“What do you usually eat in that bar?” Torin sipped his wine. “The one where I met you? Is that a regular spot for you?”
I blinked at him, struck by the banality of the question when my thoughts had spiraled off on such a wild tangent. When I caught his eye, I had the impression that he’d been able to precisely read the look on my face or had detected the slight crack in my voice when I’d said home. And he must have realized how desperately I craved normalcy at that moment.
Shocking, how easily he could read what I needed.
“Yes,” I answered at last. “I went there a lot with Shalini. Taco Tuesdays, especially. But I was usually broke, so I got nachos. They were cheaper.” Never in my life would I have guessed my voice would one day crack with emotion at the word nachos, but here we were.
“Nachos,” he repeated slowly. I had a feeling he had no idea what they were, but he was trying to play along. “Will you have this again when you return home?”
“With Shalini.” I blinked, trying to clear the tears from my eyes. “But this food is amazing, Torin. I feel confident in saying it’s the best thing you’ve ever done.” I licked my fingers—a disgusting habit, and something I never would have done if I hadn’t been starved for a week.
Lightning flashed, and a few moments later, rain started to hammer against the window. Outside, a storm picked up.
“Where do you plan to sleep, by the way?” I asked.
“Out here.”
“On the floor?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized I’d have to approach this carefully. The truth was, I didn’t want the guilt of a battered hero sleeping on stone while I had the cozy bed, but I couldn’t just come out and say that he needed looking after. He’d immediately reject it.
I frowned at him. “I’d feel better if you and I were in the same room. For one thing, I might need you to protect me from another monster. And also, I’ll get cold.”
His blue eyes glowed brighter. “First the bath, and now you’re inviting me to bed?”
“For safety reasons. I know you’re saving yourself for marriage, but I’m sure you can restrain yourself around me.”
“First of all, I said no such thing about saving myself. Second, I can restrain myself, changeling.” A lazy smile curled his lips. “But you, on the other hand? I saw how you looked at me in the bath. Beautiful muscles, I think you said.”
I pulled another piece of meat off. I hadn’t managed to find any cutlery. “Oh, bless your heart. I was looking at you as food. Just like I think this pheasant has beautiful thighs.”
He arched an eyebrow, pinning me with his intense gaze under thick black eyelashes. The warm light danced over his sculpted cheekbones. “Fine. Bed it is.”
I crawled under the covers, sinking into the most comfortable, downy-soft bed I’d ever seen. My thigh muscles felt cramped and exhausted, but my body was cocooned in softness, melting into the bed itself. And with the rain pattering against the window, my eyes were already starting to close.
But they snapped open when I heard Torin enter the room, his dark hair ruffled. Still, he somehow looked model-perfect in the silvery light, and he’d already taken off the small shirt. In fact, now he was wearing nothing but one of the pairs of shorts I’d found, shorts that were extremely tight. Low on his hips, they showed off every inch of his cut abs.
Was he doing this on purpose to prove something? Given the devilish look in his eyes, I’d say yes.
I closed my eyes, his words from Faerie echoing in my mind.
Because if it were you and me, in the oak grove on Beltane, I would have you screaming my name. Calling me your king. I would have your body responding to my every command, shuddering with pleasure underneath me, until you forgot the human world existed at all…
He ran a hand through his hair as he approached the bed, his eyes locked on me in a way that made heat swoop through my belly.
I rolled over, determined to sink into the bed and fall asleep.
My eyes drifted closed, but I knew the truth. I wasn’t going to get a moment’s sleep with Torin next to me, nearly naked. If we get out of here, he’s going to marry some judgmental Seelie princess, I reminded myself.
I tried to picture him walking down the aisle with Moria by his side. How stunning they would look together.
I pulled the sheets up around my chin.
As soon as Torin slid into the bed, his delicious oaky scent wrapped around me, and I felt his heat, his power radiating off him.
When his bicep brushed against my back, my pulse started to gallop at full speed .