Tori shot him a dry look. “Uh-huh. Baldewin, this is Sofi. Sofi, my fiancé, Baldewin.”
“Pleasure, Sofi.”
“Oh, the pleasure is definitely mine. And thank you for coming to get me.”
“Not at all. Did you escape without telling anyone?” Baldewin’s head canted in question even as he kept his eyes on the road.
“I did. We argued about it last night, but my parents can’t fathom leaving here, or me leaving here, but I’m done with this place. Seriously sick of it. And the idea of marrying Oliver makes me gag, so no. I managed to talk to Tanja last night and got the full scoop on how you saved her. How the ‘dragons are evil’ thing is total bullshit. I’d much rather escape while the opportunity presents itself. Tori, did you ask?”
“I did. King Rodrigo said you’re very welcome to come with him to Brazil. He’s excited to meet you.”
“Awesome. Thank you so much for helping me. I wasn’t sure how to get out of here otherwise.”
“You’re welcome. And trust me, I get it.”
“I figured you would.” Sofi leaned in and asked Tori sotto voce, “Are all dragons handsome? I swear, every single one of them I’ve seen so far has been gorgeous in their own way.”
Tori’s smile matched hers in glee. “I haven’t seen a plain looking dragon yet.”
“Oh yeah?” She rubbed her hands together briskly, practically bouncing in her seat. “The future’s looking up already.”
That it was.
Baldewin’s music collection was something else. Tori had now been in his hoard room multiple times, and still, it took him aback how much was in here. Instruments that were centuries old lined the walls, some of them hanging, some of them on stands. A low row of cabinets under the windows was stocked full of sheet music. It was literally a musician’s wet dream.
The first time in here, Tori had just about keeled over in excitement, as this was the room he’d always dreamed of having.
Then Baldewin had casually dropped the bomb that he played all the instruments, not just collected them. His sex appeal had gone up about eighty percent at that point.
But as much as Tori loved this amazing collection of music, what he loved most was moments like this one, right here. Where he sat with his guitar in his lap, Baldewin picking an instrument to accompany him, and them jamming together.
Tori loved music, no matter the nationality, and Baldewin was much the same. They had similar tastes, and there was many a song they both knew.
You can say a lot with music. Tori had learned this as a teen, the first time he’d picked up a guitar. He learned it all over again every time he sat and played with Baldewin. His mate played the same music, and yet it conveyed a different message to Tori’s ear.
The song ended, and he let his hand drop for a moment, flicking his fingertips. He wasn’t used to playing for long stretches, not yet. “What do you want to play next? Something more upbeat?”
“Hmm, in a moment. I want to share something with you.”
Baldewin set his violin aside, heading for the baby grand in the center of the room. He sat at the stool, got comfortable, and then touched the keys with light strokes. Baldewin had large hands, but you’d never guess it from the way he played. Each touch of the key was perfectly balanced in strength and tone. “This is how I see you.”
Tori listened, transfixed, as if under a spell. It was a light, beautiful melody, like wind blowing through a meadow. It had that ethereal quality to it. This was how Baldewin saw him?
It hit him suddenly that this wasn’t a song Baldewin had discovered. It was something he’d composed. He’d sat at this very piano, thinking of Tori, and this was what came out—this sweet melody that was joy personified.
Baldewin had told him many times he loved him. He’d shown in multiple ways that he looked at Tori and saw someone amazing. Tori had believed him. He’d married the man, after all. He’d never doubted Baldewin’s feelings for him.
But he’d never understood them, either, as he did in this moment. The music conveyed those emotions in an entirely different way, speaking to the musician in Tori.
He could feel the rise of emotions making his eyes burn. Tori was melting steadily as he listened. The day they’d exchanged vows, he didn’t think he could love Baldewin any more than he already did. This moment was proving him wrong.
Tori never wanted him to stop playing. He also wanted to jump him. It was a very conflicting set of instincts.
Baldewin ended the song with a trill of keys and turned with a shy smile. “What do you thin—”
Tori kissed him hard, overcome with joy and love but not sure how to express it all. Baldewin groaned into his mouth, opening under the kiss with a happy sound.
“I loved it,” Tori assured him, already reaching for Baldewin’s slacks. “I’m going to show you just how much I loved it. And then you’re going to play it for me, again and again, for the rest of our lives.”
The grin that stretched from ear to ear on Baldewin’s face was more than a little smug. “It will be my pleasure.”
“Oh, it’ll definitely be yours.” And his.
This was the best part of being Baldewin’s mate. Neither of them ever had to sacrifice anything to make the other happy. Instead, they took pleasure in making each other happy. It was a never-ending cycle of love, passion, and music.
And wasn’t that the most wonderful thing of all?
GERMAN
Bitte – please
Boah – wow
Dankeschön / Danke – Thank you / Thanks
Ganz gut – quite well
Hallo – hello
Hastig – hasty
Hoheit – sire
Ja – yes
Liebling – dear, love
Nein – no
Nichts zu danken. – Nothing to say thank you for.
Scheiße – shit
Verstehst – understand
Wie geht’s dir? – How are you?
FINNISH
Hei – hello
Hyvää huomenta, rakas – Good morning, beloved.
Rakas – loved one
Rakastan sinua. – I love you.
PORTUGUESE
O que há de errado? – What is wrong?
AJ SHERWOOD
AJ’s mind is the sort that refuses to let her write one project at a time. Or even just one book a year. She normally writes fantasy under a different pen name, but her aforementioned mind couldn’t help but want to write in the LGBTQ+ genre. Fortunately, her editor is completely on board with this plan.
In her spare time, AJ loves to devour books, eat way too much chocolate, and take regular trips. She’s only been outside of the United States once, to Japan, and loved the experience so much that she firmly intends to see more of the world as soon as possible. Until then, she’ll just research via Google Earth and write about the worlds in her own head.
If you’d like to join her newsletter to be notified when books are released, and get behind-the-scenes information about upcoming books, you can join her NEWSLETTER here, or email her directly at [email protected]