that is true?”
“Because you clearly don’t trust people.” His lips grazed over her cheek. She should slap him again. She should push him away. But she only gripped her wineglass tighter and tried not to shatter the stem in her fingers.
When his lips trailed over hers, ghosting there, just a fraction of an inch away, she waited. Waited for him to kiss her again. But it never happened. He leaned back against the armrest and let out a long and disgruntled puff of air. “Sorry. I forgot you hate it when I kiss you.”
Damn this man to the pits. Damn him to whatever farthest reaches Hades can put him. Maybe a burning river. That would be nice. If fire even hurts him. I wonder if it does. “If you stick your hand in a flame, Nero, do you burn?”
“No, why? Getting any frisky thoughts?”
“I regret asking.” She sipped her wine again. At least there was wine. Even if she did suspect it was a significant part of the problem. But it was good.
“If you cannot tell me what you want, then maybe you can tell me what you like.” He was playful again.
“This wine, for starters.”
She had said it dryly, but he had seen her joke for what it was, and he laughed. She let herself smile and didn’t bother fighting it. “Good wine. Check. Go on.”
“I cannot read, but I love hearing stories told to me. I listen to the radio. I love the dramas. They’re melodramatic and silly, but I like to imagine what they’re saying is real. I like to try to picture it in my mind. Except for that one story that talked about elephants. Nonsense.”
“What do you mean, nonsense?”
“Nothing like that could be real.”
“Have you never seen an elephant before?”
She waited. Counted. One…two…three…
“Fuck!” He groaned. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant!”
She laughed. She laughed harder than she should have. But he sounded so dismayed.
He whined. “I’m sorry. I really am trying not to be an asshole.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible. But I appreciate the attempt, at any rate.”
“Expensive wine, radio dramas. You’ve never—met—an elephant,” he corrected himself dutifully. “What else? You seem to like food.”
“I have not yet met a meal I do not like. Food in the temple was rarely elaborate.”
“Then I know how to spoil you.” His hand was on hers again, pulling it from her lap to twine their fingers. He held it and seemed content to do little else for the moment. She found she didn’t want to pull away. “Go on.”
“Kema must be struggling to find that bottle of wine.”
“Maybe she got distracted.” She could hear the smile in his voice. He was a fiend. “What else do you like?”
“Swimming.”
“I have a pool!”
He was so excited it made her laugh. He was like a child. So eager to please. She tucked her hair behind her ear.
Before she could even say anything else, he was off to the races. “I will make sure you have a swimsuit ready tomorrow. We can go swimming. You and me. It’ll be grand. You’ll love it. It’s big, it’s heated in the colder weather. I have a hot tub as well, but that’s less for swimming and more for—” He coughed. “Never mind.”
“Tell me something, Nero?”
“Anything.”
“If I could see you, if I could see that eye of yours that everyone says is so dangerous, what would you do?”
He was silent for a long moment. “Why?”
“I’m wondering why you’re so nice to me. That’s all.” She put her wine glass down on the table in front of her. She should stop drinking before it got ugly. “It isn’t because you want me to be your religious advisor, and it isn’t because you want to unravel the secret of my birthright.”
“I like you. I like you a great deal. Usually, I can cut through all the bullshit—” He choked on his words again. “Not that this is bullshit. I mean that it’s—” He groaned. “I’m awful at this.”
“You really are.”
He growled, and she squeaked as he yanked on her hand, sending her sprawling atop his chest. Her hands met a silk shirt over a strong chest, and she tried to push herself up, but his hands were already at her upper arms, holding her still.
“This eye of mine that everyone is so afraid of? It just cuts through that nagging voice in your head that keeps explaining to you why you shouldn’t do what you really want to do.”
“What would you have had me do, then?”
“I’d