The Prophecy (The Goddess Game Book 1)

Chapter 16

Osric watched as Amelia pulled a bottle of white wine from the refrigerator and poured a healthy amount into two glasses. He tried to hold back his surprised laugh, but his exhaustion must have gotten the better of him because he couldn't. Amelia just shrugged and gulped some down. "It's been a long day."

He looked at her then, maybe for the first time that day. There was a heaviness in her eyes that wasn't there yesterday. He wondered if work had been difficult for her or if it was Jeremy's visit that had caused that look. He was really starting to hate that guy.

She handed him his glass and he took a small sip. He didn't really care for wine. Actually, he rarely drank, but today he could make an exception.

Wine glasses in hand, they made their way to the living room where Amelia surprised him, not for the first time that day, by sitting next to him on the loveseat. Up until now, she had kept her distance by sitting across from him on the chair. Her knee brushed his as she settled more deeply into the seat. She cradled her wine glass and sighed with contentment. He took another sip and tried not to cringe at the taste. Clearing his throat, he took another, tentative, sip. With each drink, the wine seemed less abrasive and he could feel the calming effect of the alcohol seeping into his body.

Still, it was hard for him to relax. She was sitting so close that her thigh rested against his. Her shoulder occasionally brushed his arm as she drank her wine. Despite all these distractions, the more wine he drank, the more it seemed to be coaxing his muscles to let go of their tension. He laid his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. This is nice, he thought. Sitting with Amelia beside him, his body and mind relaxing, and, for the moment, having nothing to worry about. It was nice.

Heaviness filled his body as sleep threatened to take him. "Osric." Amelia's voice sounded so far away. "Osric," he heard again. Closer this time. With effort, he pried his eyes open before noticing a slight pressure on his shoulder. It was Amelia; she had laid her head there and closed her eyes. "Are you asleep?" she asked, sounding half asleep herself.

"Mmmm," he mumbled.

With a shake of her head, she pulled back to meet his gaze. He instantly missed her closeness. He still wasn't sure why she was sitting so close to him to begin with. She hadn't had that much wine and after what Jeremy had apparently told her, this is the opposite of what he thought would happen.

Still, he couldn't question it for too long. It had been so long since he had felt this comfortable with anyone and he just wanted it to last as long as possible. How did he make it last?

"Can I ask you something?" she asked, still holding his gaze. Her eyes were soft with a hint of sadness lurking in their depths.

He nodded; a bit weary.

She rested her head back on his shoulder as if she couldn't ask this question while looking him in the eyes. "Why are you pushing yourself this hard?"

Her breath was warm on his neck. It almost distracted him from her question. He played it back in his head, trying to make sense of what she had said through the haze of fatigue and...Gods, lust. It was hard to think with her so close. She smelled amazing, she looked amazing. Wait, she had asked him a question. Why are you pushing yourself this hard? Pushing himself. Not Jeremy. Not his team. Himself. "Who says I am pushing myself? Maybe I'm pushing everyone else to work too hard while I laze around all day and stay up too late at night." He couldn't suppress the yawn that tore through his body. Too tired. Too many words.

He felt her head shake. Then, he felt something between his brows. He looked up and saw that she was rubbing the spot between his eyes, smoothing the line there. "This line has grown deeper and deeper with each passing day. You're pushing yourself, body and soul. Why?"