Page 57 of Tail, Dark and Handsome: Celestial Mates
“Fictional people,” he stressed.
“Right, right. I’m sure these fictional people will work it out.” How easy it was to sound positive when she doubted her ability to patch things up with Winter. His accusation of violating his trust and privacy stung, but not as much as how he immediately jumped to that conclusion.
She couldn’t help but compare his behavior to the hundreds of videos of him and his first wife arguing in front of cameras. Winter had been mad at Marigold, yes, but he didn’t curse at her or say anything that unforgivable. He didn’t threaten her with anything other than losing her job. He was a father protecting his child. Even in those videos, when you could see him vibrate with frustration, he never swore at, hit, or berated his wife. If this was Winter at this worst, what were those rumors about?
Even after being the target of his ire, Marigold still couldn’t connect the man with the rumored wife-murdering monster.
Zero’s ears perked. “You think so? Maybe I can force them to kiss and make up. That sounds faster.”
“I haven’t read the book, but kissing makes things complicated.” Did it ever. Unconsciously, her hand drifted to her lips, as if she could still feel his kiss.
“Gross,” Zero interjected because teenagers are going to teenager.
Mari grinned and steered the topic away from the fictional adults’ love life. As Zero succinctly put it, gross. “Sounds like the kit just wants his dad to be happy.”
“I do. I mean, he does. Dad’s been alone for a long time, and he’s always putting the kit first. He should be happy, don’t you think?” He tossed a casual glance to Mari, attempting to gauge her reaction to his slip.
She nodded, acting as if she failed to notice the blunder. “He sounds like a great dad. I’m sure the woman in the story wants to work through this disagreement and would be delighted to be part of their family.”
Once the dad pulled his head out of his rump, that is.
“Yeah?” He rose to his knees and draped his arms over the back of the chair. Resting his chin on the headrest, he watched Mari.
“Patience,” she said and laughed when he groaned.
Winter
The cargo hold door slid open. Winter did not pause on the treadmill, continuing his run. Marigold shook her head. “You’re doing that on purpose.”
“Running?” He hit a button. As the machine slowed, he reached for a bottle of water.
“This allergy to shirts you seem to have.” She fluttered a hand in his direction, and he took great delight in looking down at his torso, as if surprised to find his skin bare.
“Does it bother you?”
“Mr. Cayne—”
“It must bother you if you are using my family name,” he said, rather pleased with himself. He had not intended for Marigold to interrupt his run, but he felt no rush to don a shirt.
They watched each other warily.
“I’ll just be going,” she said.
“I am finished,” he said. He could not be in the same room as the female. Her scent clouded his judgment and made him inclined to forget that she betrayed his trust. His attorney sent a cease and desist order to the media for the removal of the photographs, but the information was already out in the wilds of the network. Now anyone who cared to perform a cursory search could learn which products he used in the cleansing room and count how many pillows he had on his bed.
He had invited Marigold in his home and she betrayed him. For what? Credits? She had mentioned that her false mate left with her savings, so that had to be her motivation.
“Are you growling at me? Look, I’m going.”
“Stay,” he barked. He needed a shower to wash away her scent.
“Maybe I don’t want to. I’m not likely to reach a peaceful meditative place now.” She folded her arms over her chest. A rolled mat hung in a sack over a shoulder.
“You can do that in your cabin.”
She snorted. “It’s yoga. I’d need to fold time and space to do it properly in that cabin.”
“I do not pay you to do the yoga, here or in your cabin. You have a ship to fly.”
