Page 70 of Torin and the Princess

It hurt my heart a little that the lights were on, I wished I could do it, but I didn’t want to embarrass him.

We turned and walked back to the house.

Inside,we didn’t speak about it. Jen and I did dishes, while Cooper went up to unpack his suitcase. Then Jen looked up the stairs. “You cool with me staying the night? I did kinda drink too much, but now, maybe y’all need some quiet time?”

“Nah, it’s fine, stay. You meant to stay, it’s fine. He’s in a mood, but I’m not, plus I need your help making breakfast in the morning.”

“Good,” she put down the drying towel. “It’s early as hell, only like, ten, but I think I’ll turn in.”

“Of course, I’ll finish locking up.”

She kissed me on the cheek and wandered down the hall to the guest room, where she stayed all the time. She even kept her own toothbrush in the drawer.

I looked down at the back house for a moment. Feeling a little melancholy about him, wanting to make sure he was all right... He would be okay with the door wide open, light on, not feeling good after eating too much ice cream, right?

Probably.

He was a big strapping fellow, he would be fine. He had eaten too much, happened all the time — how much sugar did a guy from the sixteenth century get usually? Likely none.

A man from the past would easily get ill from all this food and sensory overload. He was in a world so different from his own. A New World.

I chuckled.I guess I was convinced...Torin was a time traveler.

I climbed the stairs to go to bed.

Cooper was sittingon the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, staring down at his hands. I walked up and put my hands on his shoulders. He put his arms around my hips and pulled me close, nestling his face against my chest.

I whispered, “I’m glad you’re home, I’m sorry about the complicated dinner guest.”

He lay back, pulling me onto him and began kissing me, then said, “It’s fine, you didn’t know my meeting sucked.” He kissed me on my neck and drew his lips up my throat to my lips. “You invited a crazy person to dinner, so what. Usually it might have been funny as hell, but ended up, not. I’m sorry I was a jerk to you, its just... I have no patience right now.”

He pulled my shirt up and off over my head.

I kissed down the side of his face and sat astride his jeans. He cocked his arm behind his head.

I wiggled on his lap. “I really missed you.”

He grinned and started undoing the buttons on the front of my pants.

I added, “You also weren’t very nice to him.”

He stopped and put his hands on my thighs. “I was nice enough, considering.”

“Considering what?”

“That the guy stayed in character all night, Lexi. I lost my patience. No one else in my shoes would be able to stay chill, come on.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Come on, what?”

“You get it, don’t pretend like you don’t.”

I rolled off his lap to the side. “I don’t get it, tell me.”

“I went out of town and you invited some stranger to live in the back house, a man, a big man with mental issues, and you’ve clearly let down your guard around him and he’s hitting on you.”

“He is not!”

He clasped his hands and mimicked Torin’s lower voice, “‘Mistress Lexi, might I have some of your cream. What is ice, Mistress Sexy, you make the best cream. I love your cream, Mistress Lexi.’”

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