Page 68 of Our Radiant Embers

“You know, I think I’ll keep you around.” Adam’s warm, quiet voice blended in with the sunny evening and the distant sounds of Covent Garden. “You do wonders for my ego.”

“Three months ago, I’d have sworn that an ego boost is the last thing you need. Now look at us.” That had been rather more honest than I’d planned. To gloss over the strange softness that glowed between my ribs, I shook my head. “Anyway, I better get going. Think we could both use an early dinner and a good night’s rest.”

Stop. I needed to stop. I wasn’t usually given to rambling.

“It’s been a day,” Adam agreed, a hint of tiredness bleeding into the statement.

Yeah. It had been, and while my headache was mostly gone, its memory still weighed on me. After another look at Adam, glowing bright in his lonely circle, I turned to leave. Some fresh air would do me good.

* * *

“So, tell me about those nightmares.”

I paused, fork halfway to my mouth, and met Adam’s eyes. We were camped out on the floor, he in his circle on the air mattress and me with my back against a wood beam. A comfortable breeze wafted through the flat.

“They’re just dreams.” I lifted a shoulder and dropped it again, the smell of my own cooking suddenly a tad too much. “The unpleasant collector’s edition, in this case.”

“Yeah, but aren’t dreams meant to reflect our fears and stress factors?” The corners of Adam’s lips hitched up into a cheeky smirk. “Or desires, at that.”

Thanks, but one of those was staring me in the face. Not that I’d admit as much.

I set my plate down on the floor. “Well, I doubt that my desires include magic washing over London, which is pretty much what my nightmares are about. It’s just stress, you know? I’ve never handled anything of this magnitude—as you well know. Hardly a surprise I’m not sleeping well. ”

Adam was quiet for a second, the fading sun painting him in hues of gold. “Yeah, maybe not. But you were pretty out of it earlier.”

This was getting too heavy for me, so I aimed for a much lighter tone. “Maybe I need a different mattress.”

“A different mattress?” He tilted his head, a faint grin creasing the corners of his eyes. “What’s wrong with yours?”

“Well, nothing—or so I thought. But now that I’ve tested yours?” Edging into flirting territory again. It seemed like we never strayed very far these days. “Wow, so many things. A kingdom for your bed.”

The grin broke through in full. “Oh, I don’t know. I liked your bed.”

Two options—laugh it off or lean into the sweet ache I felt for him. I laughed it off. “Maybe your standards are low given you’re about to spend the night on an air mattress on the floor.”

“Nah, I know what I like.” He shot me a significant look, then sobered. “Hey, why don’t you stay the night?”

I cleared my throat. “Here?”

Well, obviously.

“Yeah.” Adam waved an unnecessary hand at the mezzanine. “I don’t need my bed, you’re already here, and we’ll be doing Southwark first thing tomorrow. Easier to get there from here.”

My mind stuttered over the idea—spending the night in Adam’s flat, in his bed, with him but not really. If we were friends, it shouldn’t be a big deal because he was right, it was practical. Except I had no toothbrush on me, no clean underwear. And we were friends, but also…not.

“It’s not like I’ll be doing the heavy lifting there,” I said.

“No.” Adam was watching me closely. “You’ve been running yourself ragged, though.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“It is that bad.” He crossed his legs, gaze warm and serious. “You need a break, Liam. If you’re having nightmares on the regular…”

I looked away, inhaling slowly. The greasy scent of stir-fry turned my stomach. “It’ll pass.”

“Probably, yeah. You still need a break. Hell, you deserve one.” He considered me for a moment, then smiled. “Okay, tell you what. Let’s take Friday off. I’ll pick you up Thursday night and we’ll drive to the sea—we’ve got a house by the beach near Whitstable. Pack a bag for three nights, don’t forget your trunks. We’ll drive back Sunday evening.”

Three days at the sea—God, it sounded like heaven, even the idea of it easing some of the strain in my muscles. But could I handle being this close to Adam without having him? Did I want to do that to myself knowing it wouldn’t lead anywhere? Also…

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