Percival followed her gaze, then asked in a voice so uncharacteristically soft, “Do you know the story of the Star of the Lake?”
Lottie blinked up at him, shaking her head.
So he recounted it. His voice was low and steady as he told of a lonely star that fell from the heavens and found its reflection in a quiet lake. As the story unfolded, Aurelia listened while staring at his charming face under the moonlight.
By the time Percival had finished, Lottie’s limbs had grown heavy, her breathing soft and even in slumber.
The sight made him chuckle quietly. He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face with a tenderness that made Aurelia’s chest ache.
When he lifted his head, he caught her gaze.
Her lips parted.
He’s so beautiful like this.
“That was a lovely story,” she whispered.
He hesitated, looking deeply into her brown eyes. “My mother used to tell it to me.”
Her breath caught. He had never spoken of his mother before. The intimacy of it shook her, as though he had peeled back a layer of himself just for her.
They sat in silence, the moonlight painting them in silver. Their knees were nearly touching, their breaths mingling.
Her throat was dry, and all she wanted was for him to push past the limits. To lean closer.
As if he could hear her thoughts, Percival leaned in slowly. When he was close enough, when his warmth threatened to unravel her, her lashes lowered.
Come closer.
Her lips trembled in anticipation. But just as his mouth nearly brushed hers, Lottie stirred in her sleep, letting out a soft sigh.
Percival stopped, though his heart still hammered in his chest. Then, he pulled back slowly, smoothing his expression with a faint cough.
Aurelia turned her face away, though she stifled a laugh. Yet, her heart hurt from the interruption, her body aching with need.
She dared another glance at him, and she knew this wasn’t over. Not by far.
CHAPTER 29
Aurelia stepped out of Lottie’s room and pulled the door shut with a soft click. The little girl had been moved inside to sleep after dozing off in the garden.
The hallway was cool and quiet, yet Aurelia’s heart drummed because of the man standing in the dim light.
Percival.
He hadn’t moved since they had left the garden. His blue eyes found her in the dim light, without the need to say a word, for his silence was intimidating enough.
Aurelia breathed slowly.
Even in the shadows, her husband was devastatingly handsome. With his dark hair falling slightly across his brow and his mesmerizing blue gaze, he looked like a man carved to tempt ruin.
And the ruin was hers. Because her lips still tingled from a kiss they didn’t even share in the garden. The almost kiss still followed them, like a ghost lingering between their mouths, making the tension feel raw and alive in the narrow space between them.
“How is she?” he asked softly, breaking the silence.
“She’s sound asleep,” Aurelia whispered, as if raising her voice might shatter whatever was between them. “Peaceful.”
He gave a small nod. No more.
