“I’m willing to wager a year’s income that her feelings haven’t changed,” Surreal said. “And I know yours haven’t changed. So maybe the reason she can’t talk to you is because you have a cock.”

“I’ve always had a cock,” he said dryly.

“Right. And there are things you might admit to another man you’d never admit to a woman. And there are things a woman might say to another woman that she would never say to a man—especially a man she loves.”

“And your point is?”

“You’re going to be in Amdarh a few more days, right?”

“I do have some things to take care of.”

“Fine. You go tend to things, and I’ll go back to the Hall and have a little chat with Jaenelle.”

“What makes you think she’ll talk to you?”

I’m not going to give her a choice. Which wasn’t something she intended to ever tell Daemon, so she gave him a sassy smile. “Because I know the opening line to this little play.” She eased her fingers out of his grip and patted his hand. “Trust me. And signal the server to bring over the dessert tray.”

“Did you see the way he fed her that bite of lobster?” Roxie said, sighing. “That’s like something from a love story. He’s sooo romantic.”

Tavey frowned. “If you wanted to taste some of my dinner, why didn’t you say so?”

Watching Daemon, Lektra wanted to smash all the plates and glasses on the table. How could he betray her like that? How could he sit there, in public, and fawn over a whore. She was the one who was working to free him from that useless cripple, Jaenelle. He shouldn’t be playing with another woman. He shouldn’t even be thinking of another woman. It was so . . . sluttish. When he was hers, she’d make sure he severed all association with that bitch, Surreal.

Her hands curled into fists as she watched Surreal take his hand.

How could he be so lost to propriety that he’d let a woman touch him like that? He might as well stand on the table and announce he was going to drop his pants for his “cousin” as soon as they got behind closed doors.

If they even waited that long.

Selfish bastard.

Well, she’d still have him because she loved him. Besides, he was beautiful and was, no doubt, magnificent in bed. But he was obviously more ripe to belong to another woman than she’d realized, so she was going to have to fan the flames and ruin his reputation faster, and more thoroughly, than she’d intended if she wanted to be sure he didn’t accept another offer from a woman who just wanted to use him.

Yes, she had to save him before he tumbled into any other bed but hers.

SIX

SIX