hid her grin by taking a sip of tea. “And the next thing?”
“What?”
“You said, “first thing” and that implies there’s a second.”
“Ah.” He set his cup down and sat beside her on the bed. “You continue to refer to this world as ours. I know it’ll take a while for it to truly sink in—as you humans say. But you are one of us. The magic… it belongs to you as well. This world is your home.”
She set her cup on the tray and turned, pulling her feet up under her on the bed. “I forgive you.”
“For what?”
She met his gaze, letting his kindness soothe her aching head. “For pulling me into a world where coffee doesn’t exist.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, smiling against him.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“That’s one of the things people used to say about me when they thought I was crazy.”
He frowned. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
She reached up, tracing the curve on his lips, letting her fingers flit over his smooth cheek—cleaned up for the festival. “I know.” She pulled her hand away and reached for the tray, dragging it onto the bed.
Griff’s brow furrowed. “Brea, it’s not proper to eat where one sleeps.”
“Then what’s the point of having breakfast brought to the room?”
He gestured to the sitting area in front of the hearth.
Her brow arched. “So, you’re telling me, with all these servants, you’ve never actually had breakfast in bed?”
He shrugged as if this wasn’t one of the greatest things in life.
“Well, Mr. O’Shea, this is what we’re doing. If you wish to be all formal stick-up-your-butt dude, then you can leave.”
“It’s my room.”
“So.” She shoved a forkful of pancake into her mouth. That’s what it was called, she didn’t care what the fae told her.
Griff only lasted a moment longer before a smile overcame the doubt on his face. He scooted closer to the tray and tentatively took a puff pastry. Biting into it, he watched in horror as a crumb landed on his shirt.
“Lean over the tray.” Brea laughed.
Leaning over the tray had been a rule whenever Myles brought her breakfast in his bed. He made what he called the “Myles special.” It was usually three different kinds of cereal mixed in a bowl with just the right amount of milk. Yeah, this breakfast was much different.
They ate in silence for a while, until Brea set her fork down, unable to eat another bite. “So, we have something to clear up, you and I.”
He took a sip of tea and set it aside, dabbing a napkin across his lips. “Do we?”
“Last night, you told me there were ten things you loved about me. Do you know how horrible it is to do that to a girl? No one has ever loved anything about me, and you come along with ten, but then refuse to tell me nine of them.”
Sadness swirled in his gaze. “Brea, I’m sure plenty of people have loved things about you.”
“Don’t try to ignore the important part of what I said.” Getting up on her knees, she moved the tray from the bed to the small table before inching toward him. “You like that I blush.”
“No, I love your blush.”
“Okay, that’s a super weird thing to love, but whatever floats your boat.”
“I don’t have a boat. As a kid, I never learned to navigate the waters because they’re treacherous in Iskalt with the icebergs.”
“That’s interesting and all, but stop trying to change the subject. I didn’t actually say you had a boat.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Just tell me.” The words exploded out of her, and warmth flooded her cheeks. They stared at each other in tense silence before breaking out in laughter. “Please,” she wheezed.
“I can’t give away all my secrets.”
Gripping his arm, she forced him to look her in the eye. “Just six.”
“One.”
“Five.”
His eyes narrowed. “Four.”
She nodded, sticking out her hand. “Deal.”
He threaded his fingers through hers, and instead of shaking her hand, he pulled her into his lap. “You challenge me. I’ve never met anyone who constantly tested everything I thought I knew.”
She buried her face in his chest, unable to look him in the eye as he spoke. She’d always had a shy streak that hadn’t yet reared its head in the fae world.
“Keep pushing your buttons,” she whispered. “Got it.”
He shook his head like he’d started doing when he didn’t understand her human phrases. “I love your laugh. It’s like the sun breaking through in the middle of an Iskalt ice storm. The world is so