"Curses left and right," I sigh.
"Everywhere but right here," Silas brags before going into the bedroom to change.
I roll my eyes and tidy the kitchen, ensuring nothing burns in Baelfire's absence. By the time Silas slips into one of the coats on the coat rack and leaves the cabin, I'm a nervous wreck once again.
Because I'm alone here with Maven. Who I can't stop thinking about.
As if the gods are testing me, my keeper comes out in only an oversized black hoodie—no pants. I'm not sure if she's wearing panties.
I realize I've been staring at her legs far too hard, trying to figure out that little mystery, when she grins and hops up to sit on one of the counters.
"This a better angle for you?" she teases.
I whirl around, pretending to check a steaming casserole dish on the counter to hide the heat on my face.
"Um…no, I was just—sorry."
I hear a soft scraping sound and look over to see her twirling a little dagger on the kitchen counter beside her, her gaze far away. It's not Pierce. Where did she even pull that thing from?
And since I'm weak, I glance down between her legs to see that she's wearing lacy black panties under her hoodie that has ridden up to show off her legs.
When my keeper speaks, I'm still frozen with longing, my gaze locked on those beautiful thighs begging to be touched.
“If you’re not too busy staring, what’s in the bags?”
I startle so hard that I almost knock the casserole dish off the counter. "Shit, I didn't mean to…um, they’re gifts. For you.”
Maven blinks. “Why would you get me gifts?”
“First of all, I always want to get you gifts. But second of all, it’s a Starfall Eve tradition. Humans have been giving gifts to celebrate the end of the reign of monsters for a long time. The humans even invented some old tale about an old guy with a beard in a garish red suit who passed out gifts to the poor right after the wars.”
“Like that guy you gave money to. Seemed generous.”
I shrug. “Yeah, well…it’s an overly commercialized holiday, but the perk is that there’s a lot of charity this time of year. More importantly, I get an excuse to spoil you. Not that this is much, since we’re out in the boonies, but…here.”
I pull out the first item from one of the bags: an oversized, comfortable, skull-patterned black hoodie. I have no idea if Maven will like it, but?—
Her face lights up.
I go weak in the knees.
Holy shit, I love being the reason for that expression on her pretty face. I swear to myself that as soon as we’re not on the run, I’m going to buy her the entire fucking world just to see more of that look she’s wearing right now.
She accepts the hoodie with a grin when I offer it. “Thank you.” Then her brow furrows. “Fuck, I didn’t get you anyth?—”
“I also got you this,” I interrupt because there’s no way my keeper gets to feel bad about not following a tradition she knew nothing about.
She tips her head as she reads the label on the bottle. “Sore muscle massage oil?”
I nod, my cheeks warming as I realize she might not like this gift. “You push yourself hard constantly. I thought you probably get sore, and this might help. If you want. If you don’t like it?—”
“I do. Will you massage me with it?” Her smirk is teasing and tempting at the same time.
I fumble, swallowing hard as my heart starts to pound. “If…you want.”
“I do want.”
Maven slides off the counter, grabbing my free hand to still it. Only then do I realize I started fidgeting with the buttons of my wool car jacket.
