“Alaina will survive.” Sasha’s fingers curled around mine. “I’d rather keep talking. If that’s all right.”
“I’d like that too.” I urged her to stand and led her to the sofa in front of the fireplace, settling beside her close enough that our knees touched. “What would you like to talk about next?”
“Tell me something nobody else knows about you.”
The request caught me off guard. “That’s a dangerous question.”
“Is it?” She tilted her head, studying me. “You already know that my deepest fear is that caring about someone will mess with my judgment. Fair’s fair.”
She had a point. I considered what to share, what vulnerability I could offer that wouldn’t send her running. She said she wouldn’t but… I needed to figure out how to trust it.
“I’m terrified of becoming my father,” I finally said.
Sasha’s expression softened. “Because he was unfaithful?”
“Because he was selfish. He put his own desires above everything else. My mother loved him, and he threw that away for momentary pleasure.” The words tasted bitter. “Sometimes I wonder if that same selfishness lives in me. If I’m capable of the same betrayal.”
“You’re nothing like that.” Her certainty surprised me. “You’ve spent all day solving problems for your court. You personally tested our dinner ingredients to keep me safe. Those aren’t the actions of a selfish man.”
“Maybe I’m just good at performing care.”
“Dominic.” She shifted around to face me fully. “Do you know what I noticed today? In the greenhouse, you talked to the plants. You didn’t just touch them with magic, but you actually spoke encouragement to them. Nobody was there to see it but me, and you weren’t aware I was there at first. That’s not performance.”
The observation made my heart suddenly feel exposed. “You’re very good at seeing who people truly are.”
“Only when they’re worth seeing.” Her smile turned mischievous. “Though I have to admit, watching you charmthe kitchen staff was educational. You had them rushing around to help you within minutes.”
“Years of practice.” I grinned. “You weren’t so bad yourself. That moaning over the cakes was inspired.”
Color flooded her cheeks. “I was not moaning.”
“You absolutely were. Three separate times, if I’m counting correctly.” I leaned closer. “It was extremely distracting.”
“I was appreciating good food.”
“You were seducing an entire kitchen staff with your enthusiasm for pastries.”
She laughed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? Because Alaina offered you her recipes, Tomis gave you his best mixing secrets, and Nan looked ready to adopt you as her favorite royal.” I traced my thumb across her knuckles. “You have your own kind of charm, even if you don’t recognize it.”
“That’s just politeness.”
“No, it’s genuine interest in people. You asked real questions, listened to their answers, and made them feel valued. That’s not strategy, Sasha. That’s just you being wonderful.”
She looked down at our joined hands, vulnerability written across her features. “I don’t know how to accept compliments.”
“Then I’ll have to give you lots of practice.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Starting with the fact that you’re the smartest investigator I know.”
Her head tilted. “How many do you actually know?”
“Many.”
Her snort rang out. “Sure.”
“It’s true.”
“It’s methodology.”
