He held a cookie up to his temple and did a little salute with it before turning to walk away. Just before he disappeared, he turned around, his irises ringed with magic.
“Oh, by the way, Moira?”
I tilted my head.
His eyes gleamed. “Wolves have an extremely acute sense of smell. I had no idea food was your…thing.”
A wicked grin slashed his face, sending my loins into overdrive before he disappeared in a mist of blue and gold.
Oh my gods. I’d forgotten. Not a single person had made me feel desire like he had inyears. HOW THE FUCK COULD I FORGET WOLVES COULD SMELL SHIT LIKE ME BEING HORNY?
Maybe because I hadn’t been legitimately horny in probably ten years.
I let out a bloodcurdling scream of horror.
Several hours later,I awoke in the middle of a black night, stirred from a deep sleep by something unknown. My eyes focused immediately, spotting the large brown paper bag six inches away.
I froze, all my senses on high alert, but there was no one around for miles.
Wary, I pulled the bag closer and peered inside. A folded note lay on top of something that smelled delicious. My mouth watered as I unfolded the paper.
Thank you for the cookies. I hope these help ease the pain of a cold winter’s night.
Ethan’s bold signature was scrawled below.
Warmth filled me. If I ever saw him again, I’d probably die, but there was food in this bag. Hot, delicious smelling food. With no shame, I dug in to investigate.
Chicken fried steak, mac and cheese, and roasted broccoli, still hot, lay in the first container. The second held a massive slice of coconut cake. The third held banana pudding.
Gods. Was it possible to fall in love via food delivery?
I frowned as I fished around the still-not-empty bag. I pulled out a large, flexible parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied with a long string of blue twine, then a separate, smaller parcel wrapped in the same.
The first held a battery-operated electric blanket. The other was a blue cashmere cap with ear flaps and a stunning cashmere scarf in blue and gold.
I’d never look at the two colors the same again.
Ethan must have spent several hundred dollars on this. I wrapped the scarf around my neck and pressed my nose into the deliciously soft fabric, inhaling Ethan’s unique, spicy scent. No one else had handled this. There was the faint tang of several scents, older now and probably belonging to the people who’d made and packaged the item, but Ethan’s scent was the most prominent. The cap and blanket smelled the same.
Knowing he hadn’t outsourced this to a company or a personal assistant made another tiny hairline fracture around that stone surrounding my heart.
I scarfed down the food, moaning at how good it was, and snuggled up with the warm blanket when I was finished. I’d have to get it dry-cleaned when everything was done. Staying out in the wilderness wasn’t good for any fabric, but terrible for cashmere. The thought of wiping away his scent bothered me, and I squirmed uncomfortably.
Falling in love with a Lord would be all kinds of dumb.
I was not dumb. All the foolishness inside of me had died many years ago. I was no longer that tender girl, the one made of curves and soft edges. Life had honed me until I was only teeth and claws and fury. There was no room in my heart anymore for something silly likelove.
But I could definitely get behind a bad case of lust.
My eyes drifted shut, the image of Ethan emblazoned in my mind as sleep claimed me.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
By the time the earth freed me, I hated Thorvin with the fire of a thousand suns and wanted to punch him in the face over and over again. I lay on my side, completely drained of magic, the first time I could remember this ever happening.
Moira’s cool hand rested on my back. “You’re safe,” she promised.
