Page 57

“That sounds like depression.”

“Yeah, I guess it does.” She shrugged.

He kissed her forehead. “I need to take better care of you, little sun.”

“Caretaking wasn’t in the contract. Base medical care was the only thing, and I have had that.”

He looked at her, and she could see a revelation in his eyes. “You don’t expect me to take care of you.”

“Well, you didn’t say you would, and you have kept mostly away from me. I just had to guess about things.”

He pressed his forehead to hers and shared a wave of emotion that shocked her. He liked her. He wanted her. There were warm, fuzzy feelings when he looked at her, and there were flickers of love that seemed to centre around images of her under him as they had sex.

She reciprocated, giving him every time she thought he was handsome or caring or sweet and how that had caused her affection to grow. She added the love she felt for Ranna and the developing baby and wrapped it around her, looking at him in his formalwear at the theatre.

He looked slightly embarrassed. “Your mind embellishes.”

“Don’t care. That is how you look to me.”

He smiled and stroked her cheek. He shared with her looking like herself until she was receptive, and then she glowed.

“Oh. That explains why you tackled me and locked me in the room. So, the glow is gone?”

He saw the blaze of pink that had been around her at the theatre and the pale grey glow that was around her right now.

“Oh. That’s not good.”

“I am upset that I wasn’t looking at you with this vision. I would have known earlier that you were not doing well.”

“Pregnancy is rough for some.”

“Did your family have it rough?”

“No. They sailed through it with a beautiful glow. I always have to make things difficult.”

“I was catching up on admin so that I could spend a few weeks together with you at the lake house.”

Riley smiled. “Really?”

Rath sighed. “Really. Well, the news explains the messages I have been getting from the abbey.”

“What’s on the news?”

“The news is tracking our interactions and commenting on how we haven’t been seen together since the theatre.”

She nodded. “Right. Probable discarding of a consort.”

“Yes, but as you and I know, I have not discarded you. I bury myself in you several times a day.”

She smiled wryly. “I am aware.”

He chuckled.

A chime rang.

“What is that?”

“Ranna arranged for the med service to come to me for scans and things. They are on their way.”