Chapter Thirteen

We made love again—gentle and quiet and sweet, and with no surprises—and napped, and showered, and napped again, and then he ordered dinner sent up, which was nothing at all new or experimental. Just roast chicken and baby potatoes and a crisp green salad, with a bottle of dry white wine. Exactly what I needed, on this day of firsts, of breaking boundaries, of exploring new territory.

And then we slept, curled up together in that giant crazy round bed. My dreams that night were full of warmth and love and safety, with only the slightest hint of tension around the edges. Things were good, my brain somehow knew; not ultimately resolved, but well on their way.

In the morning, Aiden stirred next to me just as I awoke. I rolled over on the pillow and looked to see his delightful hazel eyes opening and gazing back at me. “Good morning,” I said.

He pulled me into his arms and gave me a languorous kiss. “And a very good morning to you too, my lady.”

I stretched and yawned, feeling pleasantly exerted and well rested. “I don’t suppose there’s coffee in this room, is there?”

“There can be.” He turned at once and sat up, dangling his feet off the edge of the bed. “Just give me one minute.”

I used that minute to visit the bathroom, while he phoned for room service. When I returned, he said, “We have two options. We can drink the coffee that’s being sent up and get back in bed and fuck like bunnies, or we can drink the coffee that’s being sent up while we get dressed to go join Lady Periwinkle and the rest of our cohort for breakfast in the gallery.”

“Hmm. That’s a tough one.” I pretended to ponder, grinning at him. I’d gotten back into bed, of course, and stretched my feet out toward where he sat. “Why can’t we do both? I notice that coffee figures in both your options.”

“I’m not a complete moron.” He began playing with my toes, tickling them a little, sending shivers of delight up my legs.

“No, you’re not. So can’t fucking like bunnies also appear in both scenarios?”

His grin grew rueful. “Alas, if we join the breakfast, we need to leave in the next few minutes.” There was a soft knock on the door; he got up to answer it as he continued. “Just enough time to drink this—” he thanked the servant for the coffee and closed the door “—and get down there.”

I heaved a dramatic sigh. “Why does my life suck so horribly?” I knew that we should go to breakfast…I even wanted to see my other men, my dear amazing other men…and I needed to talk to Lady Periwinkle, about—well, everything—but all of that meant leaving here…

“If it helps your decision-making process, I might point out that after breakfast, we can come back here. My personal time with you doesn’t end for many hours yet, and we can add to those hours any time we spend in the company of others.” He handed me a steaming cup of coffee.

I took it and sipped. “Okay, that’s what we’ll do then: breakfast, then bunnies.”

“We’ll need the calories to build up our strength anyway,” he said, taking a generous swig of his own coffee. “I have all sorts of very athletic ideas, things I want to teach you.”

“I look forward to the lessons.”

~*~*~*~

Breakfast was very nice, and I was glad we did it, and gladder still when it was over and we returned to our room. Aiden then indeed tried to show me some athletic things, featuring yoga positions that have certainly never made it into any official teachings. I was not the world’s greatest student, I’m afraid; too busy collapsing into giggles when he tried to put my feet behind my head, or balance on my elbows, or whatever.

“I would have never thought, looking at you, that you would be such a yogic novice,” he grumped, giving me a mock-pout. “Have you never taken a yoga class in your life?”

I shrugged, grinning back at him. “Always meant to. Never got around to it. I guess you’ll have to start from the basics.”

So he did, showing me Downward Facing Dog. And then taking me that way.

Yoga…it’s all right.

~*~*~*~

“You will choose your permanent rooms when you’ve had a chance to explore the whole house and grounds, and get the rhythm of the place,” Lady Periwinkle explained to me. “For now, I’ve put you here. I hope you’ll like it.”

We stood in the doorway of a second-floor suite: two rooms and a bathroom, furnished in a clean and modern style. Lovely, but it needed personalizing; not surprising, for a room that hadn’t belonged to anyone. “This looks great to me.” I stepped in, glancing around the sitting room, peering into the bedroom. I saw a very large bed, clearly some non-standard size. “Yes, this should do.”

The lady gave me a knowing smile. “I will leave you to get settled. The phone is there; just pick it up if you need anything. Charles will direct your call as appropriate.”

“Thank you.”

After the door closed behind her, I went to the window and looked out on the garden below. Just beautiful, even here in winter. I wondered what it would look like in the springtime.

Then I explored the rest of the suite. Definitely comfortable, and more space than I’d ever had to myself; I could be very happy here. Of course I would want to see all the options, as the lady had suggested, but this was great. And there was plenty of room for a cat. Adding Trixie would go a long way toward making any room my own.

I sat down on the couch and pulled out my phone. I owed Kelly a call; my last text to her had probably alarmed her, though my intention had been just the opposite. She was at work, so I got her voicemail now. “Hey Kell, it’s Em. I’m still fine, still actually more than fine—but it’s been a whirlwind! I have so much to tell you, and we should really do it in person. If you can get across town after work, let me know. I’ll tell you everything then. Give me a call when you get this, k?”

Kelly would love it here. And she was a good friend…I knew she would be happy for me, even if she was sad about losing me as a roommate. I wondered if she had any magic in her. I’d love to introduce her to my new world…

As it was, though, I had my work cut out for me. I had to begin at once with Grace, teaching her how to build a cohort even as I was still learning. Lady Periwinkle had explained over breakfast that she could no longer do this herself; all her energy had to be focused on defense, on keeping Mundon out. For he would redouble his efforts, having been thwarted this time, and this last battle had drained the lady badly.

Not that she had given me much in the way of training. An introduction and one conversation; otherwise, it had been pretty much up to me and my men. I would do better for Grace, I decided. I would explain everything to her at the outset: no surprises. ‘Whirlwind’ barely began to describe my last few days; it had been a roller coaster of shocks and delights and fear and ecstasy and discomfort and bliss.

I didn’t know how much, if anything, Grace knew yet; the lady had been vague on that. So I would start at the beginning. I’d lay the whole situation out. Grace wouldn’t believe me at first, but I could reach out and touch her with my magic. She’d feel that, and then after she accepted the idea, we would go from there. Yes, that was definitely the way to do this.

A knock at my door startled me from my ruminations. Had the lady forgotten something? I got up and opened it.

Justin the rogue grinned at me, holding a bottle of champagne in each hand, each bottle beaded with condensation. Right next to him stood Finley, with his cello; on the other side was sweet Max, holding a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates.

Aiden was just behind all three of them…what was he holding? I peered closer, trying to make it out.

“We just wanted to see how you were settling in,” Aiden said, “and wondered if you wanted any…company.” He lifted his hands.

“Is that…are those…handcuffs?” I stammered.

Aiden smiled broadly. “Fur-lined. But don’t worry. Nothing happens without your say-so.”

I looked at them all. Four men gazing back at me with adoration and lust…even, perhaps, love. My heart swelled in my chest as heat began to kindle down below. I opened the door wider. “Come on in.”

~END~