AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Caspian tuts with a laugh, “So serious. What would you like to know about me?”
“Anything. Tell me about where you grew up. What you enjoyed. What you miss most. What you’ll do once you return.”
His eyes drop to the table, and he’s contemplative for a moment. “I grew up in somewhat of an extravagant lifestyle. My father was a very important person to our people. Everyone loved him and my mother until the day they died. My favorite place growing up was the lake just outside of the city. It had a beautiful waterfall and the lake was so clear you could see every creature and plant in it.”
He goes quiet, with a distant look to his eyes as if suddenly transported to that far away place. Even the waitress bringing out the remainder of our food isn’t enough to snap him out of his trance.
“Do you think it’s still as beautiful as you remember?” I keep my voice quiet, but his eyes snap to mine, and his sad features relax.
“I hope so.” He says softly, his gaze dropping to the plates in front of us. With a deep breath he tilts his head to the food, “Dig in before it gets cold. Dan would kill us if we wasted a good steak.”
I snort and cut into my steak, dipping it in aioli and plopping it in my mouth with a groan.
“Aioli. Aioli changes everything.” I mumble as I cut another bite, adding more aioli before shoveling it in my mouth.
A faint smile creeps across Caspian’s face as I savor the taste, shaking my head. “I can’t go back to regular steak after this. You know this right? I’m going to have to learn how to make this at home.”
We finish our meal as the waitress brings out two containers with a steak in each, and we head to the truck. The moment I get in, Dan’s sniffing echoes through the cab as Caspian and I share a look before opening both containers and putting them on the seat.
“Don’t make a mess, mutt” Caspian warns as Dan growls. His response is short-lived as he takes a bite of the steak and his tail wags, if it wasn’t part of his spine, I’d be worried itcould fly off.
Chapter 19
We drive for fifteen minutes and the route is winding with turns and twists. We gradually venture deeper into the woods until we’ve pulled off a paved road onto gravel. The pathway ends, and we cruise along a well-worn path big enough for the truck to fit through.
We continue down the road for a minute in silence, tree branches and leaves lightly slapping against the side of the truck.
I pull out my phone and quickly open up my music app, turning on ‘John Denver — Take Me Home, Country Roads’ and bite the inside of my cheek hard as I suppress a smile.
“You’re kidding me.” Caspian mumbles. Dan snorts from the back as we pull up to the house, and I turn off the music. Comedic effect reached, there was no need to drag the joke out.
We unload from the truck as Caspian opens the front door for us, “No dogs on the bed.” he raises a brow as Dan huffs, padding over to the living room before he disappears into the hallway.
I take a few steps forward and look around as Caspian turns to me, motioning for me to follow him.
We walk down the hall to the end, there’s an open door which leads to what I assume is a master bedroom by the look of the gigantic bed in the center. Caspian turns the knob of the door closest to us and extends his arm in a gesture for me to go inside. I take a step in and glance around, my jaw fully slack in varying levels of awe.
The room is warm and cozy inside, the walls are a light shade of tan and the bed is dark burgundy with a deep brown frame. There’s a tall wardrobe that matches the color of the bed and a full length mirror alongside the dresser.
There’s a closed door across from the bed and I eye it warily before glancing at Caspian who is staring at me with guarded emotions.
“The door leads to a personal bathroom. I’d never put you in a room where you would be connected to another room like that. I’d sooner have you sleep in my own bedroom and I’d sleep on the couch before I’d put you in that position.” his voice is level, but his eyes are bright as he speaks.
My face burns at the mention of his bed and I nod, hugging myself to soothe the butterflies roaring throughout my body.
I set my purse down on the dresser then turn to face Caspian, “Thank you.”
He nods as he walks to the doorway, “There’s towels in the bathroom, I grabbed some clothes to bring with us, they’re in the bag by the shower. Get some rest tonight.”
My gaze lingers on the closed door after he leaves, and I move to the bathroom, my jaw drops as I look around.
The room is intricate stone tile, the floors are warm and the countertop is marble with bright lights illuminating the entire area from the backlit mirror. The shower has two heads, one stationary waterfall and one a manual. There’s toiletries placed around the room, a new toothbrush and toothpaste next to the sink. He seriously thought of everything someone could need.
What a darling host, Mystery Man is.
Twisting the handle to turn on the shower, soon the chaos of life fades away with the cascading water. My skin is pruned and wrinkly by the time I get out, wrapping myself in a towel, I walk to the bag and sift through the clothes.
There’s a tank top, a sweater, sweats, jeans and a blouse. I roll my eyes at Caspian’s selection.
