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“Not to me.”
His gaze probed me. What did he see? “Do you like art?”
“I don’t know much about it, but I’d love to learn. Would you show me what you like and tell me why?”
“I will.” His voice came out so light and happy it made my heart soar.
I couldn’t seem to hold myself back. I liked him. And while liking him was okay—we were going to have sex and get married—I liked him in a way that could turn into something that might leave me shattered.
“Would you like to see the inside of our home?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.
Our home.Why didn’t the thought of sharing this place with him scare me?
“I’d love to,” I said.
He placed his hand near the door, and a click rang out. “A bit of magic allowed in this world. I’ll teach it your touch when you move in.” He nudged the door open and swept his hand out for me to enter ahead of him.
I stepped into a cozy entryway and paused, taking in the simple stairs on the opposite side of the room leading up to an open loft with a rail spanning either side.
“I sit up there and contemplate things,” he said with a laugh.
“Have you drawn any conclusions yet?”
His gaze shot to me. “I suspect I’m close.”
Heat rose into my face. He couldn’t be speaking of me. “Maybe you’ll share your thoughts sometime.”
“I think I’ll eventually have to.” With a nod to his right, he led me into a good-sized living room.
“It’s so spacious and inviting.” I looked around with a grin, feeling like I’d stepped into one of my favorite movies. Crossing the room, I stood near the large fireplace built into the outer wall, unlit but still giving off a sense of comfort.
“I designed the fireplace,” he said. “Urging the builders to use the same stones as the walls. I wanted to give my home a natural, earthy feel.”
“It’s amazing.” I couldn’t stop smiling as I took it all in. Built in a timber frame design, he’d used simple white walls in between. The rough-hewn beams had to be eight inches across, and I couldn’t imagine where he’d found the trees.
“I had each beam cut through sustainable means, ensuring the construction crew carefully selected trees on land I own high in the mountains. It had to be kiln-dried, of course, or it would split. I’ve planted three times the number to replace those selected. A few had early disease, while others were so big, they consumed more than their share of the available resources, preventing younger trees from thriving.”
“I love that you thought of the trees before you cut them.” Few others would. They’d go in with big equipment and slice through everything, leaving devastation behind.
“Your trees don’t communicate like ours, but it is still important to respect ancient ones.”
I studied the painting hanging above the fireplace depicting what must be a scene from the fae realm. Sunlight dappled the lush forest, and a small cabin nestled among the trees. Wherever I looked, I picked out more amazing details.
He joined me, placing his hands on my shoulders from behind. I liked how he held me, as if he treasured me more than anything else. It gave me a heady feeling.
“See the sprites?” he asked, pointing to the bright flowers scattered across the forest floor.
I had to squint before I picked them out, and I sucked in my breath. “They’re tiny. And now that you’ve shown them to me, I see other hidden things, like small insects with bright little faces, clouds scattering across the sky in patterns that reveal leaping deer and soaring birds, plus the face in the tree in the center that at first glance looks like swirling bark.”
“He’s a friendly tree, but I couldn’t get him to smile.”
Amazed, I glanced up at him. “You painted this?”
He nodded. “It’s one I actually like.”
“I suspect you do more than contemplation on your loft.”
“I have a small studio there.”
