Blood Debt (Touched Series Book 1) (41 page)

Drake looked like he was in pain,
“I can’t let you go, Camille.”

“You have to or we’ll get busted and there won’t be a tonight.  Go!”

His lips found mine one last time before he dashed toward the closet.  As soon as I’d seen the closet door closed
,
I opened the door to an awaiting Gage.  Gage took my hand and walked me down the hallway with my guard in tow
.  A
s we hit the top step, he commented, “You look absolutely
radiant
this morning, Darling.  Having the guard outside your room must have done wonders for you.”  I looked at him as he wore an enormous smirk
.

“I
t
did
.  T
hank you for speaking with
Zandra
on my behalf.  I’ll need to give her my thanks as well.”

Zandra
was waiting at the bottom of the steps and had heard our conversation.  “Ah, it’s good to see you two getting along so well.”

Charm oozed from Gage when he said, “Who could not fall under the spell of such a beautiful creature?”

She smiled sweetly at Gage and asked me,
“You slept well, Camille?”

I wanted to laugh but instead put on my most thankful expression and answered, “Yes, Grandmother, I did.  Thank you for allowing me some privacy.”  It was the first time I had referred to her as “Grandmother
,
” and
I
watched her reaction as I spoke. 

She was pleased.
  “I’m glad you slept well, Camille.  Are you rea
dy for your lesson this morning?
”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

Gage interrupted,
“M
iss
Zandra
.  I was hoping we might be able to tour your estate this morning, that is, if you don’t mind.”

“With an escort?”

“I was hoping you might consider escorting us.”

Zandra looked surprised,
“Me?”

“It would give us both a chance to get to know you better.  Camille was telling me how much she will miss the beauty of your estate.”  Okay, that was a little on the thick side, but
Zandra
seemed to physically soften in Gage’s presence.  I had come to think of her estate as a prison and had no desire to ever set eyes on it again
once I was
paroled
.

“I believe we could skip your lesson one more day, Camille.  I’d love to show the two of you around.”  Gage continued to play his role as my doting fiancé
,
perfectly.  He opened doors for me, held my hand, smiled as
Zandra
told us about nearly every blade of grass.  Thirty minutes into our tour, Bianca and Drake strolled hand-in-hand
onto the expansive grounds
and found us near a fountain depicting Aphrodite. 
As
the five of us
walked together, Drake purposely brushed his arm against mine then caught my eye for a fraction of a second.  I nearly jumped out of my skin.
  He was like the forbidden fruit,
daring
me to take a bite.
 

Several hours later
as our tour drew to an end
,
Bianca spoke up as we approached the front door to
Zandra
’s mansion.  “M
is
s
Zandra
, thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful tour.  Drake and I have some wedding plans to finalize
.  D
o you have an escort you could provide us while we drive into town?”
  I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

“Don’t be silly
,
child
. 
I’m sure Gage would love an opportunity to escort you two.”

Gage shook his head, “M
is
s
Zandra
, if you don’t mind, I’d like to spend the afternoon with Camille.  I thought a dip in the pool might be fun.”  I cringed when I thought of chlorine on my neck but found a way to force an adoring smile at Gage.

Zandra had transformed before my very eyes.  No longer the hateful captor that I had loathed for weeks, she was now the accommodating host. 
“Very well then.  I’ll have Camille’s guard escort you
two into town
.  Gage, I’ll change and join the two of you
by the pool
.  I would very much like to know how your family is doing.”  The rest of the afternoon was a tremendous bore
,
but Gage really turned on the charm
,
and by dinner time
Zandra
was treating me as though I were her long lost granddaughter rather than a blemish on her otherwise noteworth
y
family tree.

Bianca and Drake returned early that evening.
  Zandra
,
having immensely enjoyed her time with Gage and me, politely asked them,
“Did you two take care of all your arrangements?”

“We did.  Thank you for the use of an escort, M
is
s
Zandra
,” Drake answered sweetly.  “Bianca and I are excited to start our life together.  I think we’re both regretting that we put the wedding off for so long.  Watching Gage and Camille together makes me jealous that we’ll have to wait so long.
”

Zandra
raised her eyebrows.  “Really?
Well
,
you can always move the date forward.”

“You know, we might just do that.”  Drake leaned over and kissed Bianca’s cheek, “I don’t believe I can wait much longer for you.”  Bianca giggled
,
and I wanted to barf.  The hair on the back of my neck stood on end
,
and I had trouble hiding my
instant jealousy
.
  Drake gave her a
nother
tender kiss on the cheek
,
while
I dug my
f
ingers into my knees. 

Gage realized that I was at a low boil and leaned over to me, whispering only loud enough for me to hear, “It’s only an act
, Darling
.”  Gage’s comment did little to soften m
y
impending implosion.

“Bianca,
I think I’ll turn in early tonight
,
”
Drake
announced
with an adoring look
at her
.
 

Bianca took Drake’s hand in hers, “I’m a little worn out myself.  Would you walk me to my room?”

The two excused themselves
,
which
left Gage and
me
alone with
Zandra
, again
.  Having them out of the room did wonders for my self-control.  Gage and I spent another hour with
Zandra
, Gage the perfect guest, and I
,
quiet but attentive.  An hour after Bianca and Drake had gone upstairs, Gage looked my way, “Darling, you look exhausted.  Are you tired?”

I hadn’t been paying attention to their conversation, but realized this was Gage’s “get-out-of-jail-free” card for me.  I yawned, “It
’
s been a full day. 
I think I’ll turn in
,
too.
”

“
I need you well rested for our adventures tomorrow
.  M
is
s
Zandra
, will you keep me company or am I on my own this evening?”
  Zandra had always struck me as a wicked person, but super perceptive.  I had to wonder if she’d see through all of Gage’s fake
charm.  So far she seemed to be soaking it up like a sponge
,
but I made a mental note to tell him he needed to tone it down a little.

“I’m an old woman, Gage.  You get your rest
. 
I’m sure Camille will be ready for an adventure with you tomorrow.”  She looked at me with a warmer expression than I had seen her wear in the last two months, “Camille, I had a lovely day with you today.”

Her thoughtful comment nearly rendered me speechless; I was able to choke out,
“I did, too, Grandmother.  I look forward to our lesson tomorrow.”
  If Beau could see me now, he’d never again question my acting abilities.

She gave me a thoughtful smile
. 
I was worried I may have put it on too thick, but she seemed genuinely pleased with me. 
“We may suspend your lessons for a while.  Gage is an excellent influence on you
,
and I’m sure you’ll want to spend the day together.  The weather should be exceptional
.  G
et your rest
.”

“Thank you, Grandmother.  Goodnight.” 

Gage held out his arm for me
,
and my guard followed in tow.  We were halfway up the steps when Gage turned to the guard, “I need just a minute with my fiancé.
” 
We stood in full view of t
he guard
,
but
he
was unable to hear Gage’s whisper. 
“There is nothing you could do or no action you could take that would be disobedient to me.  Sleep well, Camille.”  Gage pressed his lips to my forehead.  I knew this was his way of reminding the necklace that my time with Drake was done with his blessing.  Gage
held
my door for me as I slipped into the dark room
.  H
e shut the door behind me. 
From the shadows under the door,
I could see
that
the guard had taken his position in the hallway directly
outside my room
.

Chapter 31

I took a deep breath and walked the few steps to my closet.  I had no sooner put my hand on the door knob
than it swung
wide with Drake on the inside.  He took me in his arms and swung me around like a child.  When my feet touched the ground
,
I was fully wrapped in Drake
’
s arms. 
Careful not to alert the guard, Drake exhaled the words,
“I missed you so much, I thought I’d burst today, Love.”

My mouth opened on his
,
and I felt like I was spinning again. 

When we stopped to breath
e
, Drake’s excitement shone on his face,
“I bought you a gift today.”

“A gift?  Why?”
 

“It might have been more of a gift for me.”  He wore a mischievous grin
,
and I felt my heart doing its sprint just like it had last night.  He reached behind him and pulled out a cardboard box, “I saw it today and
have been dying to see what you’d look like in it
.”  He motioned for me to go into the bathroom
,
and I could only imagine what I would find
in the box
.

As I stood in front of the mirror wearing the
i
vory s
atin
nightgown, my nerves began taking control of my body
,
and I wasn’t sure I had the courage to go out half
-
dressed.
  The length was only to mid-thigh, the front was cut low
: 
I looked like a mannequin at Victoria’s Secret.
 
I saw my shorts and a t-shirt that I normally slept in lying beside the sink.  I nearly switched into them when I caught my reflection in the mirror. 
If m
y shorts and t-shirt were enough to make
his heart speed up, his arms wrench tight around me,
and
his throat
murmur
th
ose
deep sexy sound
s
- I couldn’t wait to see his response to this ensemble.    After the last six weeks
,
I wanted to be wanted
. 
I wanted to see Drake
’
s eyes pop out of his head
. 
I wanted to hear the groan of desire I knew would come from deep within him. 

Drake made me feel beautiful, sexy even, but walk
ing out to his waiting eyes – I
wasn’t sure I could.  I found a bathrobe hanging on the back of the door and wrapped it around myself before I stepped back into the bedroom.

Drake’s hands found me in the dark as his voice
exhaled
, “
D
id you wrap yourself up
in that robe
like a pr
esent
for me?
Are you trying to torture me?
” 
He stood in front of me wearing only a pair of shorts. 
His shirtless body
called to me.  T
he moonlight
through the window
shimmer
ed
off his
muscular
shoulders
and tight abs
.
  The sight of him, even in the moonlight
,
took my breath away.