I take a long drink, then attempt to smile. What do I do? Just the feel of him touching me makes me want to peel my own skin from my bones. I take another sip. After what just happened with Katherine, what would happen if I asked him to leave?
He sips his own wine, and an idea occurs to me. I set down my glass, then go retrieve both bottles. With a playful smirk I place them on the table. “I propose a new game.”
He lifts a curious brow.
I pick up the deck of cards. “Poker. Only, loser drinks a whole glass.”
“I think I’ll like this game,” he says with a wicked grin.
I fill his glass entirely before topping off mine. Then I deal the cards. I win the first hand. He downs his whole cup, and I refill it. I lose the next hand. I drink my whole glass.
I win the next two, then lose one.
I’m starting to feel the wine, but Caiden is visibly drunk. His words slur slightly. And based on his squinting, I think he’s having trouble seeing.
I win the next hand and cheer him on as he downs another glass of wine. At this point, he can’t even tell which cards he’s playing. I pour more for both of us and call for a toast to his health. He downs it all again without prompting.
He leans on me, his eyes glassy. He’s a happy drunk, thankfully. This time when he kisses me, I kiss him back, but I’m not thinking about Caiden. With the wine in my system, I can’t get Brevan out of my head.
It’s his mouth on mine. It’s his tongue teasing mine.
When I pull away from the kiss, Caiden’s eyes are heavy.
“Why don’t you come to bed?” I ask.
“I thought you’d ask never,” he slurs. “You-you’re beautiful. Even the hair.”
“Thank you.” It’s not easy helping him to the bed. I’m swaying a little on my feet and things are foggy, but I’m not drunk enough to lose awareness. I know what that’s like. I did that nightly for weeks after my brothers died. I don’t like to think about the fool I made of myself repeatedly during that time. Or what my brothers would think of me now.
I manage to pull back the blankets and get him on the bed. He giggles as I help him out of his tunic and trousers. I could go the rest of my life with never hearing this man make that sound again.
“You lie down. Be patient. I’ll be right back,” I tell him.
“I’ll be waiting,” he says.
I wink at him before I saunter toward the bathing chamber. I close the door behind me then run the faucet as cold as I can get it. I splash the water on my face to help me sober up.
Then, I lean against the wall and I wait.
By the time I leave the bathing chamber, Caiden is sound asleep. I cover him, then I strip off my clothes and slip on his tunic. I lie on top of most of the blankets, covering myself with only the top layer so I’ll have some warning if he wakes up wanting to touch me.
The cold water wasn’t enough to eliminate the wine’s effects, and soon, my eyes are too heavy to keep open.
Someone knocks on the door. I sit up at the same time as Caiden. He groans and rubs his head. He looks over at me, thendown at his naked body, then back at me. “Well, good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning,” I reply.
“Is that my tunic?” he asks.
I bite my lower lip and shrug.
“Looks good on you.”
The knock sounds again. Caiden tugs a blanket free from the bed and wraps it around his waist before going to open the door. I pull a blanket around myself and slide out of the bed.
“Coming,” Caiden calls. He pulls it open as wide as it can go and leaves it that way while he stumbles back into the room and starts picking up his abandoned clothes. “Wait there, I’m on my way out.”
I take a few steps toward the door and see Brevan standing there. For a second, his face falls, that mask of indifference slipping.
