Eventually, they looped back around to his bedroom. Talbot turned to her. “It’s getting late, and I know you must be tired from your travels. We can speak more tomorrow, if you wish.” He studied her intently.
Rose hesitated. The longer she was with him, the more fascinated she grew. It didn’t hurt in the least that he was beyond handsome … whateverthatwas. She just knew that she really liked looking at him. She wanted to continue to listen to his warm, rich voice. Not to mention, the thought of being alone in unfamiliar rooms unsettled her.
“Can we just sit for a while? There’s more I’d like to know about you.” She peeked up at him almost shyly.
Talbot’s expression softened. “Of course. It would be my honor.”
He showed her to an elegant, but cozy, sitting room just off the bedchambers. A mix of nervousness and anticipation bloomed in Rose’s chest at the intimacy of the setting. But she tamped it down.One step at a time.
“What would you like to know? You may ask me anything.” He sat down beside her on the plush couch.
Rose chewed on her bottom lip as she sifted through the dozens of questions that erupted in her head. “Do you alwaystalk so formally?”That’s the question you go with?Yes, it was because the other question that popped right into her head was, “How many babies do you want, and have you heard practice makes perfect?” She inwardly groaned. Being with the Kingdom of Silk had warped her mind. Or at least that’s the excuse she was going with.
“I’m much older than I look.” Talbot’s full lips turned slightly upward. “When I’m around some of my younger nest mates, I fall into their much morehipway of talking. But sometimes I revert to my past.” He tilted his head a little as he looked at her. “Does it bother you?”
Rose quickly shook her head. “Not at all. It’s just, you look my age, and yet you sound like you’re from the sixteenth century.”
“Not quitethatold.” He laughed, and his green eyes practically glowed with mirth. He was handsome when he wasn’t smiling. When he smiled, he was breathtaking.
“How old are you? I realize that’s not a polite thing to ask a lady, but considering we are mates, I’d like to know.”
“I’m twenty-four. I’ll be twenty-five in a month.” Rose knew she looked closer to nineteen than to twenty-five.
“You also appear younger than you are,” Talbot said, as if reading her thoughts.
She held up her hands as she felt her skin burn with the heat of a blush. “I’m not jailbait.”
“Believe me, I am thankful for that. I wouldn’t want you to think I was some creep attracted to young females. Truth be told, I’ve not been in any serious relationships.”
Rose’s eyes widened. He’d basically admitted he was centuries old. And in all that time he’d dated no one seriously or even married? “How?” she blurted before she could censor her tongue. “I mean, I’ve never dated anyone, andthat’sweird for a human. How can you have been alive all this time and notbeen in a relationship?” Did it sound like she was complaining? Because Rose wasmostdefinitely not. She found herself relieved. Granted, “no serious relationships” didn’t necessarily mean “no bed partners.”
“Why are you upset?” Talbot’s forehead was drawn down into a deep V.
“Why do you think I’m upset?” Did she look upset? Was she really that bad at masking her emotions?
“I can feel it,” Talbot said gently. “Not strongly, but it’s definitely there. Like waves rolling off of you and onto me.”
“Is that normal?”
Talbot nodded. “It’s a mate thing. You will be able to feel my emotions as well. The bond will only grow stronger the more we are together and as our relationship progresses. I should probably warn you that Damarian males of any species are very protective and territorial about their mates.”
Rose was still focused on the fact that he could feel her emotions. Did that mean he felt it when she was realizing her attraction for him?Please shoot me now.
A cool hand on hers drew her from her inner thoughts. Talbot’s larger hand wrapped around hers where it sat in her lap. “Please don’t feel embarrassed. If you focus on me, you’ll feel what I’m feeling. Give it a try.” He scooted closer to her until their bodies touched from shoulder to hip. She shivered, noticing that his body wasn’t warm.He’s a snake, Goober. Cold-blooded.
Rose’s cheeks burned. Great, he could totally feel how flustered she was right now through their weird, new supernatural bond. She shouldn’t have checked him out so obviously when they were talking. But she couldn’t help admiring the lean lines of his shoulders and the way he moved so gracefully, like the serpent he could become. He was sensual and masculine at the same time.
“Sorry about that,” she mumbled, embarrassed that he apparently sensed her not-so-innocent thoughts. “Didn’t mean to objectify you or anything.” She begged the universe for a hole to open up and swallow her. No such luck.
Talbot’s voice was gentle when he replied. “No need to apologize. It’s only natural to be curious about your future partner.”
Yet, Rose felt there was definitely more than just “natural curiosity” awakened in her. Being near Talbot stirred up feelings way more intense than she knew how to handle.
“Focus.” He quietly encouraged her to try sensing his emotions through their connection. Rose hesitantly concentrated on that new presence she could barely feel in the back of her mind. Her eyes widened in shock.
Raw, unmistakable desire flowed from Talbot’s side of the bond. Not a mild crush, or so-called curiosity. This was an intense, bone-deep yearning echoing her own.
Rose’s gaze flew to his, stunned. Talbot held her eyes steadily, his striking green ones burning with need.
