went through him that rivaled only the sensation of kissing the woman beside him. “It worked,” he breathed.
“Um, ow.”
He glanced over. Theodora was grimacing. “What’s wrong?”
She lifted their joined hands. “You’re squeezing kind of hard.”
“Sorry!” He let go, then braced himself to be thrown back across the road and back into his prison. It didn’t happen, but he still found it hard to believe he’d broken free of his restraints. He pulled the car over onto the side of the road and parked. “Is your hand all right?”
She nodded, smiling. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t break any bones.”
Her teasing tone amused him. “Good to know. And good to know for sure that we don’t have to be touching for this to work. Are you up for a bit of a drive?”
“I have nowhere else to be.” She got a little smirk on her face. “And nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Then let’s see just how far I can go.” He pulled back onto the road and headed for town.
The breeze blowing past was amazing. Seeing something besides the limits of his property was equally good. But having Theodora beside him, magical, beautiful, moody Theodora, felt like a gift.
He didn’t know where he was going exactly, he just knew he wanted to drive until there was no more road left to travel. Wherever that took him. Maybe all the way to the gate.
As they went, he realized he didn’t know much about the town he called home. He’d never been able to explore it. Sure, he’d seen a little in the very beginning, while they were building the house, but most of his time then had been spent at the house supervising things.
And he knew a little from Amelia, but hearing someone talk about a place was no substitute for visiting.
Now he had not only a chance to see it for himself but company to visit with. He gave Theodora a quick look. “I may never want to go back.”
Her eyes were narrowed in his direction. “Is this your way of getting out of the dinner party?”
He laughed. “No, but now that you mention it, I guess I should send the invites before I talk to Mrs. Applestock. If people can’t come, there’s no reason to get her all worked up.”
“Robin, when was the last time you had a dinner party?”
He had a feeling he knew where she was headed. “Never.”
Theodora seemed to be barely suppressing a grin. “People will come. I promise you, this isn’t something they’re going to miss.”
“I suppose you’re right. Plus, I can’t see Amelia being unable to attend when she was all for it.”
The car suddenly stalled and started to slow. He pulled off to the side before it came to a complete stop. He didn’t know anything about cars, but he knew a lot about his curse. One almost slipped from his lips.
“What happened?” Theodora asked.
“I have an idea.” He exited the vehicle, then walked forward with his arms out. He’d barely gone two feet when his hands touched the invisible wall he knew so well. “My barriers aren’t gone. Just moved. For some reason.”
The realization hit him like a crushing blow. He sat on the hood of the car, closed his eyes, and pressed his hands over his face.
He heard Theodora get out, then felt her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
He nodded but said nothing. His mood had gone from jubilant to vile in a split second, and he didn’t want that to spill over onto her. This wasn’t her fault.
“I know you’re upset. I am, too. It’s okay to be upset. This stinks.” She hesitated. “Worse than an eel gone belly up in the Fangmore moat.”
He snorted, despite his mood. Then he sighed and lifted his head. “I really thought the restrictions were gone.”
She nodded. “I did, too. But maybe…this is just the beginning.”
“The beginning of what?”
“I mean, maybe the barriers are degrading. Maybe tomorrow you’ll be able to go a little farther. And farther still the day after that.”
He gave her a long look. “You’re awfully optimistic for someone with the nickname Moody.”
She made a face at him. “I blame you.”
He laughed, but it was short-lived and ended in a sigh. “I am very disappointed. Gutted, actually.”
She leaned against the hood, slightly closer to him than she was before. “We could spend the rest of the day reading in the library. Or whatever you think would make you happy.”
“Reading would be nice.” He straightened. “I guess we should go back anyway. I