Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Vivienne finished her cocoa as well and handed me her mug when I held out a hand for it.
“Er, where are you putting me?” I asked, as I carried both our mugs to the sink and rinsed them out. “In the West Wing?”
“Oh, no—that’s very far away from…” She trailed off, blushing. “I mean there are some guest rooms in that wing, if you really want to stay there.”
“No, no—put me wherever,” I said quickly. “I was just joking. I’m not used to a house with wings, remember?”
“Oh, of course.” She gave me that heartbreakingly tentative smile again—the smile that said she wanted to like me and wanted me to like her, but she wasn’t quite sure about me yet.
“Seriously—I can sleep on the couch or the floor or wherever,” I said, shrugging to show I didn’t care. I finished rinsing the mugs and looked around. “Is there a dishwasher I can put these in?”
Vivienne looked surprised.
“My—you’re domestic,” she said and pulled open the appliance. It had a hidden door, disguised to look like a cabinet—no wonder I hadn’t been able to find it. She cleared her throat. “Your, er, girlfriend must have trained you well.”
“Oh, I don’t have a girlfriend,” I said. “No wife either,” I felt compelled to add, though I didn’t know why.
“Really? A handsome young man like you?” She looked surprised.
“Nope. I was in a long-term relationship with a girl I went to college with—we almost tied the knot.” I shook my head. “But then it all kind of fell apart.”
“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. “Do you mind me asking why?”
“Well, it turned out she was seeing someone else behind my back.” I raked a hand through my hair. “Ever since then, I really haven’t wanted to dive back into the dating pool—you know?”
“Of course not. I’m so sorry,” she said, and I could tell by her eyes that she really was. “That’s terribly painful.”
“Not as much as you might think,” I said. “I mean, it’s true we were all set to get married, but we hadn’t started picking out venues or anything yet. And even though I told myself I loved Jennie—that was her name—after she left, I found that I didn’t really miss her, you know?” I tried to laugh. “I know that makes me sound like a cold-hearted bastard. I don’t know why it didn’t affect me more.”
“Maybe she just wasn’t the right girl for you,” Vivienne said. She shrugged. “I’m sure the Moon Goddess has the right person waiting for you, somewhere down the line.”
“Yeah, well I’m in no hurry to meet her just yet,” I said, smiling. “Right now, I’m just happy to be here with you.”
Her face lit up with a smile—and I do mean it lit up. Her gold-ringed eyes practically glowed and the expression made her so beautiful I nearly forgot to breathe.
“Well, thank you, Kor. I’m happy to have you.” She shut the dishwasher door and smiled. “Come on—it’s getting late. Let me show you to your room.”
And then she walked out of the kitchen, and I followed, trying really hard not to stare at her lush behind and trying even harder not to wonder what she might look like without her robe.
SEVEN
VIVIENNE
I led Kor down the long hallway that connected the kitchen to the rest of the East Wing. I wasn’t quite sure which room I was going to put him in—I only knew I wanted him close to me.
Only because it was so spooky at night in the big Manor, now that I was alone though, I hastened to reassure myself. There was no other reason to have him close—none at all.
We passed by many guest bedrooms, but I didn’t put Kor into any of them. He noticed the number though and commented on it.
“Oh yes,” I told him. “Wolverton Manor is able to sleep fifty guests, though we never had nearly that many people stay with us.” I sighed. “I always thought it was ironic that my late husband built himself such a huge house that could hold so many guests when all he ever wanted was to stay home away from people.”
“So Uncle Carter was kind of a hermit, was he?” Kor asked, raising an eyebrow.
I nodded.
“I guess you could say that. We never had dinners at our dining table which could seat a hundred or parties in the massive ballroom in the center of the house. Mostly it was just him and me and the servants rattling around in here like a few balls in a pinball machine.”
“That sounds very lonely—especially if you and Uncle Carter didn’t, er, get along,” he offered.
“We didn’t,” I said bluntly. “My late husband was…not a very affectionate person. And to be honest, I don’t think he liked me very much. And that dislike only grew after I failed to give him an heir.”