Page 89 of Sweets and Sycamores
“Dominic! Allie!” All eyes turned to them like a choreographed move. “Where have you been?”
“Did you feel it?”
“There must have been a Mage in town. The Order didn’t forget about us!”
Dom felt like his face was pressed between two hot rocks. His jaw clenched, and the muscles in his body locked, ready to be attacked. There were so many people, so many words, their lives pushing into his own, stealing his air. He shouldn’t give them any reason to suspect him of fixing this. Dom’s identity was his most prized secret, and only his family knew about it. His family, and…
“I wanted to show Dom this beautiful waterfall I found, just around?—”
Allie spoke with unmatched enthusiasm about their romantic walk in nature, lying expertly and with ease about why they were there and how they’d found it. She held his hand and didn’t flinch when Dom almost crushed it with his. He released his ironclad hold and rubbed his thumb on her skin in apology.Allie inched closer to him, grabbing his arm with her free hand and leaning her head on his shoulder as she navigated this social situation they found themselves in. The conversation moved from the utter miracle of the magical sycamores being restored to how they had become a couple.
The beautiful Witch held her own with not a word from him and smiled, smiled, smiled, until she politely dragged him away and toward the bakery. Dom had no idea the pretense she’d come up with to get them to leave, but he was infinitely grateful to go home. With her.
He didn’t remember how he ended up propped on one of the bar chairs in Allie’s kitchen as she roamed between the stove and the fridge, cutting, mixing, tasting. The earthy and spicy flavor that filled his nostrils was the one to bring him back to reality.
“What are you doing?” he asked like an idiot. Allie must have told him what she was doing while he spaced out because of his depletion. But she gave him a bright smile that reached her caramel eyes, unbothered as she most likely repeated herself.
“I’m making lentil soup and beef stew. Just a little longer before they’re ready.” Her eyes fell to something in front of him. “More water?”
More?
“Please,” he mumbled, then drained another glass in big gulps.
Ekko lay in the crook of his elbow, front claws gently holding on to his jacket. The dragon watched Allie move around the room, his beady eyes wide, and when his chitters turned loud and excited, Dom guessed he was getting something to eat, too.
“Here you go.” Allie placed a bowl of pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, orange slices, and grapes in front of the salivating creature. Ekko feasted on his food with noisy, happy chewing.
Dom followed Allie with heavy-lidded eyes as she fidgeted around the kitchen in her short, swishing skirt and her bare feet.His heart raced with the memory of this morning that he wanted so badly to repeat. Maybe after a full night’s sleep, though, if he was honest with himself.
“And now you, mister.” Allie placed two bowls of lentil soup and two plates of beef stew with boiled potatoes and roasted tomatoes on the table. As if on cue, Dom’s stomach growled, and Allie shoved some slices of bread toward him.
Dominic caught her wrist and grabbed her hand, playing with her long, delicate fingers. “Thank you, Allie.”
“My pleasure. I love cooking.”
“This too, but…” Dom cleared his throat and squeezed her hand. “Thank you for not giving up, for finding the waterfall. I never would have thought… I haven’t been to the hidden waterfalls ever since I was six or seven years old. I made a rookie mistake searching all the obvious spots, and if it weren’t for you, who knows how long it would’ve taken me to realize I was looking in all the wrong places?”
“You would have figured it out, I’m sure. And you made no mistakes when you gave all your effort to this endeavor, Dom.” She squeezed his hand back. “Now, eat.”
Dominic cleaned both plates in record time. The food was delicious and rich with flavors, and he knew he would be greedy and ask Allie to cook for him again. He blatantly ignored the thought of her leaving in a week and convinced his mind and heart that she would stay here with him for a long, long time.
Allie was setting down a steaming cup of tea on his nightstand when Dom exited the bathroom after a long, hot shower. His muscles were sore, his magic depleted, the source never so hollow as it was now. It would replenish with time and rest, but this had been by far one of the most tiresome weekends in his Mage life.
Allie’s lips parted as her eyes traveled over his bare abdomen up his chest, over the dark tattoo on his arm.
“I…” She swallowed, her cheeks coloring the prettiest shade of pink. “Did you need anything else?” Allie asked his chest.
Dominic smirked.
“Come here.”
She took slow steps toward him until Dom wrapped her in a tight hug. He inhaled her tangerine and vanilla scent and ran his hand through her long, red hair. Allie’s arms went around his waist, the metal of her stone rings cold against his skin.
“Stay with me tonight.” Allie looked up at him without breaking away from his embrace. Dom couldn’t resist pressing a kiss on her forehead. One on her nose. As much as he wanted to kiss her more, always, everywhere, forever, his body felt heavy like lead, his mind foggy. “Please.”
Allie nodded and kissed his chest. “All right.”
That night, Allie fell asleep curled up to him under the blanket. In his bed, in his arms.
