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‘And she was okay with that?’
His face tightened. ‘She wasn’t. Not for a long time.’
‘Why not?’
His gaze shifted away from mine, reluctance in the fingers that absently caressed my wrist. Clearly his relationship with his mother wasn’t smooth sailing. ‘She found it difficult to let go, generally. At least she did before my stepfather.’
There was much more to that story and I probably should’ve changed the subject then. Hell, hadn’t
I earned a reputation for interfering where I shouldn’t, pushing when I needed to step back? ‘What
about your father?’
He froze, his fingers sliding away from my skin. ‘He’s no longer in the picture,’ he said tightly, his jaw clenching as his gaze swung to rest on the fire.
Was he dead? Had he abandoned Jensen as my parents had abandoned me? Questions teemed in my
head, but I reluctantly accepted that he’d given me more than I intended to give him.
Minutes passed. When he looked back his expression was cordial enough to display no hard
feelings but wary enough to warn me my probing questions were no longer welcome. The brief flare
of disappointment and anxiety threw me. I throttled them down as he spoke.
‘I’d very much like to feed you,min elskerinde.’
Hunger pangs immediately registered in my stomach, deciding our next activity. Summoning a
smile, I nodded. ‘I could eat.’
His smile returned. ‘Do you have any preferences food wise?’
I shrugged. ‘I don’t mind, as long as it’s hot and tasty.’
His gaze slid down my body and I could tell he was thinking about something entirely different
from food. Nevertheless, he answered, ‘I can rise to that challenge.’
He caught my hand in his, trailed kisses on my knuckles before rising. ‘Stay here. I’ll be about half an hour.’
I shook my head, reaching for my sweater. ‘No, thanks, even princesses have to take a break from
endlessly lounging about, waiting to be adored and pampered.’
He grimaced. ‘I’m not going to live that down, am I?’
‘Not for a long time, buster.’
He watched me pull on my sweater, disappointment in his eyes as I covered myself from chest to
hip.
‘Would you like some socks?’ he asked, holding out a hand to help me up. ‘There’s underfloor
heating but it’s patchy in places.’
The cabin was warm enough. ‘I’ll be fine. I want to explore the pantry.’