Page 5 of Devotion

“Talk about a bar as low as the dirt,” he mutters in that cynical way he has where it’s not clear whether he’s talking to himself or to me.

I have no idea what bar he’s referencing, so I’m going to assume he’s talking to himself. “So you don’t mind if I use your bathroom?”

“Of course I don’t. Use it whenever you want. You don’t have to ask.”

“The shower and tub too? Or just the toilet?”

“The shower, tub, toilet, sink, whatever. Anytime I’m not actually in there, you can use it.” He still sounds faintly annoyed, but I’m realizing it’s not directed at me.

“Thank you,” I tell him before gesturing toward the bathroom to indicate that I’m going to use it right now.

He’s working again when I finish up and return to the main room. Since he gave me permission, I walk over to the dinner tray and check out what we’ve been brought. It looks good. Sliced meats and cheeses with a variety of vegetables, spreads, and bread.

“Would you like me to prepare you a plate?”

“What?” He glances up at me with a blank expression. When I gesture toward the food, he says, “Oh yeah, thanks. Or I can get it later.”

I’m starting to suspect if I leave him to his own devices, he’ll completely forget about eating at all. He’s so intently focused on his work that it’s like the rest of the world barely exists. So I make a nice plate for him, arranging a variety of the choices prettily and giving him the one slice of pineapple and the best of the strawberries. I fill a glass with apple water from the pitcher and bring his dinner over to set in the one empty spot on the desk.

He mumbles out a thank-you and reaches over to grab a slice of turkey and cheddar cheese rolled together and takes a bite without even looking at it.

A ripple of amusement runs through me that I swallow back with effort. My face is composed when he shoots me a quick look, but maybe he sees something in my expression. His eyes narrow.

“Is there something else I’m supposed to be doing?” he asks, his pen still poised over a page in his notebook that’s half filled with scrawled notes.

“No. I missed my exercise hour this morning—you probably already know this, but partners are allowed an hour to exercise every day—so I’m going to eat and then go for a walk if that’s okay with you.”

“That sounds good. Do whatever you want.”

As far as I can tell, he means it.

He’s such an odd, unpredictable man. I feel as at loose ends with the situation as he does.

But he’s not mean or overly controlling, so my position could definitely be worse. I’d rather be allowed to do my job, but maybe he needs time to get used to life at the palace.

I’ll be patient.

What else can I do?

On my secondday as Gabriel’s partner, I’m nearly as bored as on the first.

He gets up early to swim for nearly two hours. There’s a very nice saltwater pool at the palace. Most people use it for leisure or relaxation, but Gabriel obviously swims for exercise because he’s flushed and breathless when he returns.

I’ve showered and dressed while he’s out of the room, and I straighten up when he walks in.

He’s wearing a thick robe to cover himself in the palace hallways, but he takes it off absently after he gulps down an entire glass of water. His skin is still damp. He smells like salt water, and his hair is pulled back and still dripping.

Without the robe, he’s got on nothing but his swimsuit, which leaves little to the imagination. He has a better body than I would have expected from a man with a desk job like his. He must swim like this regularly, and it definitely shows in the lean, firm muscles of his long arms and legs. He’s got hair on his chest, and his belly is mostly flat.

I really like the looks of him. I wouldn’t have expected that.

“Are you all right if I’m in the bathroom for a while?” he asks, glancing over at me as if he’s only just remembered I’m here.

“Of course. I’m done with getting ready this morning.”

“Okay.” He squeezes some of the water out of his hair, letting it drip on the tile floor. “What are you going to be doing?”

He still doesn’t understand that my schedule is entirely built around his. “I thought I might take my walk now if that’s okay with you.”

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