Page 89 of Marked By Moonlight

I shook my head and did my best to look for a bright side. It took a hell of a lot of looking, though.

“At least you got to see the painting,” I tried.

She dropped dejectedly back beside me. “Not sure it was worth it.”

A no-brainer to me, because no painting was worth this hassle, let alone putting one’s life in danger. But this wasn’t just about a painting, and I knew it.

“What would your father say?” I asked quietly.

She chewed that over a long time before answering. “He would say,Next time, listen to Marius.”

I laughed, and she chuckled, then gripped my hand. “I mean it. Next time, I will.”

I turned and cocked an eyebrow. “Can I place a very large bet on that?”

She grinned. “Counting on winning big?”

Borrowing a page from her playbook, I came up with a diplomatic answer. “I think the odds lean in my favor.”

She laughed and stuck out her little finger. “Ready to pinkie promise on that bet?”

“I am.”

I hooked my finger around hers, and we shook, smiling. I didn’t let go afterward. I couldn’t.

Mina rolled to her side, propped up on an elbow. I drew her free hand to my chest and held it there.

“What?” I asked after a few seconds passed.

“Nothing. Everything.” Then she sighed. “What’s that saying? Situation normal…”

“All fucked up,” I filled in.

She nodded somberly. “At least we have each other.” Then her throat bobbed as she caught herself. “And this nice room,” she added quickly, trying to joke it off.

“I prefer the château,” I whispered. “And not because it’s bigger or grander.”

Mina nodded. “I prefer it too.”

We regarded each other quietly, and it occurred to me that this was one of thosechance to talkmoments. But where to begin?

I opened my mouth, determined to do my best to come clean. But just as I did, Mina sighed and nestled up against me.

“Finally, something nice in this crappy day.”

I snapped my mouth shut. So much for talking about the difficult stuff.

“Well, walking was nice too,” she continued. “And that teahouse. Not to mention that cake…”

“It is nice,” I whispered, kissing her hair. Oh, and her forehead — twice — before I realized where that was bound to take us.

She looked up, and those blue eyes caught mine. Blue and sparkly, like sunlight playing over the ocean. A deep, mysterious ocean I wanted to spend the rest of my life exploring.

She raised her chin, and we kissed, on the lips this time. Closed lips, then open.

“Hmm,” Mina murmured, sliding a hand over my ribs.

I rolled a little closer as my body heated.