CHAPTER31
SAGE
The soundof bedroom doors closing with varying amounts of enthusiasm echoed through the hall.Sage sighed in relief when Conrad shut theirs behind them, blocking out the rest of the world until morning.He was thoroughly exhausted from using his magic so much in one day.Not only was he physically spent, but his chest felt as though it had been trampled on after experiencing such wild emotions.As much as he wanted to crawl into bed and fall asleep, he knew he would be thankful in the early hours if he pampered himself with his familiar nighttime routine first.
Sage set the glass he’d brought along down on the vanity and began to undress.There were still a couple sips of wine left and he didn’t want to waste them.
“Another rose and almond night, is it?”Conrad was sitting on the edge of the bed, removing his shoes.Usually he would kick them off with little care where they ended up.Perhaps he was feeling the effects of their day in the study, as well.
“It helps me relax,” Sage explained.There were other far more vain reasons for it too, of course, but he had a feeling they would not matter very much to his companion.“Do you mind?”
“Not at all.I’ve come to enjoy it a great deal, actually.”Conrad’s grin bunched to one side, almost sheepishly.“I doubt I’ll ever be able to catch a whiff of the combination again and not think of you.”
Sage hummed softly, turning away to hide the curve of his own lips as he sat on the ottoman to pull his trousers the rest of the way off, leaving him in only his shirt and stockings.He turned back to study Conrad for a moment.
“Why don’t you try it?”he asked.
Conrad’s forehead wrinkled.
“I cannot have you waste your nice things on me.”
“It would be no waste, I assure you.”He stood and gestured to the ottoman.“Come and sit down.”Conrad eyed him warily.“Please?It will make me happy.”
“Oh, all right.”He tucked everything but the trousers he was still wearing into his bag and pushed it under his side of the bed.The way he flumped onto the low seat told Sage he really needed no assistance in feeling relaxed enough to fall asleep within minutes, either, but the idea of applying the oil on Conrad’s tired, handsome face was suddenly the only thing he wanted to do.
“Wine?”Sage held the glass out for him after taking a sip.They’d shared it during the game of charades as well, passing it back and forth like it was something they’d been doing for years.
“Thank you.”Conrad accepted it and drained the last in one swallow.
“Excuse me,” Sage protested.“I did not mean for you to finish it.”
Conrad chuckled and leaned forward to set the empty glass down.“You already had most of it downstairs.Would you like me to go and ask for more?”
Sage grinned and shook his head as he reached for his jar of oil.
“That’s quite all right,” he said primly.“The last thing I need is to add a headache to what I’m already sure to feel in the morning after today’s activities.”With a small amount of the oil in one palm, he set the bottle down and rubbed his hands together a couple of times.“It might be easier if you close your eyes.”
Conrad did as he was told.
“I am glad it’s not just me,” he confessed as Sage swept his fingers gently across his cheeks, first out and then back together at his nose.
“You seemed eager enough to continue.”
Sage was standing behind Conrad, watching in the reflection of the mirror as his hands moved in delicate strokes, gliding his fingertips up Conrad’s nose and over the creases of his forehead before finishing at his jaw and starting the methodical process all over again.
“Sometimes it is difficult to quit something you enjoy.”
“Indeed,” Sage murmured.
The glow of the candles sitting at the corner of the dressing table did a great kindness to Conrad’s figure, and Sage found that he could not pass up the opportunity to admire him in the soft, golden light.
There was no denying he was attractive.But as he allowed his admiration to wander, Sage realized that those parts of Conrad had become captivating in entirely new ways.These were the brawny arms that held him at the lake; the ones he slept soundly in each night.His broad shoulders were where he rested his cheek in the silent hours of the morning when it was just the two of them.Those rough hands folded together on the vanity were the same ones that had been reaching for his own with increasing frequency over the last several days.
When his eyes dipped lower, Sage forced his attention back to Conrad’s face, which had gone slack under his touch.Even though it was exactly what he’d expected to happen, it still pulled a gentle laugh from him.
“It appears you have found something else to enjoy.”
Conrad let out a long, serene moan.
