“Maybe we could wait on titles?” she asked quietly. “My life kind of feels like chaos right now.”
“Yeah,” Aevrin agreed, looking back down at her. He shouldn’t be disappointed when she was completely right. Cassia still had a problem to sort through, no matter how strong his feelings were. “That’s fair. I can wait. Long as you want.”
“Alright. And, I mean, if you change your mind,” she said, so casually it sounded like she thought he might, “that’s fine too. Don’t feel like you have to keep waiting on me if you ever decide you don’t want to.”
He made a face, confused.
“...Are you hopingI will?”
“No,” she said. “I just don’t want you to regret all the nice things you’re saying. If you ever realize you weren’t that serious about me.”
He blinked into the darkness.
“Uh… I’m not planning on that happening.”
“Alright. But I’m just saying. If it does, I understand.”
“Doyouthink I’m going to change my mind?”
“I’m not saying you will. I’m just saying youcould. People change their minds all the time.”
“Not me,” Aevrin informed her.
“Well, fine,” she said lightly. “We’ll see.”
“Really. I’m loyal.”
“I don’t doubt you are.” Cassia’s voice was airy now, careless.
“Seriously, Cassia,” he insisted.
“Alright,” she repeated. “Like I said. We’ll see.”
He was about to protest again when she caught him by the chin and dragged her fingers over his face, hunting for his mouth in the dark. Aevrin bent his head towards her, feeling the delicate trail of her touch like stars shining along his end-of-day stubble. For a moment her fingers rested against his lips. And then her mouth replaced her hands. Not tender or soft, but deep and demanding, a kiss that made his gut burn with desire.
He pulled her close by the low of her back, his mouth opening against hers. Cassia dragged a hand suggestively down his chest as her lips commanded more from him. He slid one of his hands into her trousers’ back pocket and squeezed her ass.
Whatever he’d been upset about, it couldn’t matter half as much as kissing Cassia Clarek.
Cassia
Theystayedoutlate,until Cassia’s lips felt swollen from all the rough, hungry kisses they’d shared. Surely it was alright, she told herself. She cared for Aevrin too much to push him away entirely. But if she kept him at arm's length emotionally, he’d have an out when he inevitably changed his mind. Until then, his hands were a welcome distraction from the swirl of panic in her mind.
The next day started quiet. As she took down laundry from the line, every noise she heard made Cassia’s heart jump into her throat. But though she hadn’t heard him do it, she could tell that Aevrin had spoken with his family about Larie’s news. Sorven poked his head out of the coop now and then, and even came back to the house to eat a long lunch on the front porch, even though she’d packed him one along with the other men’s.
What’s more, she’d noticed Gramma Prisca having a long mid-morning grallo out on the front porch, too, and wandering outside some twenty minutes after Sorven left, to peer down thewide open road and make sure no riders were headed towards them. Cassia felt a little ashamed that they felt the need, but she didn’t dare ask them to stop.
But no trouble came until just before dinner.
As the sauce she’d made came off the stove, she pulled the tray of dough-wrapped steaks out of the oven where they’d been keeping warm. The men had all come home five minutes prior. The table was set, the gravy, jennut, and peas ready. With her tongs Cassia transferred the steaks one by one from the hot baking pan to a platter dish.
Then there was a knock at the front door. She jumped, startled, and sighed. It was probably just Boone with news about the rustlers, or someone else the Rivekers knew. Aevrin, who’d been filling a pitcher from the kitchen’s reservoir, set it on the counter with a glance at Cassia and went to the doorway. Despite herself she peered out the kitchen window, but there was nobody visible from the kitchen in the dying evening light.
With a deep breath, Cassia forced herself to pick up the platter and start carrying it towards the dining room. She couldn’t act like she had a brick hanging over her head just because of some offhand comment Larie had made.
She heard a voice asking something from the porch, too muffled for her to make out or recognize even with her ears straining.
And then Aevrin, loud and angry. She’d never heard him sound like that.
