Page 27 of A Spot of Tea and Sorcery: Vol. 6

Luna gasped. “No!”

“It’s a no?”

“Well—yes!”

“So yes then?”

“Ward!”

“What?”

Covering her face with both hands, Luna valiantly wished on any miraculous stars that might just be passing by overhead to please, please, transport her to anywhere else in the world. The Phrigidos Isles. Hell. It didn’t matter. Anywhere not here.

But she had brought this on herself, hadn’t she? She’d encouraged this man’s interest over the last several months. No, she hadn’ttriedto. But she hadn’t tried hard enoughnotto either. Her own inexperience with all such matters came back to bite her in the arse, and she thoroughly deserved whatever discomfort she must now endure.

The least she could do was speak to him honestly. She owed him that much.

Dropping her hands, Luna made herself look up into his handsome face. “Oh, gracious goddess, Ward, you don’treallywant to marry me, do you?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I kind of thought that was implied when I, you know,got down on my kneesand proposed. Wasn’t it?”

“But . . . why?”

Ward blinked. “What do you mean, why?”

“I mean, why on earth would you want to do something likethat?Withme?”

“Damn, Luna.” He turned away from her for a moment, growling his frustration. “Are you going to make me say it?”

She stared up at him, uncertain how she could possibly answer.

Ward threw up his hands. “Fine! Because Iloveyou! All right? Is that what you want to hear? I love you, and I want to marryyou, and . . . gods, why is this all so difficult?” A few quick steps, and he dropped to the stone bench beside her once more, his arms reaching.

“Stop it!” Luna squeaked.

“Just let me kiss you,” he urged, a bit desperately. “I’m no good with words, Luna. Just let me kiss you, and you’ll understand then!”

“No, I won’t!” She glared with undisguised annoyance. “So please, stop it. And keep your hands to yourself!” she added, peeling his hands from her body and pushing them away. The hurt look he shot her was almost enough to make her repent, but not enough to make her want him to touch her again.

Ward ran his fingers through his hair. “So that’s how it is?” he demanded. “You were justusingme all this time?”

“Using you?” Her voice sounded painfully stupid in her ears.

Ward rubbed his hands down his face. “Never mind,” he growled.

Luna bit the inside of her cheek, a storm of conflicting emotions churning in her breast. “Ward,” she said, her voice trembling more than she liked. “Ward, I’m . . . I’m really sorry. I don’t know how this happened, honestly. I just didn’t think you . . . I didn’t think you cared all that much.”

“Really?” He shot her a dirty look. “What do think I’ve been doing these last few months, chasing after you?”

“But . . . my heptagram.” Luna held up her wrist, which was distinctly unmarked at the moment, which they both knew was illegal. She dropped her hand again, twisting the corsage to hide the place where a tattoo ought to be visible. “I thought maybe . . . I mean, after last night, I thought perhaps . . . perhaps you’ve just been keeping an eye on me.” She made a little shrug with her bare shoulders. “It is your job, after all.”

He scoffed. “Like you’re some sort of case assignment?”

“Well . . . maybe?”

“So all this time, you thought I had it in my head that you, Luna Talbot from Crimble, with your sweet little sweaters and your aunties and your prayers, were some kind of dark sorceress I was investigating?”

She pressed her lips together, rolling her eyes to the distant, starry sky. “My earring . . .” she murmured at last.