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“I don’t mind.” I chew on my bottom lip. “I encourage it.”
His smile widens, revealing his dimples. “I should get you home before Julien complains that you’re late for curfew.”
5
ARE YOU HAPPY?
Damek drives me back to the estate after our date. Like a gentleman, he walks me to the door to kiss me goodnight, or, er, good morning. Hearing our arrival, my mom invites Damek inside for something ‘warm’ to drink. Unable to refuse her request, he ends up in the sitting room beside me with a warm latte in his hand. He looks between my mom and me, likely baffled by the position.
“You’re a sweet boy.” Mom takes a seat on the couch across from us.
I blink, wondering why she’s calling Damek—a twenty-five-year-oldman—a ‘boy.’
“I know you’ll take good care of Madeline once you two are married,” she continues, not at all put off by the baffled look on my face.
Damek wiggles in his seat, looking uncertainly at my mom.
She grins, standing up. “Ah, you two want to be alone. I get it—I was young once too.” She cackles at her own joke. “Don’t stay up too late. We have more wedding planning tonight.”
I look at Damek as she walks from the room.
“Is she always so…” his voice trails off.
I take a sip of my latte. “Uh, she’s always been exuberant. I think she’s just excited over the fact that I’m getting married soon, which to her equates with grandchildren. My mother has been bugging me about it since I graduated college a couple of years ago.”
Damek’s lips turn up in one corner. “Ah, so she approves of me?”
I nod, confirming. “Not only does she approve, but I’m pretty sure shelovesyou. Maybe more than she loves me.”
Damek puts his cup down on the coffee table, so I do the same. It’s too late to be drinking caffeine, even if this is the time I used to have to get up to make it to work on time. I donotmiss those days.
He scoots closer to me. “I probablyshouldgo home.”
I look up at him through my lashes. “You could stay a little longer.”
He leans closer, but before his lips can touch mine, the sound of a throat clearing has us both pulling back. I glance into the doorway and spot Kaine standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.
I haven’t seen Kaine in a few weeks, not since he left on his search to find Lucien.
Damek and I both stand from the couch.
“When did you get back?” Damek asks.
Kaine rubs a hand on the back of his neck. “About an hour ago.”
“Any news on Prince Lucien?” Damek puts his hand on the small of my back. A small gesture I’m not even sure he’s aware of.
I scoot the tiniest bit closer to him and Kaine’s eyes zero in on me. “No, nothing yet.” He shifts his gaze back to Damek. “But we’re not giving up hope. We’ll find Lucien.”
If anybody is going to find Lucien, it’ll be Kaine. I know he’s finally doing what he’s wanted to do since Lucien’s disappearance. He never wanted to be stuck babysitting me.
Damek turns to face me. “I really should go. It’s getting late and your mother is right—we have to get up early tonight.”
The fact that he considers five PM ‘early’ nearly makes me laugh.
Now that spring has come, the sun is staying up longer. It stays lighter later in the day and even vampires see the sun in the summer months.
“I’ll see you tonight,” I tell him.
