Moonlight | Lucien Castle

Chapter 20

The bedsheets weren't clean anymore.

Amaris awoke burrowed in them, feeling as though she was asleep on a cloud. She was facing the wall, mostly covered with one of the blankets. She glanced down, sensing Lucien's arm was lazily draped around her waist.

She peeked over her shoulder. He was asleep, wrapped in a different blanket. His hair was messy, and she smiled, finding she liked it better that way. That had been her doing, after all.

The memories of the night before flooded back in, and she allowed herself to continue laying beside him for a while longer, closing her eyes to remember it. She stopped herself only when she realized she wanted more. That couldn't happen.

She carefully lifted his arm, holding the blanket tight to her body as she slipped out of the bed, tiptoeing out of the bedroom to go get her clothes.

She couldn't find her pants or her bra, but she was able to slip on her underwear and her shirt. She wasn't sure what exactly she ought to do now. The clock read six in the morning. Lucien likely wouldn't wake yet, and she wasn't sure she ought to walk out of there alone. Either way, she had no pants. Where had they disappeared to?

Amaris wasn't used to this. Spending the night at another person's house. Usually, she brought people to the Compound with her. And they rarely spent the night with her. She'd have her fun then escort them out before they could see Hope. What was one meant to do? She didn't imagine she should sneak out. But she also wasn't sure about crawling back into bed or even sitting on the couch patiently waiting for Lucien to wake up.

She decided to go to the bathroom, taking her purse and rummaging through it until she found a travel pack with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and tiny bottle of mouthwash, for emergencies. It was unopened until now because she'd never needed it. She carefully pried all three items out, rinsing first with the mouthwash, then brushing her teeth as quietly but as thoroughly as possible, and finishing off with another mouthwash rinse.

Lucien hadn't woken up even though she'd been making quite a bit of noise. He'd rolled onto his stomach, giving her a view of his muscular back. The wounds on them were healed, but the trails of blood down his shoulder blades still marked where she'd broken the skin.

Again, she became aware that she was thinking far too much about it. That could not continue. Massaging her hungry belly, she decided she ought to take the time to make them breakfast.

Since she'd already mentioned her passion for cooking, she figured she ought to prove that she actually was getting rather good at it. Tying her hair up, she started to look through the kitchen, hoping Lucien wouldn't mind that she rummaged through the cabinets as long as he benefited from the meal she was preparing.

She faltered when she found almond milk and whole milk in the fridge. She mentally smacked her own forehead. "Alexis," she whispered. "Oh my god, Alexis was here the whole time."

She imagined the witch had tossed up a Silencing Spell. But it was still mortifying knowing she'd probably heard everything at the beginning. Maybe Alexis had accidentally tripped over her clothes and that's why Amaris hadn't yet located her pants and bra. They could be trapped under the couch.

She quickly shook her head, pushing the thoughts out of her mind. She'd just have to make enough breakfast for three in case Alexis woke up first.

Once she made sure she had enough eggs, milk, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla extract for handmade french toast, she started to prepare three bacon omelets. She'd been humming to herself, moving around the kitchen, enjoying the ample counter space. At one point, she pried a window open to let it ventilate. It seemed that by then, the smell had migrated to the bedrooms, because Lucien walked out moments later wearing only pajama pants.