“Sorry. I haven’t woken up in a room with someone in a long time. I wasn’t expecting you there.”
“Don’t worry, I stayed over here...in the other bed.”
She flops onto her back and lets out a breath, relieved.
“Not exactly the response I was hoping for from my fiancée.”
“I’m traditional, Connor.”
“I’m aware and respect that, but I wouldn’t object to a snuggle.” The kiss from last night comes into focus—and what a kiss it was.
“Please let me wake up first.” Her voice is especially smoky, her French accent especially thick.
But the snuggle doesn’t come. Instead, she gets an urgent long-distance call from the Board of Regents at Blancbourg and then has to fire off a series of emails. So far away, it’s easy to forget that she runs a school.
All too soon, we have to get ready for the wedding. Per my brother’s request, I wear a button-down shirt and dress pants.
Cateline emerges from the hotel bathroom wearing the red dress I picked up off her floor and dangly earrings. As usual, her hair is in a bun. I miss mine.
“You look dazzling,” I whisper.
“And you look underdressed for a wedding.”
“When I suggested you wear that, I wasn’t thinking about the dress code for Cain’s big day.”
“Then I’m overdressed.”
“No, you’re perfect.” I take her hand, lift it overhead, and spin her in a circle, checking her out.
“But I can’t outshine the bride.”
“You can in my eyes.”
“Oh, stop. Your wolfish lines don’t work on me.”
“Lines? Just speaking the truth.”
“And just how long will you be able to pull that off?”
“My, my, someone is prickly today.”
She lets out a short breath. “It’s just, things at Blancbourg aren’t good.” I’ll never get tired of hearing her voice say words like that or simple ones likehello.
Wolfeon Cateline’s lips is my favorite.
“I’m here to listen if you need to rant.”
She waves off my offer and finishes getting ready.
We go to the Jeep and I help her in, inhaling her lavender scent. I hold my breath until I get behind the wheel, if only so I can sustain myself until I inhale again.
“We’ll have to play a game,” she says.
“Football?”
“No. A we-don’t-despise-each-other game.”
“We don’t despise each other. And I thought you didn’t play games.”
