Xavier just kept grinning, like a little kid in a candy store. No. Likemein a candy store.
He leaned back in his chair, draping his arm across the back of my seat and flashing Damien a grin full of mischief—making me think of Sparrow at that very moment. Although they had different mothers, they were very much alike.
“Gwendolyn was checking out your ass,” Xavier drawled, stretching the words out slowly like he was savoring this way too much. “And now she’s too shy to even look you in the eye.”
Damien blinked, clearly caught off guard for half a second. Then he smiled, almost like he was satisfied with me reacting like this toward him.
I buried my face in Xavier’s chest—it really couldn’t get any more embarrassing for me.
Suddenly, I felt Damien’s hands pressing against mine, slowly turning my head toward him. I saw him crouching down next to me, his hand tilting up my chin until I had no choice but to meet his beautiful eyes.
“You don’t ever have to be shy with me, Gwendolyn,” he murmured, brushing his thumb lightly along my jawline. “You want to stare? Then stare. Every inch of my body is yours to indulge.”
I almost fell off my chair as the words slipped past his lips. He pressed a soft, almost reassuring kiss on my hand, before he stood up, opening the glass vitrines from the cakes.
“And it isn’t like I didn’t stare at you…” he added. Memories from the meet-up in Xavier’s bedroom flashed to mind, where I was standing naked in front of him.
“Now,” Xavier said, his tone still amused, “are you going to sit here blushing all night... or are you going to help us pick whichone of these ridiculously sweet things you’re eating first?”
I gazed at the different types of cakes; some were shaped like flowers, others like a half-moon. One even had flowers on the surface, resembling more of a garden than a cake.
But one in particular caught my eye. It was a lavender cake, shimmering an almost silver-green. It reminded me so much of the scales of Damien’s dragon form.
“This one.”
All of a sudden, something cold and small brushed across my skin. It seemed to be a little blueish-silver branch on my shoulder—a pixie. She was the size of a small finger, and had little wings.
“Well, that’s why it is called the Pixie Moondust Roastery,” Xavier stated, chuckling.
“And normally pixies are shy… but they seem to like you,” Damien added.
“I never said thank you,” I whispered, although I felt the words barely leaving my lips.
“For what?” Damien’s eyebrows furrowed, a look of confusion crossing his face.
“For saving me in the lake. I haven’t said it yet, but without you, I would have been lured to my death by some sirens.”
“No, the sirens sensed who you were and that you were mated to me. They were just curious if you were a human or not. One of them would have probably saved you.”
“Really, but aren’t they so obsessed with you? Some of them even gave me faerie wine to get me drunk at the ball.”
“Yes, some sirens might have been angered by your presence. But believe me, the women who harmed you that night are gone now. And since most of the sirens here are following Sparrow, you should never feel threatened by them again.”
Relief spread through me, knowing I was safe. I took a bite of the cake, the buttercream melting on my tongue with hints oflemon and almonds. I think I even moaned a little bit.Oh no.
“Is cake enough to bring out those sweet moans?” Xavier’s question made me blush again. I smiled sheepishly at his comment.
“I’m sorry, at home I was never allowed to have cake. I think the only time I can remember was a birthday when I was a child,” I explained, to excuse my embarrassing moans.
“Why were you not allowed to eat cake?” Damien looked at me, bewildered.
Xavier’s eyes were turning slightly red. Was he angry that I didn’t eat cake as a child?
“Women are expected to carry a certain look, where I come from.”
“What look?”
“Petite. That’s what embodies grace. My mother has cinched me into corsets since I turned ten years old. I tend to put weight on easily… so she always forbade me to eat any kind of sweets.” I didn’t know if I was oversharing now, but it felt good, letting it out to someone who barely knew me and wasn’t familiar with the rules of my world.
