Page 43 of The Warlock's Kiss

Darkness fell across his features for an instant. “A great many things over many years. Suffice it to say, my past experiences with…peoplehave driven me to live here, in the middle of nowhere.”

Adalynn pushed away from the counter and closed the distance between them. His eyes remained locked on hers. Slowly, she reached up and lightly touched the scar on his forehead and cheek. Faint energy hummed beneath her fingertips. “And this?”

He caught her wrist. His grip was firm, and she could feel the tension in his muscles, but he did not pull her hand away. “I received it when my parents died,” he said in a low, strained voice.

Adalynn’s eyes flared. His tone implied that something horrible had happened—and that he didn’t want to discuss it further—but he didn’t tighten his hold on her wrist or hurt her. She curled her fingers into her palm. “I’m sorry, Merrick.”

He searched her face for a few seconds, lips downturned, before something in his eyes softened. “Youwere not responsible for what happened.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not sorry about what happened to you, or to them.”

Merrick shifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Thank you, Adalynn. It means more to me than I can express.”

Adalynn smiled up at him. However chaste his kiss seemed, it had sent a rush of heat through her, which pooled deep in her core. With Merrick this close, she could smell the scents of dirt, vegetation, and sweat clinging to him—the latter was an alluringly masculine smell—but there was more. Hints of leather and cedar underscored the other smells; she’d come to associate those aromas with him.

She wanted nothing more than to move closer, to press her face into his neck and breathe in those scents, to feel his hands—his mouth—upon her. But the ache in her head insisted now was not the time.

“I should get dinner finished before the human garbage disposal returns,” she said, taking a step back.

For a moment, he didn’t relinquish his hold, and Adalynn wondered if he meant to draw her against him, to take her in his arms, to make her tell him what her decision was now that she’d had days to ponder it. But he did let go; she was at once grateful and disappointed, despite the way her head felt.

“You can go sit, Adalynn. I’ll finish dinner.”

Though her instinct was to object, she resisted it. Nodding, she pointed at the pot behind her. “The sauce is ready to heat up, and there’s some leftover bread we can warm to have with it.”

He set to work without hesitation, and Adalynn sat at the table. She found herself transfixed; even in this—a task so mundane, so simple—he moved with purpose and confidence. Once he saw to the sauce, he dumped the pasta into the boiling water, sliced the bread, and seasoned it.

“We’ve more than enough vegetables,” Merrick said, turning toward her after he’d slipped the bread into the oven. “We’ll have to make our own sauce next time.”

“I’d love to learn how.”

“And I would love to teach you.”

As seemed the case so often, there wasmorein his expression—unspoken words gleamed in his eyes, highlighted by a fiery spark. But he simply turned back to the food, and they chatted casually as he cooked. He’d once described himself as an eccentric millionaire, but he didn’t fit the image those words brought to Adalynn’s mind. She would never have expected anyone with such wealth to cook for himself—much less know how to make spaghetti sauce from scratch—or tend his own massive garden.

Danny returned with his hair hanging damp around his face as Merrick was dividing the food between three plates. Danny sat in his usual spot beside Adalynn and dove into the food as soon as Merrick placed it before him, shoveling forkfuls of pasta into his mouth and slurping noodles noisily.

Merrick shook his head before walking into the pantry. He returned a few moments later with a green container of parmesan cheese. He unscrewed the lid, removed the seal, and replaced the lid before setting the container at the center of the table. He took a seat across from Adalynn.

“This is awesome. Thanks,” Danny said, reaching for the cheese.

“I think we’ve earned it today,” Merrick replied. He looked at Adalynn, and when he smiled, a hint of mischief danced in his eyes. “Of course, thisdoescount against your meal allotment for tomorrow, Daniel.”

“What?No way!”

Leaning his elbows on the table, Merrick turned his palms upward. “My apologies, but rules are rules. I suppose you’ll have to do extra work if you want supper tomorrow.”

Danny groaned. “I guess so.”

Adalynn failed to hide her smile.

They talked amongst each other as they ate, but, as the meal wore on, Adalynn spoke less and less. Exhaustion settled over her heavily, and her headache worsened by the minute. Those symptoms were accompanied soon enough by a touch of nausea. She’d only made it through a quarter of her meal when she finally set her fork down; as much as she hated the thought of wasting food, it felt like one bite more would send her over the edge.

“Here, Danny.” She slid her plate toward her brother.

Danny frowned, glancing first at the plate and then her. “You okay, Addy?”

“I’m just going to take a quick bath and go to bed. I think…I think I might have overdone it a bit.”

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