Page 35 of Mangled Memory
“Can’t say that I like your answer, Princess, but I love the honesty. Still want to go up into the mountains? Even if it’s with a man who might be dangerous and you don’t know whether you can trust?” The edge to his voice could cut glass.
I scrunch my brows together. “Is there coffee?”
His whole body rumbles with laughter before he walks forward and wraps my shoulders loosely in one of his arms. “Come on then. Can’t have you caffeineless on a Friday morning.”
He makes us espresso drinks at the fancy machine and is heading to the garage when he turns back. “Do you have your equipment?
“See? This is why coffee is so important.” I dash upstairs to my room and marvel again at the image on the wall. I grab mybag and am back out the door, reminding myself to ask him about the shades.
I pull the door closed with a click and begin speaking when I’m down the stairs enough that Christian is in view. “The studio window coverings? I don’t understand. They weren’t there last night.”
“They’re on a smart hub. You can open or close them as you need. Most of the time in the summer we keep them closed due to the angle of the sun hitting your work.”
“And yesterday?”
“I opened them before we went into the room.”
Oh. I make a hmm noise and wonder what else in this house is smart. It seems everything from the blinds to the television can be done remotely. I wonder what else is.
“Can you hook up the smart system to the espresso maker so I can talk to it?Make me a latte, Georgio.I wouldn’t argue with that.”
“Did you just name our Italian import espresso machine Georgio?” He walks around the island to face me.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe,” he repeats, brushing my hair aside and placing a kiss on my forehead. “Let’s get out of here.”
He grabs the keys and leads me to the G wagon, opening my door and waiting for me to climb in before shutting it behind me. Who spends this kind of money on cars? And why?
It only takes me a few minutes to figure out the latter question. The ride is lush. The cabin is perfectly appointed, and it can go anywhere. Not that we will, but we could.
“How long has it been since we’ve done something like this?”
“Too long.”
“Which is…” I roll my wrist as if he needs the visual to go on.
“Months. Things with work have been busy, and I haven’t allowed myself the luxury of a day off to play lately.” He captures my free hand and links our fingers.
“So I go by myself?”
“Or with your interns. But more often than I like, you go alone.”
“And then this”—I point at my head—“And work isn’t that busy?”
“No. Work is still the same.” He raises my knuckles to his lips and kisses me there. “Just different priorities. I’ve never liked you going alone. I’ve never felt it was safe. It feels like we live in spotlight or shadow. Neither is good when I need to protect you.”
“What do you need to protect me from?”
“There’s too much buzz around us. Too many people interested in our lives. We’re private people leading a very public life.”
“Oh.” I use my free hand to rub my temple.
“Does your head hurt?”
“Yeah. It’s dull but it’s there.”
“Tell them about it on Tuesday at the follow-up. I understand some recovery time, but this seems longer than necessary.”
