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“It’s served in one of the shops near the Com Center. They import a lot of spices from the States.”
“Well, I love it.” She continued to sip while sitting up in Stone’s bed, still feeling very naked though she had the comforter wrapped around her.
He sat down in a wood and leather chair angled across from the bed, which meant it faced the windows and the emerging night sky. He leaned back and with his elbows on the dark wood armrests and the cup in both hands, he sipped along with her. He didn’t seem inclined to talk but fixed his gaze out on the lake.
With the low, wrought iron headboard positioned against the wall of windows, her view was of wood paneling, nice in its way but not the view she preferred. She craned her neck and saw that the protective day-shutters were already half raised, and the sky was filled with a beautiful lavender sunset.
She appreciated that she could look at this level of light, as could Stone, without suffering. She wouldn’t be able to tolerate but a few seconds standing in such light, but now that the sun was behind the hills, she could marvel at the beauty of the sunset.
“Why do you have the bed facing away from the lake?” She took another sip, the mug still in both hands. The warmth felt good against her fingers.
“It seemed right to me because this chair suits me better for viewing when evening comes. Once I’m done batting for the night, I’m usually dead asleep about two seconds after my head hits the pillow. But when I wake up, I like to sit right here.”
She wanted to see the lake at this hour as well, with the sun behind distant tree-studded hills and soft wispy clouds catching the last of the color. So, she made the decision to let her embarrassment go.
She rose up then turned around on her knees, careful to keep her coffee from spilling. She gasped softly since the entire lake was lavender. She knew her backside was fully exposed, but she didn’t care. This was worth it. “Oh, it’s so beautiful.”
“It certainly is.” She glanced back at him and saw that he was looking at her tush, his brows raised as he brought his cup to his lips. She was pretty sure she saw the tip of his tongue emerge before he sipped.
She chuckled softly. So, this was what she had missed through the years.
He waved her in his direction. “Come sit on my lap. Or better yet—” She watched him set his cup on a nearby table, then levitate. He moved toward the bed, caught up a knit gray afghan, cast it over her shoulders then picked her up in his arms.
She chuckled as she held her cup steady, looking up at him as he maneuvered her slowly through the air and back to his seat. He had her covered up and situated on his lap as though he’d done it a thousand times. And not once had her coffee sloshed in the cup.
Rosamunde leaned her head against his shoulder and couldn’t keep the tears from touching her cheeks. She’d never known this kind of relationship before.
As surreptitiously as possible, she wiped at her face. She was completely overcome. Maybe it was the sky full of a deepening lavender light, now graying at the edges.
Or maybe it was being cradled in Stone’s arms and so thoughtfully covered with the soft knit afghan.
Or maybe the cardamom flavored coffee.
She didn’t know, except that somewhere in her memories she could recall sitting on her father’s lap in a similar way as a very young child. This felt like family to her, the way a family was meant to be.
But her father had been killed while protecting the Fae Council in her kingdom.
A thousand years was a long time to be without kin of any kind. She had Lorelei, of course, though she rarely got to s
ee her. Maybe she’d make a greater connection once Margetta was defeated.
“I can feel you thinking very hard.”
She smiled and sighed. “I suppose I am. Your kindness, Stone, has undone me. I want you to know that straight out. I’ve been alone for a very long time and I forgot what this could be like.”
“But you had boyfriends occasionally?”
“Only a few times. My rank made long-term relationships very difficult.”
When she finished her coffee, she extended her arm across him to set the empty cup on the side table. Leaning back once more, she looked up at him. “I love that you brought me to your chair so I could see the sunset. This has meant a great deal to me, more than you can know.”
He looked very serious. “I can guess. And I’m sorry I held such harsh opinions of you.”
“But how could you have known the truth?”
“I would have never guessed, especially that you were Aralynn.”
“Now you know us both.”
