Page 54 of Balthazar's Fire
“You’re safe here,” he assured her. “No one can hurt you.”
“Thanks.” Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a sip of water.
“I should go and meet Balthazar.” Sebastian glanced in the direction of the dining room. “But holler if you need anything.”
“I will,” Cherie called out as Sebastian walked away. “Thank you.”
Returning to the hall, he peered back toward his bedroom, thinking of Rebecca although his feet took him in the opposite direction. His firecracker of a little girl was in there waiting for him, and she needed Sebastian every inch as much as Cherie needed Balthazar. Whatever Balthazar’s view, it was Rebecca’s plight that drove him.
Chapter Nineteen
Balthazar
“I gave Cherie her glass of water,” Sebastian told him as he entered the room.
Balthazar noticed how Sebastian closed the door behind him, as though he wanted to make sure that whatever was said between them stayed just that—between them.
“Thanks,” Balthazar replied as Sebastian wandered toward the enormous dining table he was already sitting at. “So, do you want to tell me about this new woman in your life?”
Sebastian inhaled as he reached for a nearby chair and took a seat opposite Balthazar.
“I wanted to talk to you about this yesterday,” Sebastian started, tapping his fingers against the polished wood as he apparently stared anywhere but Balthazar’s face.
I don’t remember ever seeing Sebastian like this before.
The thought tightened the ball of apprehension inside Balthazar. What was it about this new romance that had Sebastian so worked up? Balthazar had never cast a negative verdict on any of the women Seb had dated. Not that there had been that many since their father had passed on. Sebastian had become the consummate bachelor.
“I realize,” Balthazar answered. “I’m sorry I cut you off, but I’m here now and you have my undivided attention.”
“Thanks.” Sebastian’s digits stilled, his concentration landing solely on Balthazar, and fleetingly, Balthazar was perturbed by the intensity in his brother’s eyes. Whoever she was, she obviously meant a lot to Sebastian.
“You’ve figured out by now that I’ve met someone.” Sebastian splayed his palm against the table, as though the surface offered spiritual support.
“Yes,” Balthazar confirmed, musing on how long it would take for Sebastian to get to the point. Perhaps if Sebastian was hesitant, it would help if Balthazar showed more of an interest in the new coupling. “Where did you meet?”
“Indigo.” Sebastian’s lips curled.
“The night club?” Balthazar didn’t care if the disgust in his voice aged him. As far as he was concerned, Sebastian and he were too old for fucking night clubs. They’d evolved to better, more discerning experiences.
“Yep.” Sebastian’s brow rose. “I went to have the evening with Cole, but he found other ways to entertain himself.”
“I bet.” Balthazar nodded. Cole might have been the youngest of the brothers, but he was no longer a baby and it seemed his sexual appetite proved it. “What is she like, this lady of yours?”
“Stunning.” Sebastian beamed as he recalled her. “Smart, sassy… you know, totally my cup of tea.”
Balthazar couldn’t help but smile. His brother’s enthusiasm was infectious, and anyway, he knew just how Sebastian felt, having recently fallen head over heels in love himself.
“She sounds amazing.”
“She is,” Sebastian clarified.
“So…” Balthazar prompted.
“So, what?”
“So, why the cloak and dagger approach, Seb?” Balthazar went on. “If she’s so perfect, why am I not meeting her right now?”
“Because of who she is.” Sebastian’s stare pierced him, and finally, Balthazar had the sense that they had gotten to the critical juncture of the conversation.