Chapter Ten
“Can you talk about your work?” I asked Rune as we sat at my dining table, in the open area just outside my kitchen.
The undefined dining room transitioned into my art studio, and Rune was staring at the paintings of the four warriors. Again. He was fascinated by them, especially my nemesis. Even when he sipped his root beer, he didn't stop staring. And those paintings were over fifty feet away. It was getting weird.
“Rune?” I nudged his hand.
Rune blinked and shifted his stare to me. That's when I noticed how unfocused it was. Ah. So, he hadn't been staring at the paintings. He was just tired. Those paintings must really be getting to me if I was imagining their importance to others. Rune had been fascinated by them when I showed him the paintings on our way up to my bedroom, but he wasn't obsessed. And why would he be? I was being silly.
“Sorry,” Rune murmured and leaned back in his chair. “It's been a long day.” He grinned and added, “And a long night.”
“It sure was.” I glanced at the clock. “I have to go downstairs in a few hours.”
“Do you have to?” He leaned forward. “Couldn't you take the day off?”
“What did you have in mind?”
Rune shrugged. “How about the Aquarium?”
“You want to go to the Aquarium with me?” I lifted my brows.
“Too cutesy?”
“No. It's just very . . . normal.”
“We haven't exactly done abnormal things together.”
“A couple of the things we did last night were definitely not normal.” I grinned.
Rune chuckled. “I did warn you.”
“Yes. Every way that a man can take a woman. I remember.”
“Fuck,” Rune growled.
“What?”
“I'm hard again. You can't say shit like that to me, Lora.”
I laughed. “You said it first. Then you referenced it. I was only clarifying.”
“Yeah, but you saying it is a turn-on. Now I want to do it all over again.”
“Breakfast first.” I stood up. “Immortality helps with the exhaustion, but I still need to eat. Come on. Let's get dressed.”
“Don't you have anything here to eat?”
“I do, but I want to go out.”
“Ah.” Rune got up. “I suppose I do owe you a meal after taking off on you halfway through our date.”
“And an explanation.” I went upstairs and Rune followed, but we split up at my dressing room door.
I went inside while he went down to my bedroom. So, he didn't answer me, and I forgot about the explanation I wanted until we were seated at a table in one of my favorite breakfast places. Our waitress brought us coffee and after she left, I finally remembered.
“Hey, you didn't tell me what happened yesterday. Or is it top secret?” I asked.
Rune grimaced. “It sort of is. Sorry.”
“That's all right. Can you at least tell me if everything worked out?”
“It didn't. But it was just a research mission.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I think this one is going to be a problem.”
“A problem with a spirit? I don't understand. Don't you just grab them and take them back?”
“Sometimes there's more to it.”
“Oh.”
“I'm sorry I can't tell you. I'd like to. But I've got orders from the big guy.”
“Hades? Really?”
He nodded.
“Then I completely understand.”
“But I got cleared for today. That's why I was hoping you could take the day off.”
“Well, I am the boss.” I pulled out my phone and texted Jenny. “I think I'll give everyone the day off.”
“That's the spirit!”
“Not the one you're after,” I teased.
“Just a different type,” he said softly.
I looked up to find him watching me. After holding his stare for a second, I asked, “How far are we going with this?”
Rune's face twitched. “I don't know. I guess as far as we can go without getting attached.”
“Attachments form subtly, Rune. Perhaps this should be about meaningless sex.”
“We both know that ship has sailed. Meaningless isn't going to happen.”
I leaned forward. “What was that last night? I mean, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it. But you were not yourself.”
“I was upset by the situation we're dealing with.” His jaw clenched. “I shouldn't have gone to you like that, but I couldn't stay away.”
“You were upset? Rune, you couldn't speak. Or if you could, you didn't. Not until after you came the first time.”
“My hound was rising. It wanted to act, but our target was out of reach.”
“So you focused on a new target?”
“In a way.” Rune shrugged.
“It was sexy,” I said.
“It was?”
“You look surprised.”
“I didn't think you'd be into aggressive men.”
“I'm into you, Rune. Aggressive, tender, whatever you are in the moment.”
His expression rippled through emotions, then settled on soft. “I'm into you too. All you are, Lora.”
“Good.”
“Thank you for accepting me as I was last night.”
“We all need someone to see us as we are and accept us anyway.”
“Yeah, we do.”
“Bananas foster french toast,” the waitress said as she deposited my breakfast before me. “And the chicken fried steak and eggs for you, sir. Enjoy.”
We eyed each other's plates, then said simultaneously, “Can I have a bite?”
Laughing, we shoved the plates into the middle of the table and feasted on them both.