Page 54 of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
She asked, “Was a taste all you needed to decide we’re compatible?”
Eloquence grew suddenly solemn. “That is the sort of question males quail before, for any answer risks his lady’s displeasure.”
“It’s not a trap.” Kimiko decided to be blunt. “I’m not sure I care enough yet to take your answer personally.”
He blinked.
She waited.
And he spoke. “I trust myself, and I have judged you to be trustworthy. Where trust abides, loyalty grows. And loyalty breeds affection, which dogs freely express.” Eloquence waited for her nod before continuing. “In this, you are not alone. My parents, my brothers, my Kith, even Tenma and Isla have my trust, my loyalty, my affection.”
“That’s good.”
“Very good.” Again, he touched her face. His hand was warm, as was his gaze. “But I do not coax them into corners or linger over their lips in the manner of lovers. Nor could they ever cause my heart to race or my blood to rise. Because with one taste, you claimed such things as your due and yours alone. So yes, one taste was all I needed.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Rally Around
Akira was actually pretty good with girls. Well, not in any sort of romantic sense. But brotherly experience made it obvious that Kimi needed the kind of support family could provide. Or maybe a couple of nestmates. “Talk to us, Kimi.”
“I will.” Her nose was buried in her scarf, and her gaze never lifted from the sidewalk. “I need to, but not here.”
He’d have liked to pester, but Suuzu slid his arm around her shoulders and quietly said, “If you wish to register a complaint against Eloquence Starmark, I would willingly support and substantiate your claims.”
Kimiko stopped and swayed. “Wh-what?”
“What’s Quen done?” Akira demanded. He knew Suuzu was picking up on things he couldn’t, like scents and maybe even the state of Kimi’s soul. He could only guess at her mood and wait for her to confide in him. Plus, Suuzu’s offer didn’t make much sense. “I don’t get it. Quen’s a good guy.”
Suuzu grabbed both their arms and hustled then around a corner. Pressing them against the dingy bricks in a cramped alleyway, he crowded close and murmured, “If there is a problem, tell me now, while enough scent lingers to satisfy the trackers.”
Akira gawked at his best friend and repeated, “Quen’s agood guy.”
He tipped his head to one side, then the other. “Kimiko is distressed, and Eloquence is undoubtedly the cause.”
“Kimi?” Akira grabbed her hand. “What’s he talking about?”
She looked close to tears, but not sad tears or even angry ones. Akira’s sister wasn’t the weepy sort, so the only ones she’d shown him had always been tied to really strong, tangled-up emotions. And confusion. Not knowing what to do could be really scary for someone as confident as Kimiko always seemed to be.
“Heisa good guy,” she said firmly. “He was very … gentle.”
Akira was jumping to every kind of conclusion now, some wilder than others, and he really,reallyhoped they were off base. “Gentle, how?”
Kimi finally met his gaze then, and a laugh bubbled up—sad and silly. Then she shocked the socks off him by kissing his forehead. “Stop imagining the worst. And I promise to tell you everything, but not in the street.”
Rubbing at his forehead, Akira mumbled, “You’re worrying me. Seriously.”
“And you’re cheering me up.” She hesitated. “Can you stay over again? Or would Sentinel have kittens?”
Suuzu hooked his arm through Kimi’s, guiding her back onto the sidewalk. “We will stay.”
Akira took her other arm. “Gonna stash us in that secret library again?”
“No, so gather your courage. I think it’s time to introduce you to my family.”
“Best manners,” Akira promised.
Kimiko laughed again, sounding just as unhappy. “Wish I could guarantee the same courtesy. Just … I’m sorry in advance.”
