Asanni
Page 29
“Can’t complain,” Astrid said as Jack magically appeared behind her and closed his arms around her.
“You find yourself a girlfriend, Ingmar, and leave mine to me,” Jack said, laughing.
“Except that he’s possessive and jealous.”
“Well, nobody’s perfect,” Astrid said and giggled as Jack’s fingers found a ticklish spot on her belly.
She continued talking to Ingmar in Swedish, his mother tongue.
“You sounded like you were talking backwards,” Jack said, laughing, when she finished.
“Don’t eavesdrop next time. Ingmar said hello, by the way. He’s at Liv and Tristan’s. They invited him.”
“Traitors!” He turned her around. “I want to see what you’re wearing under this,” he whispered on her lips, parting them, as his hands disappeared under her sweater and gently squeezed her breasts.
“That’s not going to make things easier, Jack,” Astrid whispered back and locked her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment. “Let’s go back,” she said and towed him toward the dining room.
“That was Seattle,” Astrid said. “Everybody says hello.”
Drew, Alec and Lily were about to leave. “We’ll be back tomorrow, as moral support,” Alec said, hugging her and kissing her cheek. “See you, cousin.”
Betty came back after seeing them out. “Are you tired, Astrid? It’s been a long day. Do you want me to show you your room?”
It had been a long day indeed, and Astrid did feel tired. On the other hand, she didn’t want to part with Jack. Their brief encounter in the living room, however, had left her burning with a fire that wasn’t going to be put out tonight.
“That may be a good idea,” she said and turned to Jack. “When are you leaving?”
“Day after tomorrow. I have a couple of meetings in the morning, but I’ll be here later.”
“Astrid, sweetheart,” James said, “Jack and I have lots to do in the next couple of weeks. That means traveling. I’ll go myself whenever possible so that Jack can stay here. Sometimes you’ll go with him, to the ranches and around.”
“Oh, I’d love to,” she said.
Eamon winked at her. “You need to meet your subjects and know your realm, Ellida. And, if you like, we can start with your house tomorrow.”
“That’s a good idea. I have to fetch my laptop and some other things from there.”
Betty gently touched Astrid’s elbow and walked her upstairs. “Come, Astrid, let me take you to your room.”
Jack placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Sweet dreams, baby.”
“I DON’T want to sound like a spoiled kid,” Astrid said to Betty as they climbed the staircase “but I’ve been living on frazzled nerves for a while. Jack’s been my support all this time.”
“You don’t need to apologize or explain anything, Astrid. We are all impressed with how you’ve been handling all the pressure. You were in hiding for a year, you were attacked, you have a difficult transformation every month, and you work all the time. Of course you want to be with Jack! We are all going to have a couple of busy weeks ahead and you’re going to carry the heaviest burden, Astrid. You’ll need lots of patience with us and with Red Cliffs.”
They stopped in front of a guest room that had been prepared for Astrid.
“Last night Jack asked me if I wanted to run away with him,” Astrid said.
“I’m not surprised. Jack’s an honorable man. He wanted to give you a chance to change your mind. And he loves you a lot, you know that.”
“Oh, I love him even more, but that also scares me. We met a few weeks ago, and I’m not only in love, I love him, with all my heart. I’m not complete without him, he’s a part of me. It’s so intense. Falling in love is one thing, but love... Love doesn’t just happen, it should develop over time, shouldn’t it?”
Betty smiled and shook her head. “And who says so? Why shouldn’t love happen, just like that. There are no rules.”
Astrid smiled. “You might be right. I’ve never thought about love that way.”
“It’s not always logical,” Betty said, “but it happens.”
“Thank God it does.”
THE FIRST thing Astrid saw when Betty opened the door was a crystal vase with two dozen pale pink roses on the nightstand beside the bed.
It was a simple, comfortable room with an attached bathroom. It was warm, and exuded a faint scent of furniture polish and fresh linen. The soft-yellow walls and white and pale-green color scheme balanced out the polished hardwood floor, the massive bed frame and sparse dark furniture. One glance at the spacious, inviting bed, with its fluffy white pillows and crisp bedspreads made Astrid realize how dog-tired she was.
Betty quickly showed Astrid around the room before she wished her good night.
Astrid’s suitcases and a few boxes with her clothing stood in the corner, but she didn’t bother to unpack them. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth and wrapped herself in a big, fluffy white towel. She moved the curtain and looked through the window just in time to see the lights in the big house flicking on. Jack was at home, across the yard, and that thought comforted her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, imagining him in rooms she’d never seen before.
Further down, she could see her house, wrapped in the dark night. She smiled. Regardless of what Jack had said on the plane, it looked like both Mohegan houses were in the Canagan house’s backyard. Positioned slightly ahead, Jack’s home stood right between them, a big, handsome, solid structure, like its owner himself.
Astrid pressed her palm against the windowpane. “I love you, Jack,” she whispered and blew him a kiss, then walked to bed and let the towel fall to the floor. She slid under the covers. The bed sheets were smooth and pleasant against her bare skin. “Better get used to sleeping naked,” she said to herself, remembering their little talk about her nightwear or rather the absence of it.
Her narrow, elegant foot peeked out under the cover. Astrid wiggled her toes inspecting her impeccable toenails painted in pearly pink.
“I’ll buy red nail polish, and you better start looking for those sexy boxers, Jack Canagan,” she murmured. Lifting herself on her elbow, she leaned toward the vase and touched a rose to her lips.
She turned the lights off. With a sigh of pleasure, she cocooned the bedcover around herself.
The moment her head hit the pillow, she was sound asleep.
About the author
Not unlike her characters, J.F. Kaufmann leads a double life: by day she is an employee in a public library, mother of two teenage boys, a friend, a colleague, and the Queen of her kitchen. When the moon rises, however, she shifts into her other self and, as Queen of the Night, reigns in the magical world of Langaer.
Born and raised in a tiny, fairylike country far, far away, J. F. Kaufmann made Calgary her home twenty years ago.