Chapter 49. Why Didn’t You Tell Me Then? (1)

[A year after James and Cassie fled Caines. Maine, Terres Somnia]

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief when Emily finally smiled. It took a few bottles of wine, but he’d finally gotten her to calm down about Duke Maine’s latest marriage prospect and her utter despair at it not somehow miraculously being James.

“You’re not going to remember any of this tomorrow, are you?”

They were standing on the balcony of her bedroom, her in his arms while he pointed out constellations to her at her insistence.

“I might,” she giggled, kissing his cheek and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Educate me some more, Professor Aaron.”

He swallowed as her face neared his. Her sparkling, happy gray eyes looked too innocent, more so than he knew them to be.

Their first kiss was a few nights ago and what a damn kiss it was. How he stopped himself from doing more with her he didn’t know.

To his surprise, she was still like she was now, in this inexplicably happy mood, w