Page 40 of The Mating Fire
“N-o, I’m hungry, just that it’s warm in here.” Harper fanned herself with a hand.
“It can be.”
Time to change the subject. “What is your appearance when Jared sees you?”
Stepping back, Serena waved a hand. All her previous arousal fled like a bucket of water on a fire. The woman standing before her looked like a sweet old lady dressed in a colorful costume.
“This is what Jared believes I look like – an elderly Peruvian woman from the nearby village whose family considers him as a god.”
Serena did a slow turn, like a fashion model. “Like it?
“It’s lovely.” Harper studied the woman’s attire. “Is this a traditional costume?”
“You mean native? Of course. The skirt is aPolleras, which are usually made from wool because of the cold climate.” Serena fingered a black and red belt. “This is aChumpi, a traditional belt that is used by women to close the skirt. It comes fromthe Quechua tongue. The jacket is aJobona, a Peruvian wool jacket.”
“You look very nice. Better than that maid’s outfit.”
Serena laughed. “I daresay the maid’s outfit is not as comfortable. I never wore it before.”
“Then why wear it for me?”
The women’s watchful gaze sharpened. “I wanted to see your reaction.”
Harper didn’t need it spelled out. “To see if I was jealous.” Pride made her shrug. “I don’t care.”
“You can’t fool me. I know you do. I’ll stop by in an hour to pick up your tray. Or you can leave it outside your door, and it will be taken care of later.”
As the witch shuffled toward the door, she turned and added, “You will let me know if you change your mind about that vibrator?”
Harper blushed.
Chapter 14
Harper finished eating, patted her lips dry with the napkin and poured another cup of tea. She set the tray outside, not desiring another visit from the witch.
Retiring to the armchair before the fire with her tea and her phone, she stared into the flames.
This castle was large, lonely and dark. Shadows danced in the corners. The demon Jared mentioned lurked out there, waiting to pounce.
Harper shivered, wishing she could see Jared. But no, he was too busy to spend time with her.
Suddenly feeling very alone, she clicked onto the bookmark for her online birding group. The chat option remained on the sidebar. She hadn’t masked her appearance so anyone in the group could see she was online. Tempted, she stared at the chatbox when suddenly a message popped up from Darkbird1790.
“Are you there, Rockstar?”
For a minute she considered not answering. He’d been rude in ghosting her and she didn’t want to give him power over her. But their past friendship made her type the words.
“I’m here.”
A cautious rope tossed into the void, testing the frozen waters. Staying icy seemed like a good idea. At least she wouldn’t get her feelings hurt again.
“I’m so sorry for abandoning you. I had company arrive, unexpectedly, and then had pressing matters. It was terribly rude not to get in touch. Please forgive me.”
Thawing a bit, she typed back, “It’s okay.”
At least he’d apologized. Probably had a date or something, but what did it matter?
“I need your advice, Rockstar. You shoot birds with a camera, and I’ve thought about acquiring one. What do you recommend? I’m new to photography.”
