“It was sweet.”
“It was inappropriate. You don’t need me opining on your romantic life.” He took another sip of the concoction in his glass. “Frankly, I wonder if you need me at all anymore. You’ve got the tree and some decorations. The cookies are a bust. I think you can figure out the meal.”
“Actually, both of those things are done.” She reached behind her and grabbed a box off the desk. “It turns out my mother has an affinity for Earth cookies and Cook knows how to make them.”
She thrust the pink box toward him, two perfect-looking chocolate chip cookies inside. He nabbed one and tried a bite. Not exactly the same as what he remembered from home, but far closer than he’d managed. “Delicious.”
“She helped me come up with a menu based on my aunt’s favorite foods. She swears they are all Earth inspired.”
Why did Liam’s chest feel like it was collapsing? “It sounds like you have everything under control then. So… will you be taking me back today?”
Although her lips bent into a smile, it didn’t reach her eyes and her gaze lingered on the hot beverage in her hands. “I’m afraid it will have to wait. Dimension hopping is exhausting, and I have to lead a very important meeting today.”
Too eagerly, he nodded. Fuck, Liam, stop acting like a lovestruck teenager. “Later is fine.”
Now her eyes were on him, her smile broadening. The delay seemed to improve her mood and left him wondering if she was struggling with the same inconvenient feelings of attachment as he was. Ridiculous emotions considering their circumstances. He had to remember that.
“I should probably get going. Make yourself comfortable. Tonight we can talk more about getting you home.” She stood and straightened the jacket on the silky pantsuit she was wearing.
“I meant what I said last night,” he blurted. “I was drunk but not too drunk to know what I was saying.” In his head, he kicked himself, furiously begging his mouth to shut the hell up. But for some reason, his heart and his brain wouldn’t listen.
“You said a lot of things, Liam. You were extremely critical of my decorating skills.” She slanted him a tight smile.
“I mean what I said about the men here. They must be intimidated by you. By your beauty and your intelligence. It’s not the wings. They’re just not man enough to handle someone like you. You unnerve them.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Do I unnerve you?”
Sliding his thumb along his jaw, he shook his head. “No, ma’am. If we were from the same world, I’d have no problem keeping up with you. I’d enjoy every second of it.”
Before she could turn away, he watched a gorgeous blush return to her cheeks. “But we’ll never know for sure because we are from different worlds, and as you said before, we can’t risk anything happening again, can we?”
Hearing his words thrown back at him was a blow to the chin. She was right of course, but fuck if he didn’t wish she wasn’t. “Right.”
She grabbed a portfolio from her desk and slipped out the door without another word.
Liam peered through a crack in the door to the meeting room, completely enraptured by Charlotte’s performance inside. She was leading something called the Elder Council. From what he’d gathered, ambassadors from each of the five kingdoms came together regularly in this meeting to resolve their disputes. He’d never taken an interest in politics, but he’d been standing there for over an hour, his feet growing sore, and he couldn’t bring himself to leave. She commanded the room as well as any leader he’d ever observed, handling delicate matters with panache.
“While I can appreciate your predicament, Ambassador Hermecles, I’m not sure what role you’d like the kingdom of Paragon to play. Are you asking for direct assistance dealing with the snails or economic support while you address the issue?” She gave the ambassador from Rogos her full attention.
“Charlie’s something else, isn’t she?”
Liam whirled to find a terrifyingly large man standing behind him with ghostly white hair and silvery eyes. If there was any doubt he was a dragon, it was dismissed the moment Liam saw the two taloned, bat-like wings hulking over his shoulders. Adding to his strange appearance, tattoos of mysterious symbols covered his exposed skin, everywhere but his face. All the dragons he’d met so far had struck him as potentially deadly. This dragon looked as if he wouldn’t just kill you but inhale your soul if he saw fit.
“Y-yes, she is,” he said, finding his voice. “She’s good at what she does.”
“Apologies if I startled you. I am Marius, Charlie’s uncle.” Another uncle. “You must be Liam. My brother tells me you’re helping her with a project.” Marius’s smile was friendly enough, if not exactly mollifying given his overall appearance.
“I am, although I think we’re almost done.”
“You’ll be anxious to go home then.”
Liam turned back toward Charlotte. Was he anxious to go home? No, he wasn’t. His chest tightened at the thought. He should say something though. It was going to happen whether he wanted it to or not. He glanced back at Marius and nodded, “I’ve enjoyed my time here, but I’m sure my absence on Earth has left a mess.”
“Charlie can help you clean that up. She’s great at wiping minds.”
Wiping minds? “Oh?”
“Yeah, she’ll probably ask to wipe yours with your consent. Not that we have anything to fear from you talking. No one would believe you. But it might be easier for you. Keep you from thinking you hallucinated all this. In fact, I recommend it for your mental health.”
