Prudence kept him rooted to the spot in which he stood and it was the most tormenting thing he’d endured yet. She might have found the nerve to admit what she thought of him, but he had no doubt she spooked easily and would be out the door if he made any sudden movements.
Beside him, Jane sighed wistfully. “Yes, he does have a certain something that draws attention.”
Shana gave a slight nod of her head. “A commanding presence. A piercing gaze. A confident stature.”
Admittedly, Drake had a healthy ego, but he wasn’t in need of hearing what this particular woman found attractive about him. What he wanted was for her to act upon that attraction. Yet she didn’t move any closer to him than he did her.
“And what did you think of me?” Jane asked in a tentative voice he’d not heard from her before.
Shana’s face fell, all traces of bravado vanishing in an instant. Her gaze dropped to the floor as her shoulders slumped and she fidgeted with her handbag. Long, tense moments passed until finally, she said without looking at them, “At first, you reminded me of the French and Swedish women in the orchestra I toured with. In fact, it was a huge relief to hear your British accent.”
“Why did you dislike them?”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t like them,” she was quick to say as her head jerked upward and she stared at Jane. “It wasn’t like that, per se. It was more…envy, I guess. They were all so tiny and feminine and…perfect.”
Drake felt an odd twisting in his gut. “But you headlined the tour—you were the star.”
“What does that matter in the grand scheme of things?” she asked, her gaze shifting so her eyes locked with his. “Boys and then young men—and older ones as I grew up—approached me because they knew my name. They knew I had money. They wanted me because of my notoriety, that’s all.”
His own brow furrowed. “You really believe that?”
“I didn’t look like the other women. It was quite…glaring, actually. The differences between myself and the others. Not just my skin tone, but my dark hair and my eyes and…” She shook her head and a pained expression crossed her face. “My figure. I blossomed rather quickly.”
“But you’re perfect,” Jane said on a sharp breath, as though offended for Shana, but also shocked the woman didn’t see what she did. Her gaze flashed to Drake. “Isn’t she.”
It wasn’t even a question. Jane sought an easy confirmation. He opened his mouth to concur, but Shana silenced him with a bitter laugh.
“Please, I’m the furthest thing from perfect.” They’d made her even more uncomfortable, put her on edge. He could tell by the chill in her tone. She quickly added, “I really must get back to Yvette. Thank you for your hospitality.”
She turned to the door. Drake was beside her in a split second, long before he could even process the thought to stop her—or stop himself from chasing after her. She’d pulled the door open and he’d placed a hand against the wood, slamming it closed. The sound echoed in the quiet room as ominously as a coffin being nailed shut.
Chapter Four
Shana gasped. Her eyes bulged. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat.
Behind them, Jane made a soft tsking sound.
Shana stepped away from Drake as he groaned.
“You think you don’t fit in…” he grumbled, unable to mask the angst in his tone. He shoved a hand through his hair as he glanced over at Jane, finding an anxious look on her face.
“How exactly did you—” Shana shook her head again, cutting off her own statement. She tried once more. “I mean, you were way over there.” She pointed to where Jane still stood. “And then you went all Twilight on me. No one moves that fast, except, you know…vampires.” She whispered the last word on a sharp breath.
It was meant to be joke, he could tell by the way she rolled her eyes.
Then she said, “But that’s ridiculous of course. They only exist in movies.” Her voice remained a soft murmur during her rumination. She clearly didn’t want to believe what her rational mind obviously hinted at as being a reality. Yet, at the same time… Her eyes grew wide and he could see it really was no joke to her.
“I’m just being melodramatic, right?”
He didn’t respond.
She gasped again. He returned to his spot next to Jane as Shana tried to grasp the reality of the shocking situation. He, in turn, tried to appear less intimidating. Less big bad wolf about to devour little red riding hood.
She stared at the two of them, disbelief evident in the way her mouth gaped. But in her shimmering eyes was that look of intrigue and fascination that emulated his own. Her interest in him had continued to burn brighter as the evening had progressed. She couldn’t hide it, even if every other part of her emitted uncertainty and incredulity.