Walking back toward my own room, I cancelled the tat and the glow faded away. The sounds of passion disappeared and the bright hallway was once again dark.
That was when I caught my small toe on the edge of the doorframe. I stifled a shout of pain and hopped on one foot back to my bed.
“Damnit, that’s what I deserve for sneaking around listening to them, enjoying each other after so many months apart. Serves me right.”
I started to trigger my healing tat and then shook my head as I slid back under the sheet. No, I didn’t need to heal the minor damage. The pain would remind me to mind my own business.
I lay back against my pillow and wondered if I’d been too noble when I told Cris that I thought they deserved some alone time. Thinking about it, I figured that I could still join them and not be refused. I’d never had the opportunity or inclination to share a man with another woman, but this was Rafe and the woman who had saved his life. We at least had that in common. The fingers of my right hand lightly caressed my lips as I remembered the kiss Cris had given me. It’d been tender with no sign of passion, but there was definitely something there besides a thank you for saving Rafe’s life.
Rolling onto my side to face the open curtains of the window, I resolved that if Cris offered again, I would not be so quick to refuse.
The morning sun woke me from a restless sleep. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was after six. That was after four Mountain Daylight Time. I groaned and regretted not closing the curtains before going to bed.
I rolled away from the window and groaned again. How much wine had we drunk? My head throbbed and a moment later, the pain in my bladder brought me fully awake.
Damn! I tossed off the sheet and slid to the floor. The guest bathroom was off the bedroom and I hurried in to relieve the immediate pain. Finishing, I washed my hands and my face, blinked hard at the blurry image in the mirror and at my case of bed hair. I dipped my hands back under the faucet and put enough water on my short hair to hold it down.
Exiting the bath, I went to the guest room door and looked down the hall. The master bedroom’s door was still closed. As late as those two had been at it, I was sure they were going to be sleeping in. I padded across the great room and into the kitchen. Cris had shown me the Keurig coffee pot and where the cups were. While the machine was warming up, I looked for aspirin. I didn’t find any right away and settled for a large glass of tap water. Then I activated my healing tat and hoped it would alleviate some of my hangover.
I was feeling better by the time the Keurig had my coffee ready. Taking the cup, I walked to the rear door that led to the deck. Cris didn’t have an alarm system; I guess she thought her wards were good enough not to need additional security. I opened the door and stepped out, feeling her wards impinging against my flesh as I moved through the opening. Personal wards were still on my list of things to learn. Rafe told me he had made a mental list of what I needed to learn, but he didn’t share it with me. On the other hand, Rafe never gave me the impression that he planned things out that far ahead. I think there was no list and he was just training me on whatever struck his fancy on a given day.
Closing the door behind me, I crossed to the teakwood table and sat down in one of the cushioned seats. I immediately shot back up with a little yelp. I clutched at my butt while trying not to spill coffee all over myself. Damnit, the cushions were covered with dew. It wasn’t something we saw a lot of this time of year in Colorado, but I should have remembered to check for dew. The back of my nightshirt had been instantly soaked. I cursed myself for my foolishness and flipped the cushion upside down. I set my coffee on the table, hiked up my nightshirt, and settled my bare butt on the dry side of the cushion.
I leaned back, propped my feet on the back of the next chair over, and picked up my cup.
Birds were already up and singing loudly in Cris’s back yard. She had a hummingbird feeder hanging on a hook at the edge of the deck and a couple ruby-throated birds were currently arguing over the feeder.
I was halfway through my first cup of the morning when there was movement under the trees at the edge of the yard. I watched, curious, as a whitetail doe stepped out from between the azaleas and onto the lawn. It looked around and saw me, but then continued a few more feet before lowering its head to nibble at the grass. A minute passed, and then two more does entered Cris’s yard. Finally, a large buck stopped at the edge of the woods before following his mates into the open. The buck had just begun to grow a new set of antlers but could have passed for another doe, if it hadn’t been for the short spikes of velvet on his head.
Finishing my cup, I stood slowly as not to spook the animals. Then I jumped as my wet nightshirt slapped against my bare bottom.
The deer flinched, but didn’t bolt as I expected. I guessed they were used to people in this neighborhood. People might not bother them, but if Beast
