Page 35 of Misbehaving With Minotaurs
Herschel shows up with the bill then, so I slap down my credit card and change the subject.
When we leave, I nod toward Ohken’s General Store. “Can we pop over there for sandpaper? Annabelle’s shutters need a little love.”
Catherine looks up at me in surprise, her gaze softening. “I’ve had a can of paint out there for a while but she never lets me mess with the shutters. I’m not sure why because as you can see, they need to be painted.”
I chuckle. “She waggled them at me this morning, so I’ll tackle that for you.”
Cath falls silent as we enter the General Store. I make quick work of grabbing a packet of sandpaper and a fresh gallon of stark white paint.
When Catherine’s said nothing by the time we get back to the inn, I glance at her. “You okay?”
She sighs as she looks up at the Annabelle, who waves her front doors open and shut at us. I think Catherine will say something, but she falls silent and shakes her head.
I jerk my head toward the front door. “Got something for you inside, Cath.”
When we enter the check-in area to find a gigantic floral arrangement at the front desk, Catherine rushes over to it and I set the sandpaper and paint down just inside the door.
Smirking, I lean against the wall left of the desk while she takes the card and reads it. Her smile’s huge when she looks up at me, stroking the beautiful pink and red arrangement. “You sneak, you did this while you were at Fleur, didn’t you? Ohken knows all of my favorites.”
I reach out and tuck a stray gray wave behind her ear, staring deeply into her eyes. “I had multiple reasons for visiting Fleur today, one of those being the flowers. Enjoy them, Sunshine.” I glance up. “And sweet Annabelle. I had him match your siding, darlin’.”
Annabelle lets out a series of delighted squeaks.
Catherine leans into my touch, although her lashes flutter against her cheeks. Placing one of her hands over mine, she nuzzles into my palm. But just as quickly, she steps back and straightens, snapping up walls around herself as a guest emerges from the dining room and passes us to go upstairs.
I should have kept my damn mouth shut at lunch. If I was a betting man, I’d guess Catherine’s thinking about how I said I’d love to have the chance to move home. Why the fuck did I admit that? It’s never happening, and I tried to make that clear, but it seems like she’s thinking about it.
A name flashes over my comm watch, interrupting the explanation I’m about to dive into.
Bishop Rygold.
“Fuck,” I manage, eyes flicking to Catherine’s. “I’ve got to take this.”
She nods. “Of course. See you later, Manorin.”
Back to my full name. That won’t do. I far prefer a moaned “Nor” falling from her lips.
I head for the stairs, and the minute I answer Bishop, he starts barking about my nephew again.
By the time I get him settled with an update on my plan to come home, Catherine’s nowhere to be seen.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CATHERINE
Idon’t sleep well that night, not after Manorin shared his desire to go home. Even if the chances of him going back to Pine Gulch are small, they’re not zero. And more than that, it’s what hewants.
And if it’s what he wants, it’s what he should get.
I’m old and experienced enough to know that life is too short to settle for anything less than.
My power roils and simmers all night, ready to be unleashed. As much as I’d like to do that, our lunchtime conversation holds me back despite our arrangement. On some level, I recognize that Manorin’s going far beyond what a friends-with-benefits situation calls for. So far, he’s feeding me and buying me flowers, and it feels far more like dating than sexcapades. Sexcapades, I agreed to. We agreed no rules, just fun. Dating has the potential to lead to feelings, and that seems like a bad idea considering what he shared over lunch.
I’m still mulling that over the following morning when I descend the stairs at the crack of dawn. For the first time in a while, I’m not looking forward to prepping the breakfast buffet for my guests.
I enter the kitchen to find Manorin there, leaning against the window as he grins at the kitty cat timer. Annabelle swings a cabinet open and tosses a bag of white table sugar at Manorin. He doesn’t seem to notice me enter, focused as he is on the tiny cat.
He easily catches it and sets it next to the timer, who meows angrily at him.
