Page 25 of Margins of Love
“You are brilliant,” he said.
She blushed even more.
Fave had set out two old but clean teacups, waiting for the next step. “Rachel?”
She licked her lips. And just like that, Fave was reminded of those cozy days in his grandfather’s arms under this very willow, when his grandfather’s deep scratchy voice read him the epics of Greek heroes.
He saw that Rachel was gazing toward the pond. She looked worried.
“A penny for your thoughts?” he asked with a mischievous grin.
“You can probably afford at least ten pounds.”
“And I am sure any observation you make would be worth it,” he joked. “We are jewelers and I have worked with many precious gems, but I have never seen a sparkle as bright as the twinkle in your eyes. But now the shine has dulled. What worries you so?”
He was not going to be rewarded with a response for his clumsy compliment. She fumbled with the small blue tea container and opened it.
She inhaled the scent before handing Fave the can. “Smell it!”
He took a sniff, stopped, then took a deeper one. His demeanor changed. He was surprised by the intensity of the exotic fragrance. This was not just another delicious tea from his mother’s collection. It was powerful.
“Did you bring a sieve?” She woke him from his stupor with an expectant bat of her eyelashes.
He shook his head.
“That’s all right.” She took the marmalade jar and another linen napkin from his hand and sprinkled a generous amount of the dry tea leaves into the hot water. Steam escaped the jar and Fave watched how the dark green and silvery leaves expanded in the heat.
They both looked down.
“There are some white and silver ones,” he observed.Stupid. Stupid. Silver leaves?The blood had drained from his brain, and he could think of nothing clever to say.
“Indeed.” She added.
He looked up in surprise.
“This is called silver needle jasmine tea. The leaves are rolled into needles and the reflections on their underside make them shimmer like silver. Look at the jasmine petals.”
He was stunned by her eloquent description and noticed that the white jasmine petals became transparent as they nearly dissolved into the steeping elixir. The delicious steam of the wondrous tea dominated the air between them. The tea and their faces formed a triangle, enshrining them in the jasmine’s fragrance. It was a heady combination, the intoxicating brew and this beautiful girl. Rachel’s ramblings were turning him on like no beauty of the ton ever had. Oh, shewasbeautiful.
Fave shifted his weight and closed the distance between them, pulled by Rachel’s magnetic force.
She looked at him with a depth of delight that he had not seen in anyone’s eyes before. She was smart, pretty, and so sweet that he had to taste her.
Her hands went to her mouth, her lips swelling with anticipation.
He took her hand in both of his, held her gaze and peeled her lacy gloves off with his teeth, finger by finger. With every unopposed move, he gained permission to approach her ever more closely.
She watched him, mesmerized, and leaned in.
His lips brushed over hers, maintaining the contact even as he waited for her to shriek, jump, or even slap him for being so audacious as to kiss her.
But she did not move. She closed her eyes instead and let the tingle of his breath bring her senses to life.
When Rachel exhaled onto his mouth and parted her lips, he deepened the kiss, barely open-mouthed, but promising more. This was surely her first kiss—he felt her innocence in the stiffness of her lips. She had granted him permission to present her with this experience. He felt her back stiffen but her mouth grew hotter. Fave felt every movement she made deep in his stomach. And yet, she moved as though she was unsure of her body and what to do with it. And he wanted nothing more in this moment than to be her tutor. This was the one thing he wanted to teach her.
It was the most tender of first kisses. But it meant the world to him. He looked at her and they broke the kiss to smile at each other. She was breathing more heavily, her vanilla and frangipane scent warred with the cloud of jasmine surrounding them.
He felt like a besotted idiot, hanging on to the aroma of Rachel’s closeness. She saw his state of arousal and blushed down to her collar, averting his awkward position.
