I don’t see it, but I can feel the raise of her brows as the shock of my question burns hotter than the fire in the hearth.
“Oh,” Audrey says, sounding slightly amused. “So it’s like this. Fine. I was in meetings.”
“With whom?” I grit out between clenched teeth.
“Well, it looks like you’ve already made up your mind about something, so why not just tell me what it is?” Audrey says mildly.
“I saw you.” The words are wrestled from me, each syllable that passes my lips making me sick. I don’t recognize myself, this way of speaking or thinking.
“Congratulations,” Audrey says, sarcasm dropping from every letter.
“With Charlie,” I say, finally looking up to see her reaction.
Audrey’s juice pauses halfway to her mouth. “And?”
“You said you had a meeting at The Singing Seahorse but I saw you at The Flowering Teapot. Why were you with him? Why did you lie to me?” The questions come faster and faster, my deepest insecurities presenting themselves until I lay myself bare. “How could you be with another male when I had my cock inside of you this very morning? When I—”
“When you what?” Audrey asks, setting down her empty juice.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say, sagging onto a chair, all the steam running out of me.
Soft feet pad across the floor and come to a stand in front of me.
“You feeling a little jealous? Is that what this is?” Audrey asks.
Resting my forearms on my knees, I hang my head low as I mumble, “I don’t get jealous.”
“Sure, stud.”
The familiar nickname has my head snapping up to see Audrey standing with her hands on her hips. Where I thought she’d be angry at me, or disappointed, I see only understanding in her gaze.
Audrey positions herself between my spread thighs and frames my face between her hands. “Not that I need to justify any of my actions, but I’m happy to tell you exactly what it was about if it’s going to ease some of this possessive bullshit happening with you right now. But Arran, if this is going to work between us then we have to have uncomfortable conversations and admit to feelings that we might not be too proud of—including jealousy.”
“Okay,” I hedge, practically holding my breath as I wait for her to continue.
“Over the past month or so, I have been meeting with almost every single creature in Starry Hill. So if you found me on any other day you would’ve seen me having lunch with a different resident—male, female, and all the shades in between. I’ll tell you all about it later and explain why, but you’re it for me, Arran Stewart. Even with these jealous, possessive vibes going on.”
My heart takes up hammering again, but this time with renewed vigor, hope racing through my veins at what I think Audrey is saying.
Audrey straddles my lap and my arms instantly encircle her slight frame, but she doesn’t bring me closer, keeping my facebetween her hands as she says, “Since my first night in this castle I’ve not desired anyone else but you. I’ve loved getting to know you, learning how much you care for your clans—both your old one and Starry Hill. You’ve made me laugh with you, cry with you, dream with you. Plus you’re very nice to look at and very good with your hands. I’m not going to list all the advantages of being with you because I fear your ego would get too big, but just know there are many.”
Audrey allows me to finally embrace her, and I bury my face in her neck. “My darling, I—I’m sorry I got so jealous. The sight of you with someone else, it made my vision flash red and override all my other emotions. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction before. I was going to The Singing Seahorse to join your meeting after we finished at the dock, but you weren’t there. I followed your scent down the hill, and then I saw you with Charlie. And he was laughing. He never laughs.”
A smirk slides into place on Audrey’s lips. “I beg to differ. He just hadn’t met someone entertaining enough before.”
Tucking a piece of hair behind Audrey’s ear, I say, “I think you’re right. I’m truly sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and made stupid assumptions.”
“You know what they say about assuming…”
“No?”
Audrey wraps a hand around my laces. “Doesn’t matter. But you’ve got to trust me. I can trust you, right? We trust each other?”
A heavy cloud of foreboding descends on us as Audrey’s smirk fades, keeping her gaze trained on my chest instead.
“Of course,” I say, my fingers instantly tightening on her waist.
“And we’ll be honest with each other even if the questions are uncomfortable?” Audrey asks slowly, stealing a quick glance before averting her gaze again.
