Page 97 of The Gathering
She threw herself back into her chair with a pff and eye roll. “That issovery hard to believe.”
He had to laugh now. “Why is that?”
“Because of how you are, and your position demands it.”
“Since you’ve beenpro-merging from toddlerhood, doyouhave strategies?”
Her explosion of laughter wrecked into the storm building in him. When she finally caught her breath, she said, “You could stop a war with that wit! And yes, to answer your question, Idohave pro-merging strategies.”
He eyed her, bothered and thrilled to fuck about that. “Educate me.”
“Ohhhh, no, no,” she tsked softly. “That’s highly subjective.”
“What about all that adaptability wisdom?”
She shot forward and said, “Youhaveto be yourself completely andtheyhave to be themselves completely when the merge happens of course.”
He stared at her smiling mouth. “Of course,” he said. “Did you know all the Creole Kings have gifts?”
She stared right back at his mouth now. “Of course they do.” She brought her gaze to his eyes. “Did you know thateverybodyhas gifts?”
Fuck, she was kicking his ass.
“I did know this.”
“So do you know whatmygift is?” Her smile teased as she picked up her tea, eyes not leaving his while gently rocking again.
“Besides your lavender lusting tea?”
Her big smile was fucking beautiful. “Lavenderlogiclusting,” she corrected. “And yes, besides that.”
“Tell me,” he said.
She sighed, draping a leg over the arm of the chair and nearly stopping his heart. “I would rather you guess.”
Fuck him. He stared at the six inches of tan skin above her knee then ripped his gaze away. “So,notthe lusting tea andnotthe pre-pubescent-pro-merging…” Her hysterical laughter erupted with her hand on his arm as he continued. “Then itmustbe your ability to make hospitality feel like captivity only with much nicer furniture.”
She went completely sober and sick looking. “You feel trapped?”
“No,” he said, his turn to laugh. “You misunderstood entirely.”
“How?” she asked, needing toknowit in the way she needed to know everything.
“The captivity,” he said. “I should have said captivated.”
Recognition hit her muscles and loosened them. Then came her smile atfullyunderstanding. And her blush. “I captivate you?”
And now her fuckinggloriouscandor. “Utterly,” he said, failing to lock the lust out of his tone.
She eased back into her chair fully now, leg back over the arm, rocking and smiling. “How… exactly am I captivating? Tell me, and I’ll tell you how you’re captivating to me!”
“Well, your lust affair with psychology and philosophy is at the top of the list.”
She gave a happy squeal about that, gushing, “How can one not be in this affair?”
“So easily,” he assured.
“What else,” she urged.
