I was thankful I didn’t need to sleep because I didn’t want to miss a moment of having Willow’s body pressed against mine.
Chapter 10
Willow
I’d never been good at waking up. It was a painful process that had to be done in increments, which included blearily squinting at my phone and accidentally smashing my finger on the snooze button.
After doing that several times, accompanied by a lot of mumbled cussing, I’d force myself to sit up. I’d made a deal with myself long ago that I didn’t have to get up right away. I was allowed to sit up and scroll through social media. After about ten minutes, I could comprehend enough to consider getting out of bed.
Today was different. No alarms were jarring me out of my dreams. I was able to drift into consciousness at a leisurely pace. The smell of coffee and breakfast teased me into wakefulness.
Before I even opened my eyes, I remembered the night before.
Receiving the symbolic key.
The frantic drive to Vie’s place.
The candles and a bed full of jewels.
The sex.
Theepicsex!
A satisfied grin stretched across my face. Blinking my eyes open, I sat up to find a table set up near the bed laden with platters of food. Vie was carefully plating some French toast. When he was done, he tossed the box aside to join a growing pile of boxes with the same restaurant logo and reached for another box on a chair.
His back was to me, and I watched his head come up, and he turned. “You’re awake!”
Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I tugged a sheet out of the tangle and wrapped it around myself.
“Good morning, Willow,” he said with a brilliant smile. He rushed the three strides to stand in front of me and sank down to his knees. “Did you sleep well? Are you hungry? I didn’t know what you’d like, so I ordered everything they had on the breakfast menu. If you want anything else, I can order it. Or I could take you there.”
My stomach was sending me all kinds of signals at the sight and smell of the food. Especially the coffee. Pulling one arm free from the sheet, I cupped his cheek and leaned over and gave him a little kiss.
“This is perfect,” I murmured.
“You’re sure?” he asked, moving his face to the side to nuzzle the palm of my hand.
“Yup,” I said, then looked around and saw my clothes in a pile on the floor. “Do you have a robe or anything I can borrow?”
“Yes!” he said, jumping to his feet and rushing to an armoire I hadn't noticed yesterday. I stood up so I could see better. He opened the mirrored door to reveal a few robes and shift dresses. He pulled out an amethyst-colored robe and brought it to me.“Sorrow said you might want something comfortable to wear after spending the night.”
I took the robe from him and slipped it on. I didn’t miss the way Vie watched every movement with absolute focus, as if I were about to do a magic trick. It was flattering and a little unnerving.
Once I belted the robe, I teased, “You were pretty confident assuming I’d need a robe because I would be spending the night.”
He moved past me and pulled a chair out for me. “Not confident at all,” he said with a chuckle. “I think the wordhopefulis more accurate.”
Before moving to the table, I shifted the bed pillows until I found the ruby from last night. I looked at the large, brilliant gem for a moment before tucking it into the robe’s pocket. I wasn't kidding when I told Vie that I believed we made the red jewel. What we shared last night was transcendent.
Moving to the table, I sat and reached for the mug of coffee, shocked at how hot it still was. Then I saw the small round hot plate under the mug. I set the mug down and lifted a platter to find another hot plate, perfectly sized for the platter.
“I had those delivered with the food,” he explained. “I wanted to make sure everything was ready when you woke up. I’ve heard humans complain about cold food.”
“The restaurant sent the warming pads?”
“No,” he said, then named a store I’d never heard of. With enough money, you could get anything delivered at any time of day or night. “Are you pleased?”
“Stellar sex last night and breakfast waiting for me this morning,” I said, giving him a big smile. “You’re the perfect man.”
