It’s a small victory, and for now I take it, stealing one more kiss and giving him a wide smile in return.
But the truth is, I’m not sure how long this moment’s going to last, and I’m pretty sure Baz is struggling with the same worries. Kirin too, judging from the glare he’s shooting Baz right now, staring wordlessly from the other side of the kitchen. After a long, uncomfortable silence bordering on tense, they finally embrace, wishing each other a Happy Harvest Eve. But Kirin’s energy is vacillating between angry and guarded, and a wave of Baz’s guilt hits me right in the chest.
Goddess,pleaselet us get through tonight without incident…
Turning back to the stove, I sprinkle in my homemade blend of spices and set the wine to simmer, then head off in search of Doc.
“Where’s our illustrious host?” I ask Ani.
“Still in his room.”
“Don’t tell me he’s sulking because you guys wouldn’t let him cook this year.”
“He said he’d be out soon,” Ani says. “But that was earlier. He’s been in there over an hour.”
“An hour? I better go check on him.” I head down the hallway, trying to keep my concerns at bay. The guys don’t seem worried, but why would Doc be hiding out fro his own Harvest Eve party?
Did something happen yesterday with Janelle and Casey? He checked in last night with a text—it didn’t sound like anything was wrong. Did they locate Phaines?
My stomach twists at the thought. It might explain why the stupid Hierophant card was stalking me all day, but… no. Doc wouldn’t sit on news like that.
“Doc?” I strum my fingers on the closed bedroom door, not wanting to startle him. “It’s Stevie. Are you in there?”
“Stevie? I’m… Sure, come on in.”
I step inside, closing the door behind me.
The room is small and a little stuffy, with a few basic pieces of generic bedroom furniture, some hotel-style wall art, and little else. Not surprising, considering this is just a temporary home for Doc. I glance quickly at the queen-sized bed, then look away. Generic or not, being in such close proximity to the place where Doc lays his head at night is already inspiring a few fantasies he’d certainly callhighly inappropriate.
“Stevie,” he says. “You look… you look beautiful.” He’s leaning back on the edge of a computer desk, head hung low, but he smiles when he sees me, his otherwise melancholy energy pulsing with desire.
“Thank you.” I lean forward and kiss him on the cheek, lingering just a moment to enjoy his clean scent. He’s dressed in dark gray trousers and a crisp white button-down, the top few buttons undone, and it’s taking every bit of my restraint not to run my fingers over that exposed stretch of skin.
Lingering one final moment, I reach behind him for the bottle I know he’s got stashed there and remove the cap, helping myself to a healthy swig.
Doc raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you were a fan of whiskey.”
“Not my favorite,” I admit as the liquid burns my throat. “But it’s Harvest Eve, and I’m determined to show my appreciation foreverything.”
Doc cracks a smile, there and gone again.
It’s quite, the closeness of the small room making it feel like we’re in our own private little world.
“I miss you,” I admit softly, passing him back the bottle. “I feel like we haven’t… connected much since the other night at Breath and Blade.”
“No, I suppose we haven’t.” Doc takes a swig, but he doesn’t say anything else, just looks down at the bottle and frowns, as if he thought it might have all the answers we seek and has just figured out the simple truth of it: whiskey doesn’t know shit.
“Doc, I wanted to thank you. For doing this. I… it’s been a long time since I’ve had anything evencloseto a family celebration.”
His energy pulses at the wordfamily, and I can’t help but wonder about his. He’s never mentioned much about his origins, about his home, about his life before becoming the illustrious Dr. Devane, and the more time I spend with him, the more I want to know him.
But just as I sense his energy, I also sense that now is not the time for prying questions.
More than anything, I think he really just wants to be left alone.
Swallowing my disappointment, I squeeze his arm.
“Listen, if something is upsetting you tonight, we can wrap it up out there. I know there’s a lot going on, and maybe you got in over your head with all of us.”
