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New flowers bloomed, as if to prove her claim.
He didn’t want to be charmed by this, by her, but… He was undeniably charmed.
“Are we in the middle of a truce?” she asked. “I need to hear you say the words.”
“We…are.”
“Excellent.” She gripped his arm with one hand and pointed to somewhere high up with the other. “I must have it. As my ally, you’re obligated to fetch it for me.”
The touch, slight though it was, scorched him. Heart thumping, he followed the line of her outstretched finger but found nothing extraordinary. “What must I fetch, goddess?” Whatever it was, he would acquire it, no matter the labor involved. Because…just because. He didn’t need to explain himself to anyone, least of all himself!
“The cherry-red fruit high, high in the tree. See?” She turned her body into his and batted her lashes at him. Sunlight bathed her flawless features, painting her flesh with a golden glow. “Pluck it for me. Help satisfy my hunger.”
He gulped. Such wonder for a piece of fruit? Helpless to resist her—in this, only this—he flared his wings and flew up, reaching out.
“Not that one,” she called. “No, not that one, either. Nope. Nope. Brochan, were you even listening to me when I described the object of my desire? I said cherry-red, not merlot, scarlet, apple or garnet. No, not sangria or currant, either. Yes! That’s it. That’s the one.”
She certainly knew what she wanted. He’d always admired that about her. A trait he’d noticed right away. She’d locked her gaze on McCadden and never deviated. Until she’d won him.
Scowling, Brochan plucked the fruit as directed, then floated to his feet and offered her the gift.
With a blindingly bright smile, she accepted and peeled the skin, revealing plump, silvery berries sectioned by a large pit. “They’re the same color as your eyes. So pretty.”
His scowl melted away as he blinked. “You like my eyes?”
“Very much.” To his surprise, she offered the first berry to him, a payment of sorts.
Poison? Did he care? As he opened, unable to resist temptation, she placed the fruit upon his tongue. He closed his mouth around her fingers and sucked, sweetness awakening his taste buds.
Her pupils expanded, and her lips parted. Then she chuckled. “Naughty beast.”
Muscles clenched in reflex. The need to sweep her into his arms threatened to unman him. Everything about this woman seduced him. As if she were made for him.
What if she was his mate?
He gnashed his molars. How many others had felt this way about her?
“If you could have any woman,” she said as they continued their stroll, sharing and finishing the fruit, “who is it, and why is it me? I expect to hear the top three reasons. Minimum.”
He should deny her assumption. If he did, he would be lying. Only cowards lied.
Focus on anything else. “How did you occupy your time this week?”
Like him, she allowed a subject change without protest. “The same way you did, I’m sure. Imagining all the things you wished you’d done to me while I showered.”
The bluntly stated truth nailed him straight in the gut. “Cease attempting to garner softer emotions from me, goddess. Be honest with me for once.”
“I am honest with you always, Brochan.” Wink. “Always sometimes.”
This playful side of her unnerved him, reminding him of a thousand other questions he’d entertained since his return. Where was her sadness? Her worry for her beloved pet? Or had she abandoned him, too?
“Why did you begin cleaning the bedchamber today?” he asked harsher than intended. She’d done it the same day she’d experienced a burst of excitement. That wasn’t a coincidence. Something had happened.
“Why does it matter? You abandoned me,” she said, each word hardening. “You wanted me weak so I’d willingly bargain away the key.”
Shame attempted to spark. Ignore. “Yet you strengthened. How?”
Smug, she flipped her hair. “Maybe I fell in love with myself again. You’ve met me, right? We can both agree no one’s more admirable.”
“Or sexier,” he grumbled without thought. His cheeks heated. Perhaps she hadn’t heard—
She darted in front of him and twirled into him, forcing him to stop and grab her, lest his big body fling hers to the ground. “I knew you craved me!”
“That isn’t what I said.”
“But it’s what you meant.”
Probably. How well she fit his grip. “Do you wish to hear my admission? Very well. Give me the key you aren’t using, and I’ll describe every sordid fantasy I’ve ever had about you.”
With a roll of her eyes, she said, “First of all, you’ll describe every sordid fantasy no matter what. You won’t be able to help yourself. Second, who says I’m not using the key? For your information, I like to maintain an escape pad from my legion of admirers.”
“Give me the key, save McCadden’s life, and I’ll cancel your debt to me.”
