Chapter 2 #4
“Ah.” Cameron lifted up his wine glass and held it out to Alric. “Then I accept your offer to escort me through your castle.”
Alric’s smile was beautiful as he picked up his glass and lightly clinked it against Cameron’s. “Excellent. I believe you shall love it.”
Food started arriving, and they fell into easy conversation about less serious topics.
Alric told him more stories about dragons and mages, explaining what the different banners meant.
Cameron simply wanted to close his eyes, curl up in his blanket, and drift off with his full belly while listening to Alric’s wonderfully deep voice.
When the food was cleared away and the bottle of wine empty, Cameron found himself smiling and petting the blanket on his lap, so very tempted to buy it. Handmade from this soft wool, the blanket had to be incredibly expensive. He just couldn’t rationalize it.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I purchased the blanket for you,” Alric said as he slid out of his side of the booth.
Cameron’s head popped up and his mouth fell open. “What? Why?”
“Because I thought we had a very wonderful day, and I wanted you to have a memento of the day. Something to remember me and Sonthofen by.”
There was no way in hell he was ever going to forget Alric Burkhard.
“Alric…” he said, but couldn’t manage the rest of the words to tell him he shouldn’t have. He did appreciate it and had wanted the blanket desperately.
“If it’s too much to manage with your things, I can arrange to have it safely shipped to your home.”
Cameron’s fingers automatically tightened on the blanket. No way he was letting this thing out of his sight from now on. “Thank you. It’s perfect. It will keep me warm all across Europe and home again.”
Alric smiled, but there was a new stiffness to it.
He helped Cameron fold the blanket again before they left the restaurant.
They wandered to Cameron’s hotel. The noise of the festival still echoed through the city as people prepared to party late into the night.
He was only slightly tempted to return to the celebration, but the weight of the food and the day of walking had left Cameron exhausted.
He was ready to stretch out in bed and sleep for several hours.
At the entrance to the hotel, Alric stopped, his hands locked behind his back. He didn’t look happy to be leaving Cameron, but if he was worried for some particular reason, he kept it to himself.
“Thank you for an enjoyable day,” Alric said before Cameron could.
Cameron laughed. “You were the tour guide. I was the annoying American tourist.”
Alric’s smile became a little more genuine as he shrugged his broad shoulders. “You were a most pleasant and agreeable tourist. I was happy to show you my hometown.”
“And tomorrow you’re showing me your actual home.”
Alric nodded. “As well as protecting you from Ravi.”
Cameron snorted. “I might not need as much protecting since I know what to expect now.”
“You’d be surprised,” Alric muttered under his breath.
“Well…I guess I should…” Cameron took a hesitant step backward toward the lobby doors.
To his surprise, Alric bowed to him and smiled. “Until tomorrow, Cameron. Schlaf gut.”
“Goodnight, Alric,” he whispered, forcing himself to take another step away from the older man.
Because if he didn’t, he was going to lean in and kiss him.
It was entirely Alric’s fault, standing there looking like some ancient lord.
His smile was all confidence and charm, and in that suit of his he looked like a model in search of a runway, which conversely sent Cameron’s mind straight into the gutter.
Oh yeah, Alric needed to be kissed. Screw that, Cameron needed to be kissed by Alric.
But that was bad thinking. Alric was just a nice guy, and this had not been a date.
Nope, not a date.
And tomorrow was not a date.
Definitely wasn’t going to listen to any of Cassie’s suggestions either.
With all the willpower he could muster, Cameron turned and walked straight into the lobby, his mind still filled with visions of Alric. He clutched his blanket to his chest and allowed himself one more silly Disney princess sigh because Alric was so sigh-worthy.
Halfway to the elevators, a man stumbled across the floor and tumbled into him.
Cameron grunted and stumbled a few steps under the man’s weight before catching himself on the wall.
The smell of beer wafted around them, and a strange green flash of light came from something in the man’s hands.
Definitely not a phone or a camera. Probably some light-up novelty purchased at the festival.
Before he could figure it out, the man pushed off him and continued toward the doors, swaying as he walked. Cameron quickly checked to make sure his phone and wallet were still in his pockets. All good. Not a crafty pickpocket. Just a drunken festival reveler.
It didn’t matter. Cameron continued on to the elevators and his own room. He had plans to curl up under his new blanket and dream about Alric’s smile until his appointment tomorrow.