“All this just foryou,” Pharis said.
Releasing my hand from his arm, he turned to face me and gave me a little bow. “My esteem shines upon you, my lady.”
I laughed, feeling giddy. He was reenacting our entire first meeting. “And mine upon you.”
Pharis waved toward a table laden with food near the large windows that looked out over the ocean.
“May I offer you some refreshment?”
I put a hand over my nervous stomach. “Perhaps later. I don’t think I could eat anything just now.”
Pharis’ smile dropped.
“Uh oh. This isn’t going very well. I’m getting flashbacks of ego-crushing rejection.”
I laughed out loud, recalling how I’d rebuffed all his initial attempts to spend time with me that night, but only because I was terrified he’d figure out my secret identity and expose me.
“It’s going fine,” I assured him. “Ask me to dance.”
Pharis blew out an exaggerated breath and gave me a brilliant smile, holding out his hand.
“Would you care to dance, my lady?”
I placed my trembling fingers in his. “I wouldloveto.”
Leading me in the slowest and easiest of Elven traditional dances, he rested a large hand on my back and pulled me close to him. He looked down at me like a man who’d just discovered a treasure chest and opened it to find it overflowing with precious jewels and gold.
It gave me shivers in some parts of my body and had others tingling in anticipation.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered.
You… are magnificent,I said mind to mind.
He grinned, making him even more handsome.Magnificent? Good word. I like it.
“I believe you promised me a story,” I reminded him.
“That I did.”
As we moved together to the enchanting Elven music, Pharis began telling me about the night we met from his perspective.
“As I’ve mentioned on a couple of occasions, Stellon asked me to help him that night by gleaning the matchmaker’s glamour.”
I nodded. “Right. And it told you I was the worst match in the entire assembly.”
“For him,” Pharis clarified.
He inhaled and swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple traveling visibly up and down his throat.
“And I’ve already told you how overwhelmed I’ve always been by your beauty and other charms, in your Elvenandhuman forms.”
“Overwhelmed.That’sa good word. I like it.”
“Don’t even pretend to be surprised,” Pharis said. “I’ve made an absolute fool of myself, following you around like a puppy since practically the moment we met.”
“I like puppies, too,” I joked. “Please, do go on.”
“The part I didn’t mention, was the matchmaking glamour told me… you weremyperfect match,” Pharis said.
