13
FENELLA
The time spent with the children had managed to relax Fenella after the mini earthquake she'd experienced while holding that figurine.
The whole psychometry thing was unnerving.
She didn't like taking a ride on some stranger's memories, seeing and feeling things that she shouldn't. It wasn't about invasion of privacy since the guy was long gone by now, it was just creepy.
"So, your place or mine?" Din asked as they crossed the bridge that separated Kalugal's section from the main village.
The question was innocent enough, but the undertone in his voice made heat pool low in her belly. She glanced up at him, taking in the way the dark strands of his hair shifted in the light ocean breeze, the way his shirt stretched across his broad shoulders.
Five days.
Had it really only been five days since he'd arrived in the village? It felt like yesterday and like a lifetime ago at the same time.
"Shira is not home."
That was enough said, and Din got her meaning right away.
The glow from his eyes became visible in the fading light. "I like the way you think." His hand found the small of her back, the touch possessive in a way that sent pleasant shivers down her spine. "A late afternoon delight before your shift in the bar is a brilliant idea."
She liked the way he phrased it. There were clear advantages to having a boyfriend who had grown up in an era when words still mattered and a gentleman didn't use crude language when in the presence of a lady. It was such a refreshing change from everyone else she'd ever been with.
Not that she was much of a lady. She could cuss with the worst of them. But she still enjoyed being treated as one, and it incentivized her to act more cultured herself.
"It is, right?" She bumped her hip against his.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "A brilliant idea from a brilliant lady. You always know what makes me happy."
She stifled the urge to roll her eyes. Was there a healthy male who would not be happy with such a suggestion?
Instead, she said, "You're easy to please, Professor. Especially in bed."
"Every moment with you feels like a gift, in bed and outside of it." His voice dropped to that low register that made her pulse quicken.
"Careful, Professor. Keep talking like that, and I might say those words you are waiting for sooner than later."
Din stopped walking.
They were in the middle of one of the village's main pathways, busier than usual with residents enjoying the Sunday afternoon, but he didn't seem to care about their audience. "Then you'll be hearing much more of this from now on." He punctuated his words with a kiss that was anything but appropriate for public consumption.
His hands framing her face and holding her steady, he claimed her mouth with a thoroughness that made her weak in the knees. There was a fleeting moment of embarrassment when her mind was still aware of the people around them, but she didn't push him away or tell him to stop nor scold him for making a scene. Instead, she melted against him, her hands fisting in his shirt as she kissed him back with equal fervor.
"Oh, look!" someone said, the voice tinged with amusement. "They are filming a remake ofTwilight."
"Where are the sparkles?" another voice said.
Behind Din's back, Fenella lifted her middle finger at the jokers, which elicited twin bouts of laughter.
Din didn't even break the kiss to respond to the two.
When she finally pulled away to take a breath, the spectators were gone, and she was a little dazed. "You're impossible."
"Impossibly in love with you," he corrected, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
As they resumed walking, Fenella was hyperaware of every point of contact between them—Din's hand on her back, the warmth of his body so close to hers. "This is nice," she said.
