Chapter 11
Genevieve
His ice-cold hands settle on my shoulders, a tingling feeling spreads through my body as he drags them further down my spine. The hair on my skin rises and a strong shiver washes over me.
He starts to loosen my corset, making it easier to undress and get ready for bed. I don’t want him to do anything more, not yet, and he doesn’t. He doesn’t do anything at all.
When he offers me his hoodie to sleep in instead of my dress, I gladly accept it. And as soon as I lie down in the comfortable bed, my eyes fall shut, making it impossible to fight the sleep.
—
Waking up a few hours later, stretching out my legs, I realize how well I slept in this bed, feeling the blanket clinging onto me like a tight hug.
As I open my eyes, the morning sun shines through the big window and its curtains. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the brightness, but when they do, panic hits me.
It’s not the blanket that is hugging me so tight, it’s Ector. My head is resting on his chest and his big muscular arms are holding me in a steady grip.
My body is pressed against his.
Wiggling out of his tight grip feels like a workout. His big muscles are heavier than I thought.
I quietly grab my dress, bag, and my shoes from the floor, tiptoeing into the bathroom to change and get ready for the day.
The bathroom is small compared to the bedroom, but it’s in the same colors, shades, and theme. Looking at myself in the mirror, my eyes widening as I see what my hair looks like. Someone slept well... My hair is a mess.
Grabbing one of the curls from my head, I feel something wet. “Is that saliva? Did I drool?” It comes out as a whisper for only me to hear.
I slip out of Ector’s black hoodie and put on my dress. It’s not the easiest to tie the corset alone, but I manage. Putting on my shoes, I tie them around my legs and place my bag over my shoulder.
Feeling ready, I quietly walk out of the bathroom. “Sorry, Ector. I need to write that letter for my mother before she goes insane.” I whisper even though he’s fully asleep.
Entering the hallway, the apricot carpet comes into view. With every step I take, more nervousness enters me. What if he wakes up while I’m away? The thought is unbearable. What if he leaves without me? My panic spirals.
“Hi.” The sweet voice of a child echoes.
“Hi!” I smile back at her, my hand waving gently. She must be a guest here too.
It wasn’t too hard remembering the way back to the square, and as I arrived, I immediately started to look for a mailing office or a shop that sells paper and pens. It didn’t take long before my eyes spotted the tiny boutique further down the street.
I twist the round golden door knob, and step through the bright yellow double doors. As I step inside, my eyes search the tiny shop for letters and a pen, making me look like I’m lost and confused.
Suddenly, my eyes darted to a violet diary with moonlit silver details. This will be perfect for sending a letter, but also if I feel the need to write down some of my thoughts. Questioning myself, I wonder why I didn’t bring my diary with me, the one placed on my night stand at home.
Grabbing a glittery pink feather pencil, I start writing down my words on the first page in the beautiful book. Signing it “Love, Genevieve.” I add a small drawn tulip in the corner so my mother knows it’s truly from me and no one else.
Carefully, I rip out the page, folding it in the middle and preparing it to be put in an envelope.
Moving towards the counter, I put the letter in a sage leaf envelope with golden foil.
Reaching for the golden coins in my bag, I hand them over to the old man behind the desk, his eyes deeper than the bottom of an endless ocean.
As I beg the owner of the shop for the fastest delivery possible, a lump starts forming in my stomach from his brutal aura, warning me to leave immediately when we're done.
“That would be with Fast Fairy Mail.” He says with a dark voice.
“Perfect.” My nervousness shines through in my body language.
–—————————————————————————
Dear mother.
I’m sending you this because I do not want you to worry about me. I’m totally fine, I promise!
I’ll be back in a few days with a surprise for you.
And I am not doing this on my own, I have a friend by my side, so
don't worry about that either!
Love, Genevieve.
—————————————————————————————
On the way out of the shop, the idea of surprising Ector suddenly enters my mind. Surprises are something I’ve always loved, but mostly for others rather than myself. At least that’s what I make myself believe.
Following the street, walking back to the hotel, a small cafe named The Breakfast Basket catches my eye. A dark wooden, rectangular door sits in the middle of the building, followed by big windows full of baskets with decorative food and baguettes hanging down.
And that’s when the perfect thought hits me. Breakfast! I can surprise Ector with breakfast! Taking a step into the cafe, an old lady greets me with a big smile.
“Hello darling! How can I help you today?”
“Hi! Can I get breakfast for two? Your choice.”
Her smile becomes even brighter, looking more excited than ever. “Ooo okay, give me a moment and I’ll be right back.” She says while walking into her kitchen.
The smell of the building sweeps past my nose, a delicious blend of freshly baked bread, blueberry cookies, and hints of tomato and ham.
After a few minutes of waiting, the wonderful woman comes into sight and walks towards me.
“Here Darling, here is your breakfast basket. I chose my favorites and I hope you’ll love them just as much as I do.”
“Thank you...“
“Loreen!”
“Thank you, Loreen.” I respond with a calm voice and a sweet smile on my lips.
I give her the coins and a tip since she was so kindhearted. Looking down in my bag, I realize that I barely have any coins left.
She hands me the picnic basket full with breakfast, and suddenly I want to dig through it and see what amazing finds will be revealed.
“Please let Ector be asleep so I can surprise him. Please, please, please.” I love the smile on his face, it’s beautiful, it makes me sad that he doesn’t use it very often. So I’m going to do my utmost to make him put the brightest one on display for me.
Flying back to the hotel, I get a chance to see the beautiful city from above.
Arriving at the hotel, I walk into our room as quietly as I possibly can, quickly checking my pocket watch. 7.30 am.
The bedroom door was open when I left, and it hadn’t been touched. Carefully, I walk inside the room only to find him still sleeping. Thank Goddess. He’s lying on his back, sleeping peacefully.
I reach forward and tap his shoulder. “Ector.” He moves but his eyes stay closed. “Ector?” I do the same thing again, and this time he lets out a tired sound while stretching his body.
”Mhm?”
“Rise and shine.” The song leaves my mouth.
He opens his eyes and an extremely sexy grin forms on his lips. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
“Stop calling me that!” I snort at him. “I brought us some breakfast, are you hungry?”
“I don’t know, I just woke up so I haven’t had time to think about that yet.”
I roll my eyes as a response.
“Okay, okay, sweetheart. What food did you bring?”
“I have no idea, I told Loreen to choose for us.”
“And who is Loreen?”
“She’s the owner of The Breakfast Basket.”
His only answer is to look confused.
We start to unpack the basket together, both of us curious about what food we might find inside. Ector grabs a cylinder-shaped... something and rips the bright red paper from it.
“I think that’s the Lorissa wrap-up. I checked the menu.”
“So you did know what we got?”
“No, I checked it before I told Loreen to choose because I have a lot of decision anxiety.”
He doesn’t question me, instead he takes a bite of the wrap, his eyes rolling back, “Mmmh, this is good.” He says, his head nodding in agreement.
“Can I taste it?” I want to experience the taste too.
“No.” He says ironically as he hands me the wrap.
It’s some kind of bread filled with melted cheese, different vegetables and a yellow sauce.
As I take a bite, teeth sinking through the soft bread, I react in the exact same way as Ector just did. This tastes incredible!
“Give it back.”
“No, I’m going to keep it all to myself and eat every last bite.” I joke with him. A very bad joke.
He tries to grab my arm, but I scramble off the bed before he gets the chance and start running away from him. He lets out a sudden laugh and starts to run after me.
“I’m getting it back, sweetheart.”
“No!” I laugh out loud.
He gets a hold of my waist and holds me tight, close to his body. I stop laughing as I’m being pressed to him and feeling his warmth. Feeling his arousal against my lower back.
My body is pressed to his.
He turns me around and we lock eyes. His eyes could compel me in the same way as a magical spell could.
I tear the wrap into two pieces and give him the bigger one.
“Do you want to share with me?” I ask him, while looking into his deep eyes.
“Yes, sweetheart. Thank you.”
Sitting on the bed together, we continue looking through the basket. We got so much more food than I thought we would. Some small chocolate chip cookies, two more wraps but with different ingredients, and a toast.
Trying my best to focus on the food, my mind refuses to stop thinking about how Ector held me around my waist. How our bodies were so close, the touch feeling like hot flames of an old dragon.
My whole body goes warm just from the thought of it. From the thought of him, holding me.