~11~
Gabriel was justabout to go look for Nic when she swept into their rooms in a flurry of swirling skirts and rolling eyes.“Ugh!”she exclaimed in disgust.“I can’t believe I’m running late yet again.One day, I swear, I’ll won’t be in a rush to change for dinner.”
“We have time,” Gabriel told her, watching with interest as she shed her gown and underthings, leaving a trail behind her as she raced for the bathing chamber.He followed her in at a more leisurely pace, settling himself on the chaise.He’d already bathed and dressed.He’d begun to like this transition to mark the end of the day, much as he’d initially protested the need for it.Farmers tended to bathe in the evening anyway, to rid themselves of the day’s accumulated dirt, but not to attend a fancy dinner.“There seem to be a few improvements in here, I noticed.”
“Towel-warming fire elementals!Bless Alise.”Naked, Nic set loose a water elemental to clean her body while she set the grooming imp to do her hair.“I’d rather have a bath, but there’s nothing like water-elemental clean.”She leveled a look at him in the mirror.“What’s bothering you?”
It amazed him that she could pick up on his mood so quickly.“Am I being spiky?”
“No—damp and gloomy.Your mother?”
“Got it in one.Dad asked me to come by after supper and apologize to her.”
She met his gaze as she applied her makeup.“So you have to be the peacemaker since she won’t.”
“Apparently.”
Shrugging, as if unsurprised by the counterintuitive logic, she rolled her gorgeous eyes, then began shimmying into the lingerie she’d grabbed from her wardrobe.“I’ll go with you, of course.”
“Thank you.”
“All part of the job,” she declared with a cheeky smile.“I take the care and feeding of my wizard very seriously.Besides, I want to ask Daisy some questions about House Phel’s history.”
“I mentioned that to my dad.It will be the ostensible reason for our visit.”
She turned to face him, dazzlingly sexy in her lacy lingerie, narrowing her gaze in accusation.“So, you already assumed I’d go with you.”
“I did,” he admitted, and she smiled with genuine warmth.
“Good.It was the right assumption.Now I need to find a dress to wear, not like it will be a difficult decision.Let’s see… Oh!I’ll wear the one I didn’t wear last night!”
She started to march out of the bathing chamber, but he caught her around the waist, pulling her back against him.She smelled of red wine and roses, her physical scent intertwined with her magic, and he nuzzled her dark curls, then turned her to face him.“Truly,” he said, “I appreciate your support in this.”
“Families.”She infused a world of emotion into that one word.
“Indeed.Speaking of, how are you getting along with Alise?”
“Surprisingly well.”A flurry of expressions crossed her face, along with a blizzard of emotional notes within her magic.
“You don’t have to be jealous of her,” he said, feeling that he should address it.“I’m friendly with her only because of you.”
“I know.”Her lush mouth twisted ruefully.“I don’t like being jealous, but apparently I’m not as evolved as I’d like to be.”
“So say we all.”
They stood there a moment longer, sharing the unspoken understanding.“I really should get dressed,” she finally said.
“Or we could stay here, hide in our room, and let the rest of them go plow without us,” he suggested.“You could have your bath.We could have sex.Perhaps combine the two.”
“Now you sound like me.”She kissed him, but fleetingly, as she immediately tugged herself out of his grasp.“As tempting as that is, we should make an appearance.A calm dinner to contrast with last night’s display of might and to reinforce your calm leadership through today’s developments is what your household will need.”
“Ourhousehold,” he corrected automatically, following her out to the bedroom and the wardrobe where she kept her gowns.Tucking his hands in his pockets, he awaited her reaction.She deserved a happy surprise for once.
She flung open the doors, reached in, then stopped.Whirled around.“Gabriel!”
He grinned in the face of her astonished delight.“Sometime between arguing with Jadren and firing wizards, I managed to squeeze in cornering Wizard Dahlia into making you some new gowns.”
She whirled around again, touching the different fabrics with reverence.“Oh, you didn’t have to do this.It really wasn’t a high priority.I shouldn’t have made snotty remarks about my dearth of gowns.”