Taroc was right. I smelled my way to a stall, then read the descriptions of the food. It was easy to select my dinner. I went with a spiced curry that came with flatbread. Taroc paid for it, then while it was being prepared, he went to purchase his dinner—steak with roasted potatoes and a small loaf of bread. The steak was larger than my head.
Once we both had our food, he found an empty table for us, got me settled at it, then fetched us some drinks—wine for me and ale for him.
“This is perfect,” I said as he sat down. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.” He nodded at my food. “Go on. Give it a try. If you don't like it, I'll buy you something else.”
I took a bite, chewed, and moaned.
“I'll assume that means you like it,” he said.
“I do.” I looked around. “And I don't feel so awkward, as I do sometimes in a nice restaurant. I don't have to worry about someone interrupting us to ask how we're doing.”
Taroc chuckled. “Yeah, I prefer eating like this as well.”
“That doesn't surprise me.”
We ate in companionable silence for a few minutes.
Then I asked, “So what have you learned about me tonight?”
I expected Taroc to think about it, but he answered immediately. “You want to keep some of your independence. It's especially important to you now that you're involved with three men. But you also like to be taken care of. That embarrasses you a little, though it shouldn't. I happen to like looking after you.”
I gaped at him.
“You don't take enough time for yourself,” he went on. “I think it's because you want everyone around you to be happy, so you let your needs get shoved aside. You're not a pushover, but you need to stand up for yourself more and you know that. You're feeling a bit overwhelmed with so many alpha males in your life. Your voice feels small compared to theirs. Again, you know that's wrong, that you're the most important person in their lives, more important than themselves even. But still, you feel that way, and that's that.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“I didn't learn all of that today, mind you,” he said. “The independence stuff, yes. Oh, and you look good in warm colors.” He winked at me.
I took a bite of my curry, chewed, and tried to compose myself. Being seen was important to me, especially after all those years I spent hiding. And Taroc saw me. He was a man who paid attention. Not just to me. To everything around him. He was always watching. He had learned about me, but he also learned about Jathalion. Nothing got by this man.
“You forgot one more thing you learned about me today,” I said.
“Oh? What's that?”
“That I like you, Taroc. A lot.”
He grinned broadly. “I didn't forget. But thanks for the reminder.”
After we finished our meal, I asked, “How about you let me have some of my precious independence and buy us dessert?”
“All right.” He gathered our dirty plates and returned them to the proper stalls. Then he took my hand and led me to the lift. “There's a bakery down the street that makes the best custard buns I've ever had.”
“Sounds perfect.”
And it was. The whole fucking night was perfect.
Chapter Eighteen
After that night, Taroc started joining us for meals. But only if he happened to be in the dining hall when we were. He didn't make an effort to time it so that we were there together. Probably because that would have been nearly impossible to do. Me and my men didn't have a scheduled time to eat. But also, Taroc wasn't the kind of guy to go through so much trouble just to eat with a potential lover. And when he did catch us for breakfast, he didn't say much, sitting there in silence as was his way. I kind of loved that. Taroc was a watcher, not a loner. He didn't keep himself apart from everyone. He looked and listened, gathering information before he chose who to interact with.
I felt flattered that he'd chosen to interact with me.
Our next dinner date was a few days later. It was a normal restaurant this time. Normal but a bit fancy. We had done casual and now he wanted fussy, despite his preference for the opposite. I guess that said something about him. But I wasn't sure what. Maybe he had certain standards to adhere to when courting progressed. Maybe he felt it was traditional to take his date somewhere nice. Or maybe he just felt like getting waited on.
We sat at a table set with translucent porcelain, sparkling crystal, and polished silver. A small crystal chandelier hung above us. It was a complete turnaround from the bare wood trestle table we had dined at in Balmara. As much as I had enjoyed that, it was fun to dress up in my new clothes and see Taroc decked out in his finery too. And my, oh, my was he glorious.
