“Yes, you do.”
She huffs in frustration. “You’re saying Zeke somehow fell in love with me with one look but couldn’t handle it, so he used Seth to let himself feel everything he was too afraid to feel?”
“It’s possible.”
“No offense, Thorin, but that sounds like a load of baloney.”
I let out a low laugh. “Just wait. You’ll see.” I toss the bloodied gauze in a Ziploc bag, clean my hands, and pack up my first aid kit before standing.
“And in the meantime?” She speaks so quietly that I almost don’t hear the question. Aurelia’s gaze is on her lap and I lift her chin so her expressive, brown eyes are on mine. Right now,they’re full of longing, worry, and confusion. And hope. Hope that I’m right.
“In the meantime, you keep giving him hell, wolf.” I take her hand and help her stand. “Zeke already can’t take his eyes off you. Be yourself and you can be sure he won’t be able to take his mind off you either.”
“I never pegged you for a matchmaker, Thorin Thayer.”
I let my lips brush her temple. “I promised I’d take care of you.”
“I don’t want to confuse him into being with me, Thorin. Just because Seth likes me doesn’t mean Zeke has to.”
“I know that. And you won’t have to. Zeke will come running all on his own, pretty girl.”
“You promise?”
“Damn straight.” I kiss her forehead and then tip my head back to glare up at the tree she climbed. “Now tell me how you got up that tree. I didn’t teach you that.”
“No, this lovely thing called a childhood did.”
I grunt. “Smart-ass.”
“My parents actually had a tree like this one in our front yard. It was taller than our house and had branches big enough to fit a treehouse. My father started building me one before he died but never finished. He’d been working on that thing for over four years, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I was too old for a treehouse by the time he was almost done.”
“Are you rambling, Aurelia?”
She makes a choking sound at being caught. “Yes.”
“What’s on your mind? Tell me.”
“You.”
Grinning, I dip my head to run my nose along her neck.Fuck, she smells good.“Me?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What are you thinking about?” I purr as she runs her hands across my stomach.
“That you look nice today.”
“Only nice?”
“Handsome,” she amends.
My hands encircle her waist while my thumbs sweep her lower belly. “How handsome?”
“Hot handsome.”
“Stop,” I plead playfully. “I’ll blush.”
“You don’t blush,” she accuses with a grumble.
