“My father gave me this,” I say lightly, setting the pouch down with a satisfying thud. “So, you don’t need to worry. It didn’t cost you a thing.”
Auren’s expression doesn’t shift the way I expected. Instead of relief, his mouth presses into a thin line as he exhales slowly. “That’s not the point.”
I tilt my head. “Then what is the point, my dear husband?”
He leans forward, bracing his hands on the table, his gaze disapproving. “Do you remember that family at the gates? The one that was starving?”
I hesitate, shifting slightly in my seat. “Yes...”
“And do you remember how you balked when I gave them coin?” he asks pointedly. “And yet here you sit, wasting more money on one meal than they’ll see in months.”
Shame grips me like a vise. While I’d felt pity for them, I never thought to give them my money. It hadn’t even occurred to me. Heat rises to my cheeks as I stare down at the meal, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. I could have given them something, anything… but, I didn’t.
I open my mouth to say something, to acknowledge the truth he’s forcing me to face, but before I can, he sighs heavily and settles into the chair across from me.
“Let’s just eat,” he says.
I nod, the silence tense and uncomfortable as we begin our meal. I pick at my roasted meat, tearing a piece of bread absently, but the weight of my own carelessness sits heavily in my chest. Still, the food is warm, rich, and comforting after the long day of travel.
When I finish my lemon cake, I eye the one left untouched on his plate.
Auren notices immediately. Without a word, he nudges it toward me.
I shake my head quickly. “I—no, I shouldn’t.”
“Eat it,” he says simply.
I hesitate, propriety warring with desire. My governess always said a lady shouldn’t indulge too much. A lady should eat sweets modestly, carefully… but gods, I want it. Lemon cake is my favorite dessert.
Auren leans back in his chair, watching me with quiet amusement. “I’m not going to judge you for having an extra slice of cake, Vivienne.”
I huff but take it anyway, ignoring his knowing smirk as I pick up the delicate pastry and take a slow, savoring bite.
When I’m finished, he stands, stretching slightly. “Rest well. We have a long journey tomorrow. We’ll leave at dawn.”
I nod, watching as he strides to the shared door between our rooms and disappears through it without another word.
The wind howls outside as the storm grows stronger, rain pelting the windows as thunder booms overhead. The flickering flames in the hearth cast long shadows against the walls as I turn toward the massive, comfortable bed waiting for me.
A small pang of guilt twists in my chest as I glance at the mound of pillows. I took the extra ones in Auren’s room for myself, leaving him with only one.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I grab a pillow and knock on the door.
A moment later, it swings open.
My breath falters as Auren stands before me wearing only a pair of loose-knit pants, his lean, muscular torso bare, blue-gray skin catching the warm glow of the firelight.
He is breathtakingly handsome. My gaze skims over the sculpted ridges of his stomach, the powerful lines of his arms, the way his broad shoulders taper down to a narrow waist.
I’ve seen men shirtless before when discreetly watching my father’s knights at their practice. But there is something different about Auren. Something dangerous beneath the beauty that makes it hard to look away… and more difficult still to pretend I am unaffected.
I snap my eyes back to his far-too-smug expression, mortified that I’ve been caught ogling him.
He leans against the doorframe, a playful smirk on his gorgeous lips. “Something you need, my darling wife?”
“Here.” With an irritated huff, I shove the pillow at his chest. “I thought you might want an extra pillow.”
A teasing smile curves his mouth. “How generous of you to return the one you took from me in the first place.”
