Chapter 6: Mature Vixen
She stood over him and looked him in the eye and said, "You don’t look like you are bothered by her behavior. Doesn’t that anger you, her talking with another man that closely?"
Jaenor’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. "She’s free to do as she pleases."
"She is," Valara agreed, her voice gentle but firm.
"But you’re not. Not really. You’re tied to something bigger, aren’t you?" She paused, then added, softer, "I’ve always seen it in you, Jaenor. That fire. That strength."
"You don’t behave like a child. Always felt like I was staring at any adult man."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with meaning.
Jaenor’s heart pounded, the room suddenly too warm, too small.
"I just don’t want to force what people don’t want to do. So if she doesn’t like me, she can do as she wishes, but she should have said something about it."
Valara was close now, close enough that he could smell the faint lavender in her hair and feel the heat of her presence. She reached out, her hand resting lightly on his chest, over the wool of his coat.
"Forget about my daughter tonight. I want all your focus on me."