Does he have brain damage? Once again, we can return to hating each other.
But he did give me a compliment, so at the very least I should be appreciative. “Thank you.”
This dress, for the most part, has been itch-free, but as the evening’s worn on, there’s a spot tucked between my shoulder blades that’s aggravatingly scratchy.
I pulse my shoulders back and his brow furrows. “Something wrong?”
“No. It’s just…it itches.”
“Why don’t you use magic to fix it?”
Because I don’t have any,is definitely not the right response. “Sometimes that doesn’t work.”
“Here.” He runs a finger across my shoulders, and where it touches, fire dances. My stomach quivers and all I can focus on is the rough pads of his fingers as they lazily drag across my flesh, leaving heat in their wake. “Better?”
Did he ask me something? Earth to brain! Are you working? When I rotate my shoulders,the itch is miraculously gone.
“Yes, much.” I don’t even try keeping the awe from my voice. “You got rid of it.”
Red tinges the tops of his cheeks. “Sometimes we fae can do things right.”
“You definitely did that right.” Since he’s complimented me, I feel the need to say something nice to him. “You look…”
Feylin’s suit jacket fits him perfectly, accentuating shouldersthat look strong enough to sit on. His collar’s unbuttoned, and the white shirt underneath flares open, letting a few chest hairs peek out. His jaw flexes, making his dimple deepen, and highlighting those superhero cheekbones. His dark sapphire eyes smolder as he watches me watching him.
My mouth dries.
“You look very nice as well,” I barely manage.
We’re silent until we reach the tree. It looks innocent enough, just a bare tree waiting to fruit. No big deal. I can do this.
“Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not,” I lie. He turns back toward the people in attendance, and for the first time, I notice that the tops of his ears aren’t pointed. “Your ears,” I say before I think better of it. “They’re rounded.”
His hands fly to them. “They are? Are you sure?”
I roll my eyes.
He leans over conspiratorially, causing his amber and leather scent to cloud me. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Only one?”
“Okay, two.”
“Yes, you may.”
“Ah.” He wags a finger in a mocking scold. “But you didn’t ask if there’s a cost to those secrets.”
I cock my head in suspicion. “What sort of cost?”
“A secret for a secret.”
“If you tell me a secret, then I tell you one?” He gives a slow nod. It’s questionable whether this trade’s worth it. “That depends on how good your secret is.”
He drops his mouth to my ear.“It’s a very good secret,” he murmurs in a voice that makes my girlie parts throb.
“I’m not sure I believe you,” I reply weakly.
