“Good morning, darling,” Gage said, carrying in a tray.
“Where are we?”
He chuckled and kicked the door closed behind him. “In the warrior villa in Éire Danu.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. My witch brothers had quite a bit of fun creating this sanctuary for me. Bastien liked it so much, he had his rooms redone in a similar fashion.”
“It looks like we’re in a freaking cave Gage.”
“It’s meant to look like a cave.”
“Is this what Noctem Falls looks like?”
“To a certain degree.” He placed the tray down on the nightstand, then sat on the bed beside her. “I brought you some breakfast. Today Jace was cooking, so it’s a bit meat-heavy since that’s what his wolf prefers.”
Zoe eyed the platter of fried ham steaks, bacon, and sausage. On the other plate were slices of buttered toast, cut cheese, and a bowl of fruit.
She reached for the toast and made a ham and cheese sandwich. Taking a bite, she smiled. “This is really good.”
“Making a sandwich was a good idea. I think I’ll do the same.” He chose bacon over ham and added a bit more cheese.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep last night,” she admitted.
“I’m not. I got to carry you upstairs and put you to bed. It felt right to take care of my mate.”
“But what about… you know.”
“Sex?” he asked.
She blushed and nodded.
“Zoe, I’m in no rush. Through no fault of your own, you haven’t been exposed to much, so I doubt you dated often. I’m enjoying getting to know you as we become more comfortable with one another. It’s not that I don’t desire you. I do. I just want you to know your own mind and want me as I want you.”
“I do want you, I do. It’s just…”
“You don’t know me.”
She nodded.
“Zoe, let’s take our time and enjoy the mating pull. We’re both young for paranormals. In a way, we’ve been blessed to find one another so young. We have the rest of our lives to live, but we won’t get these precious first days again.” He leaned in, so their foreheads were touching. “Let me enjoy making you blush while I can.”
“I have a feeling no matter how long we’ve been mated, you will find ways to make me blush, Gage Fabre.”
He sat back and winked. “Only if I’m lucky.”
She ate the rest of her sandwich and was working her way through the fruit when he cleared his throat.
“How particular are you about your clothes?”
“Not very. I mean, I’m normally in temple robes most of the time anyway. Why?”
“I may have taken the liberty of heading out this morning to Baba’s and picking out a robe for you for today. I figured you may want to try something new. Later, we can head to the shop, and you can pick out some more, but this way, you can see if you like the design,” he admitted a bit sheepishly.
“This morning? What time did you get up?”
He shrugged. “I’m an early riser, so about dawn.”