make a wish and throw it in,” she urged.

“Make a wish?” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

“You’ve never made a wish in a fountain before?”

It seemed strange that anyone could grow up and not have made a wish at least once in their life. She wondered what kind of childhood he’d had that didn’t involve wishes.

“No, I don’t believe in wishes.” He held his open palm out to her.

“It’s just fun, I don’t believe in wishes any more than fairy godmothers.” She closed his fingers around the penny. “Just make a wish.”

He studied her for a moment, looking doubtful. Then, slowly, a grin formed on his face. Nodding once, Ian closed his eyes before tossing the coin in.

“That wasn’t so bad was it?” she teased, slipping her arm through his again.

“What did you wish for?” he asked.

Evvie shook her head, and said with a wink, “Mmhm, you’re not supposed to tell, if you do then it won’t come true.”

They walked up the steps outside the building and then in through the doors of the rounded glass structure that surrounded the base of the tower. A man in black slacks and a black vest over a white collared shirt stood in front of the elevator. As they approached, he opened the door and let them on. The doors slid closed, encasing them in the very small space. The elevator car rose and the walls of the ground floor fell away to reveal a view of the city.

A gasp escaped her mouth at the view. Lights from the windows of sky scrapers sparkled against the dark night, twinkling like stars living on earth.

His fingers pressed into her waist, pulling her closer to his side as she leaned forward on her toes, one hand holding onto the side of his jacket.

The elevator dinged as they reached the top level. The inner part of the restaurant, blocked the city from view.

“Do you mind waiting here for a moment?” He placed a hand on her shoulder, halting her.

“Okay,” she said, watching as he walked up to the restaurant podium and spoke with the maître d’. The man visibly bristled at Ian. Evvie couldn’t hear what they were saying, but a moment later he was smiling and nodding at her date.

Returning to her, Ian placed his hand on the small of her back, as if he couldn’t help himself from touching her. Each time he placed his hand on her it sent the same shiver through her.

“Our reservation isn’t for another half-hour; would you like to go to the observation deck while we wait?”

“That sounds great, but won’t it be cold with the wind?” she asked. Wordlessly, he slipped off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. “Aren’t you going to be cold without it?” she asked.

“No, I grew up in a place much colder than this. I’ll be okay,” he assured her.

They walked out onto the open deck and a frigid breeze hit her, making her instantly grateful that he’d given her his jacket. She stepped up to the edge and looked over the railing. The lights from the glass garden below glowed brightly, creating a wonderland of color.

Looking from the corner of her eye, she studied Ian. Perfect posture and completely unfazed by the temperature, he stood with his hands in the pockets of his slacks, his black tie fluttering in the wind against his white button up shirt. Embarrassment caused her to look away when he turned to meet her gaze with a sly grin.

Looking up at the thin sliver of the crescent moon, she said, “I bet this view is even more amazing when there’s a full moon.”

“I suppose it might be. But with the new moon—that’s when you can see all the stars. The light of the full moon dims the sky so much that it hides them.”

She’d never thought of it that way, but he made her want to appreciate the different phases in ways she never considered before.

“I suppose all phases of the moon can be equally beautiful.”

The night felt unreal to her and she was glad she’d said yes to a date with this stranger. Evvie leaned into his side as he slipped an arm around her shoulder.

“Thank you for giving me a chance and for coming up here with me,” He said as he brought a red rose around, presenting it to her.

Pulling away, she took the flower.
 

“Thank you,” she said breathlessly and held it to her nose, inhaling deeply as she looked into his eyes to see an expression she couldn’t read crossing his features.

“The pleasure is all mine,” he said. His hand came up to brush a stray lock of her dark brown hair behind her ear. Ian leaned forward and even in the chilly night she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. He moved closer, bringing his face nearer and nearer. She could almost feel his lips against hers as her eyelids slid shut.

“Sir, your table is ready now,” a waiter said from behind her.

Disappointment welled up inside her. They were just inches away and now the moment was ruined.

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They rode the elevator to the bottom of the tower in silence. Evvie held the rose in one hand and subconsciously caressed the petals with her fingers, watching the city grow to once again dominate the skyline.

“May I walk you home?” he asked as they stepped out of the building and moved out toward the glowing glass sculptures.

“No, I’ll just take a cab. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble,” he insisted, the slightest hint of strain in his voice. “At least let me wait with you until you get a cab.”

She nodded, pulling out her cell phone and making a call.

“I had a really great time tonight,” she said as they waited.

“I did too,” he said and shifted closer. He lowered his face and raised her hand, brushing his lips over her knuckles. “I hope you will call me soon. I would like to see you again.”

“Yeah, I—I’d like that too,” she said trying not to swoon over a kiss on the hand.
 

Since when do I almost swoon?

The cab pulled up next to the sidewalk and honked its horn impatiently.