Episode 52
“Here,trythisone.”Rominy holds the fudge square toward Elowyn.
“What is it?” she asks.
“I think it has caramel in it.”
She smiles at him from their blanket on the floor, where they’ve been having a candy picnic in their hotel room. “Caramel. Like your eyes.”
“My eyes?”
Nodding, she opens her mouth, and he lifts the chocolate to her lips.
Her lashes dust her cheeks, and she moans when the sweet hits her tongue. “That’s delightful. My favorite so far.”
He doesn’t bother hiding his smile. She’s said that at least four times already.
“We’ll have to get more of them before we leave Wolbourne tomorrow,” he says.
“And more of the ones you like with the flaked coconut inside.”
He sends another smile her way as he packs the rest of the sweets back in the wrappings they were sent in. “I think I’ll turn into a lump of chocolate to go with my caramel eyes if I eat more tonight.”
His words draw out her smile as the fire she lit in the hearth earlier casts an orange glow on her silver hair, making it look almost golden.
“We should retire soon, anyway,” she says. “So we can get an early start tomorrow.”
She’s so excited to ride the aerial tram. He’s even more eager to watch her enjoy it than he is to experience it again himself.
He clears his throat and looks toward the door. “I asked the hotel clerk to reserve the room next to this one when I ordered the candy.” Not that he wants to leave her, especially not after waking up beside her this morning.
And after all the kisses they shared today.
Not to mention the incident with the man on the street. That thought alone makes him want to insist on staying with her tonight, but he won’t. Not unless she asks him to stay.
He won’t force himself into her bed. The thought turns his stomach.
Tentatively, he looks back at her, trying to read her face. She has that same expression she had this morning when he avoided talk of the kiss they shared in the heartlanding.
His heart speeds up at the implications. “Unless...you want me to stay?”
Her lips move as if she’s trying to decide how to respond. Maybe he misread her.
Mustering a smile, he pushes himself to his knees. “It’s all right. I’ll see you in the heartlanding.”
Before he can talk himself out of it, he leans toward her and plants a soft kiss on her lips. Surely it’s all right to kiss her goodnight. She tastes like chocolate this time with a hint of smokiness, and when he pulls away, her expressive eyes flit back and forth between his. Still, she says nothing.
He trails his fingers down her cheek, fighting back the yearning to stay. To never leave her again. “Goodnight,Elowyn.” Dropping his hand, he rises to leave, but she reaches for his arm.
“Don’t go.”
He searches her face. “You want me to stay?”
“I do. Please.”
Her hand is warm through his shirtsleeve, his coat long abandoned. She feels feverish. Far warmer than she should be.
“Do you need more water?” he asks softly as he lowers himself to her side again. He’s done his best to ensure her cup is never empty for long.
