Wanting Forever

Part 11

Alone with Trace again, Effone waited a few beats before speaking. For all she knew Admiral Kaine was lurking outside the door, listening. Trace opened his mouth and she silenced him with a finger pressed to his lips.

The old man was a meddler. She loved him in spite of it, but the fact remained: if he hadn't already had a hand in the situation, he would do what he could to stir it up. She got out of her chair and went to look around, making sure the area was empty.

"Is the coast clear?" Trace asked when she leaned against the door, arms crossed on her chest.

"Yes. He's really gone this time." She pushed off of the door frame. "So where were we? I was trying to hold you at arm's length, I think?"

"You were." Trace smiled with mischief. "Dinner?"

"Sure. One thing though. When you were speaking before and you were interrupted by the admiral, do you remember what you were going to say?"

Trace shook his head. "The thought is gone. I think we were disagreeing about the complications of sex."

Effone remembered. He'd started to say her name, but hadn't gotten the whole word out. There was something about his use of something other than her full name, however unintentional. A familiarity that Effone liked, even craved. There was one person in her life that had ever called her anything other than "Effone," and that was Anda. This felt so much more intimate. She took his shoulders in her hands, and turned him to face her. "You dropped the last half of my name. Say it again."

His quizzical expression showed how confused he was. Of course he would be. He'd been interrupted—he probably wasn't even conscious of what he'd said.

"Say it again. Please?" If she were listening to herself in that moment she would have realized how dangerously close she came to begging.

Leaning away with a furrowed brow, Trace slowly reformed the syllable. "Eff?"

Despite the halting, questioning way he said it, she couldn't stop smiling. "That's perfect."

"Do you want me to call you 'Eff' from now on?"

"Yes. Please."

He leaned close, his lips centimeters from her ear. "I can't deny you anything, Eff."

Deep down, in the parts of her soul Effone didn't allow to see the light of day, she knew she wanted someone to love her. Not in the way she and Anda loved each other, but because he thought she was brilliant and altogether stunning.

His words were as close to a declaration of love as she'd ever heard.