Page 58 of Hot Blooded
Hell, Mrs. Potts once told me about the different homes Reign owns. He liked to rotate between them. Does this mean he’ll be gone come spring? My work in the library is scheduled to end in another few months, maybe sooner because I’m ahead of schedule… and I still don’t quite know where Reign and I really stand. Sure, we’ve grown close, even though he stops it before it goes too far. But what does that all add up to?
One truth?
I need to talk to Reign.
Tonight.
Chapter 30
Reign
It seems that Tressa is on a mission tonight. I would have thought that going to the spa with Lena would have made her return relaxed and pliant. But somehow, she’s even more on edge.
She’s been pacing the kitchen for the last five minutes while she waits for me to make her a cup of tea.
I place it in front of her on the counter.
“Something on your mind?” I ask, gazing down at her.
Flushed, and her hair still slightly askew from where it’s been tied into a hasty bun, she shakes her head.
“Why do you ask?”
I tip my chin. “No reason. Enjoy your tea.”
She does, drinking almost the whole cup, but it doesn’t help. Relaxation is elusive tonight, it seems.
“Come with me,” I say, once she’s through. Mrs. Potts disappears after the dinner dishes have been washed and put away, and I’m thankful for that. She and I used to occasionally play backgammon or bridge in the evenings, but that was before Tressa moved in and captured all my attention. I suppose it’s not wise of me to neglect my most valued employee for my girlfriend.
The word seems juvenile and much too cavalier for what we share, but it’s the only word I can conjure up with my head spinning this way. Something was discussed between Lena andTressa today, I’m sure of it, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.
I lead Tressa into my bedroom, and she takes a seat on the sofa.
“Shall I light a fire for you?” I gesture to the fireplace.
She winces. “Please. No… I’m warm enough.”
I nod and sit down beside her gently, feeling like an idiot for asking about the fire. Of course, she doesn’t want me to light a fire. And who can blame her? A fire in her home was one of the most traumatic experiences she’s ever had.
“Tell me what happened today.”
“What do you mean? I told you all about the sauna and the pedicures, and the…”
I shake my head. “Tell me what has you so in your head tonight.”
Tressa gives me a sad smile. “You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”
I can be. When it’s something I care about. And I care about Tressa a great deal. Probably more than anything on this whole earth.
“My six months here are halfway through, and honestly, I don’t need but more than a month to finish. The library project is nearly complete, ahead of schedule.”
“And?” I’m baffled as to what this has to do with anything.
“Are you going to send me away? Move again? Go back to Paris? I know you have a lovely apartment there, and that springtime in Paris is…”
I frown at her. “Tressa.”
She stops speaking and meets my eyes.
