Page 54 of An Arcane Education
“Come in.” Alaric steps aside, inviting me into the small office, and his tone is carefully neutral when he asks, “So who’s Max? Your boyfriend?”
I laugh harder than I should, given the circumstances. “Nooo, she’s my roommate, silly.”
“Ah. And I suppose, given your current state of inebriation, that you’ve had more than one glass of Fae wine?”
“Yup. Three, actually.”
He sighs, closing his eyes for a couple seconds and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well, you can’t keep those clothes on.”
“What do you propose I do? Get naked?”
He sighs again before moving to reach into the cabinetbehind his desk while I stand there dripping and shivering, not wanting to sit and ruin his furniture.
“Here.” He hands me a folded pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt that he’s procured from the cabinet. “These should fit. I’ll turn around so you can change.”
He does, turning to face the back corner where bookshelves are stacked against the wall, and I fight to hold back laughter at the image. He looks like a child who’s been put in time-out.
I drop my heels on the floor and reach back to unzip my dress, but my arms refuse to stretch enough to reach it.
“Um, sorry to be a bother, but… could you help with my zipper?” I ask.
Sighing, he turns back around and answers, “I suppose.”
He makes his way over to me, and I turn around to give him access. A shiver runs down my spine as he brushes my long hair over my shoulder, and the heat of his body radiates, warming me slightly with the proximity.
He unzips my dress slowly, and my heart stutters at the sensation of his finger trailing behind it, warm against my bare skin.
He lingers for a moment in the silence, and I swear I hear a hitch in his breathing before he steps away, making his way back to the corner without another word.
I manage to peel the wet fabric from my body, goosebumps rising on my arms as the air cools my skin. I stumble in an attempt to put the sweatpants on, and Alaric jolts at the sound, almost turning around before he thinks better of it.
“I’m okay,” I mutter as I pull the T-shirt over my head,entirely too conscious of the fact that I’m not wearing a bra. “You can turn around now.”
He does, and he sinks back down into the chair behind his desk while taking in my appearance. I realize my face probably looks ridiculous with my smeared makeup after being caught in the rain, but I can’t bring myself to care. “Well, you’re welcome to have a seat.” He gestures to the couch behind me that sits against the wall. To my surprise, there’s a large quilt folded across the arm and a pillow leaning against it.
“Do you sleep in here?” I ask, sinking down onto the plush pillows.
“Rarely, but sometimes. Occasionally, I get caught up in whatever I’m working on and don’t care to walk back to my house in heavy rain.”
“That makes sense. You have a nice office,” I add. It’s a small room, but it’s cozy. The walls are painted a deep, dark green, and massive bookshelves with neatly arranged books line the entire back wall behind his desk, broken up only by a small window looking out toward the edge of the forest. The flickering candlelight in addition to the low, warm glow of the lamp in the corner casts long shadows that make my tired eyes droop even more. Still, I fight to stay awake.
“Thank you. I try to make it comfortable to suit my needs since I spend so much time in here.”
“Do you not prefer to spend more time at home? Or in the staff housing, I mean.”
He shrugs. “Sometimes I just don’t care to lug all the books and paperwork across campus only to carry them back the next morning. My house is the furthest onefrom campus, near the cliffside, so it’s nearly a mile one way.”
“I see. Well, I’m glad you happened to be here,” I yawn.
His lips quirk up in a small smile. “I suppose I am too. Hold on one moment,” he says, standing and leaving me alone in the office. He returns a minute later with a full glass of water. “You should drink this. I forget sometimes how much Fae wine can affect those who have never had it, so I imagine you’ll feel pretty awful in the morning. But I did a quick enchantment on this to minimize the effects of your impending hangover.”
“Thank you.” I sip the water and watch him as he settles back into his seat. “I’m sure I’ll probably hate myself in the morning, but at least it was kind of a fun night, right?” I ask with a jokingly hopeful tone.
“If you say so. Tell me about this party you went to,” he prompts, resting his chin on his hand with his elbow propped on the desk. His gaze bores into me, and I shift on the couch to get more comfortable.
I tell him about the party, describing the situation with Max and telling him about how, despite the night turning sour, I was enchanted by the atmosphere. My cheeks flush as I relay what the party had devolved into by the time I left, something bordering the line between sensual and obscene.
He’s quiet for a moment after I end my story, staring at me with curiosity sparking in his dark eyes.
