Sebastian

kept giving her, and repeated over and over, I am a tigress .
    Until that day when Pa had tried to force her to do the sex thing, she had never disobeyed an order.
    Wouldn't have dared disobey an order. Now here she was defying Sebastian, a man who made her feel things that were both wonderful and scary, because she knew in her heart that she was right.
    Funny how something inside a person could change in so short a time.
    A moment after they reached the Den's main street, someone shouted, "Sebastian!" And there was Teaser, loping toward them, looking happy and relieved—until he saw her. Then he skidded to a stop.
    "I'll meet you at Philo's as soon as I have Lynnea settled in our room," Sebastian said.
    Teaser glanced at her. "But… I thought—"
    "Things changed," Sebastian snapped.
    Something flickered across Teaser's face—uneasiness? doubt?—but was gone before she could put a name to that feeling.
    "Right," Teaser said. "You got your room key?"
    Sebastian nodded. "But there's an extra key at the desk."
    "I took that one." Teaser shrugged, as if it meant nothing. "Been keeping the door of my room locked.
    Yours, too. If you need to put anything into the chiller, you can get into my room through the bathroom."
    Sebastian gave Teaser a long look, then nodded again.
    After giving her a hesitant smile, Teaser headed down the street.
    She and Sebastian followed at a slower pace. Now that she was almost to a place where she could set it down, the bundle weighed more with each step.
    When they reached the bordello, Sebastian shouldered the pack, then opened the front door for her before hefting the travel bag and carry basket.
    The man behind the desk just watched them as they crossed the lobby and started climbing the stairs.
    "Don't you usually lock your doors?" Lynnea asked as she watched Sebastian fish the key out of his pocket and turn the lock.
    "For privacy, but not to keep someone out when I'm not here."
    As soon as he pushed the door open, she hurried to the bed and, with a quiet groan, set down her bundle. Then she turned to face him, hoping her smile looked genuine.
    He just stood in the doorway, staring at her. Then he brought their bags and baskets far enough into the room to close the door.
    "You have to talk to Teaser and Philo," she said, becoming more and more nervous about the way his green eyes stared at her. "If you just tell me what a chiller is so I don't go looking at things I shouldn't, I can get things put away here." Especially the things she didn't want him to find just yet.
    He walked up to the bed and, firmly but gently, pushed her aside.
    "Sebastian."
    He unwrapped the sheet… and said nothing. Her heart pounded as he brushed his fingers over a wooden box and the leather carry case that held the sketching paper.
    He opened the box, then closed it again.
    "My cousins gave me this box a few years ago. Charcoals and leaded pencils in different weights. Aunt Nadia gave me the colored chalks." His fingers brushed the leather case. "Can't get this kind of paper in the Den. Not even on the black market. Aunt Nadia or Lee used to get it for me from one of the big cities, but there's no telling if that place is within reach anymore."
    He looked at her, and in his eyes she saw the struggle to hold back a flood of emotion. Even the trickle that was breaking through the dam of self-control left her breathless.
    "Thank you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He brushed his lips over her forehead, over her cheek, over her lips. "Thank you."
    Something was happening here. More than a sexual wanting. Something that made her afraid… and made her feel as if she could fly.
    "You have to talk to Philo and Teaser," she said.
    He rested his forehead against hers. "Yes."
    "Before you go, could you…"
    He raised his head. His eyes were full of heat, hunger. Something more.
    "… show me what the chiller is?"

    Sebastian pulled out a chair at one of Philo's indoor tables. Since the indoor room wasn't used except in bad weather, they had the place to themselves.
    Teaser came around the small bar at the back of the room, carrying a bottle of whiskey and glasses.
    "Philo will be along in a minute. Just has to finish up the last order."
    While Teaser poured the whiskey, Sebastian thought about Lynnea arguing with him to bring his sketches, carrying his art supplies in secret. Carrying his heart.
    And all he'd done was made it harder for her by being difficult.
    "How do you apologize to a woman for