Different ceiling. Same thoughts.
Oh, to hell with that.
I rolled out of bed almost immediately and took a long, hot shower, erasing the druid’s smell from my skin and scrubbing off my makeup. A cup of hot tea would be nice right now. It would—hopefully—go a long way to soothing my runaway thoughts about opposing men.
Once patted down with a plush towel, I dressed quickly in a pair of black, fleece pajama pants and an oversized black sweater, and then proceeded to slink through the royal corridors. My nose wrinkled, noticing all the guards outside the different overlords’ bedroom doors. They pretended to ignore me, so I pretended to ignore them.
I started pulling my wet hair up into a ponytail and stepped into the shared private kitchen. A long sigh flew past my lips as my gaze ran over the two individuals inside the room. Apparently, the kitchen was never empty in the late hours. My muscles tensed, waiting to get harassed yet again.
Their kitchen from Hell. It wasn’t the place to be.
Lord Xenon glanced up from the white, round table where he sat. He sipped on what smelled like coffee from a red porcelain mug. His gaze traveled over my features while he drank. He watched as I finished yanking my hair into a ponytail, then he set his cup down gently on the table. With a wave of his hand toward the counter, he stated simply, “There’s coffee brewed already.”
My shoulders sagged, relaxing.
There would be no fighting tonight.
Cato snorted, also perusing my features. He placed his cell phone down on the table and tapped his fingers on the hardwood. “I don’t believe coffee is what she needs right now. There are tea and whiskey on the lower shelves.”
I must look as wonderful as I felt if my long lost asshole of a father could read my expression that plainly.
I didn’t even bother disagreeing.
I merely searched the bottom shelves until I did, indeed, find a bottle of whiskey and tea bags. I set about boiling water and then dropped a tea bag inside a mug with the scalding water. Then I rested with my forehead on one of the white cabinets, my back to the two overlords, and stared…stared…staredat the black speckled counter as if it had all the answers I searched for.
Maybe if I stared long enough, I’d figure this out.
A voice, a voice I knew too intimately, asked gently at my ear, “Are you hogging the whiskey?”
Iscreamed, jumping in place, like a damn child waking from a nightmare. I twisted in a blur, my hands gripping the counter behind me, my knuckles white. My chest heaved in enormous, labored breaths, pumping up and down as I stared at the new overlord who had joined the “party” in the kitchen. Eyes wide on my face, my cheeks paled under the blue and direct regard staring right into my soul.
From his perch at the table, Lord Xenon groaned and rubbed his temples. His voice was dry and not amused. “It’s too late for screaming. Please don’t startle her again.”
Lord Belshazzar took a step closer to me, our bare toes almost touching. An even tone flowed past his lips, even while his gaze held mine without mercy. “Scared, not startled.” His head cocked, his long, black hair slipping over his naked shoulder, the man barely dressed in only black dress slacks. “Did I catch you deep in thought about something?”
I swallowed. Or tried.
My fist flew up in front of my mouth as I coughed through my attempt to wet my dry throat. I peeked at him from under my lashes.
Caught glancing at him, his remarkable gaze never left mine.
I rubbed my forehead while we eyed one another. He was not a man I wanted to see tonight, a man who was plaguing my whacked thoughts.
In the end, I threw my shoulders back, finding my backbone—finally. I grumbled, “Yes, you did.”
His head was still cocked. He asked plainly, “I’m intrigued. What was it about?”
I ground my teeth together, not pleased with his line of questioning. He knew damn well what was upsetting me—some of it, anyway. But I kept my answer smooth. “I found pleasure tonight with someone, and that wasn’t the plan. I actually had…fun.”
“Ah.” Lord Belshazzar took a step back and crossed his arms. A tiny smile began to flirt with his lips. “Just to be clear, you’re only talking about sex, correct?”
I nodded.
Now I was curious what he would say.
He was older.
He had more experience than I had.
