33. Florence

Chapter thirty-three

Florence

After the most passionate sex of my life, Adelbert takes me to his bedroom where we shower and he dresses me in one of his sweaters, which just so happens to be my favorite one.

"What are those?" I ask Adelbert and point to the gray pants he just slipped on.

"Sweatpants," he answers hesitantly and pauses his movements.

"Adelbert Alberad," I chastise playfully and saunter over to him, "why is this the first time I'm seeing them?"

"Um…" Adelbert looks genuinely confused and I walk my fingers up his naked torso until I cup his cheek.

Staring into his silver eyes, I explain cheerfully, "If you had worn these earlier I think I might have had to do some very naughty things to you." I boop his nose with my forefinger and turn around, leaving a stunned Adelbert in my wake.

"Naughty things?" Adelbert huskily asks the empty room as I make my way toward the kitchen, humming my favorite tune. "Like what?"

"Cook me dinner and I'll show you," I call then giggle as Adelbert rushes after me, his footsteps thudding across the wooden floorboards.

I try to speed away, but two strong arms band around me from behind and I laugh as Adelbert hugs me to him. I turn my head so I can see his face and the joy etched on his features makes me giddy.

"Hi, baby," I whisper over my shoulder.

"I never thought I'd say it, but I like it when you call me that," Adelbert whispers back.

My eyes widen when I realize I said it out loud.

Adelbert kisses my temple.

"It's cute."

"You don't mind getting a cute nickname?" I ask and turn around in his arms so I can fully face him.

"From you, no. I like it. Liebling."

My breath catches at the sound of that nickname again and something inside me unravels when Adelbert stares at me like this. Like the mask he always wears has finally come off and I can see a glimpse of his warm heart that he hides from everyone. Adelbert's brows aren't scrunched up, his mouth isn't turned down, and his jaw isn't tight. For the first time, he looks relaxed. At peace.

I splay my fingers across his chest, tracing invisible patterns and ask, "Care to tell me what that one means?"

Adelbert gives me a soft smile. "Darling."

"That's so sweet. I like that," I sigh in contentment.

With a voice full of affection, Adelbert elaborates, "But it also means ‘favorite.' You're my favorite person, Florence Everly."

My heart skips a beat and it feels like a kaleidoscope of butterflies has just been set free in my stomach. I melt in Adelbert's arms and feel myself fall in love with him in that exact moment.

Maybe I've always loved Adelbert a little but never had the guts to really examine my feelings. But this, right here, right now, stamps the final seal on my heart, ensuring that I never want to leave his side.

"You can call me that any day." Then I lean up so I can press my lips against his.

Adelbert walks us backward until we're in his bedroom again. This time we explore each other's bodies slowly and tenderly until we're both sated and boneless.

When we enter the kitchen, it's with ravenous appetites for real food and not just for each other.

I start walking toward my usual seat but Adelbert snakes an arm around my waist and draws me back into him.

"And where do you think you're going?" Adelbert says and runs his nose along the column of my neck, making happy goose bumps dance down my arms.

"My spot, so I can drool over you while you cook," I state, nuzzling back into him and luxuriating in all the physical touch I'm getting. It's like I've been running on empty for so long that I didn't realize how much I needed human contact, but since that first kiss in the rain—which I'm totally going to embroider—he has filled my touch tank to overflowing, yet I can't get enough. If I had it my way, I'd be gluing myself to Adelbert's side for as long as he can stand me.

Adelbert huffs, "I don't think I'll be able to get anything done with you so far away from me."

When I turn my head to look at him, there's an actual pout on his face. He's so cute with his puffed-up lips and knit brows.

"Is my baby feeling a bit needy?" I tease.

Do other elves also secretly crave touch and affection? I might need to secretly plot how to surprise the next elf I meet with a cuddly hug, just in case they don't know how to ask for it.

"Very," Adelbert answers solemnly.

"We can't have that now, can we?" I step out of his hold. Spreading my arms, I add brightly, "Show me where you want me."

"How about right next to me at the counter? I want to teach you how to make Kaiserschmarrn ."

"I have no idea what that is, but it sounds great to me. Every single thing you've made so far has been absolutely delicious."

"I'm glad you like my cooking. It's the one way I can show you that I care when my words fail me." In a softer voice, he adds, "If you haven't noticed, I'm not very good at expressing my feelings."

"You don't have to worry about being perfect around me or saying the right words. I can see your heart and it's beautiful. That's enough for me."

"I want to be more for you."

"You're enough. You're perfect."

"I'm—"

I cut Adelbert off with a kiss, not wanting him to argue any further, hoping my words will seep into his brain and marinate until he believes them as much as I do.

Before the kiss can deepen and we end up in the bedroom again, or perhaps the kitchen floor, I take a step backward and beam at Adelbert.

"I can get used to kissing you."

"I hope so."

My legs turn to jelly and I make a conscious effort to lock my knees before I fall on my butt.

Am I swooning? I think I might be.

"You can't just go saying things like that," I scold lightly. "You've got to warn a girl."

"My apologies," Adelbert says but the dimples in his cheeks give his amusement away. "Do you know how to divide eggs?"

Tilting my head to the side, I give that some thought then ask, "Divide? Won't they break if I divide them?"

Those delectable dimples deepen as Adelbert's smile stretches.

"I see we're going to be spending a lot of time going through some basics."

I prop my hands on my hips and tilt my head to the other side.

"Basics?"

"Dividing also means separating, as in removing the yolks and setting them aside so we can work with the egg whites first."

"If that is a basic cooking thing, then yeah, assume I know nothing."

Adelbert walks over to me and tips my chin up with a finger until I meet his sincere gaze.

"I like taking care of you, so there's no need for you to learn to do any of this. If you want to, I'll be happy to show you but there's no pressure."

"I want to learn. A little. With you," I say meekly.

"Only if you promise to teach me how to sew cornflowers," Adelbert barters. "I owe you for the dress I ruined."

"Deal." Sighing dreamily, I add, "It was worth it, though."

"I'd like to think so." Adelbert's gaze heats for a second before he shakes his head and replaces the look with a focused one. "Let's learn together."

Adelbert places a kiss on the tip of my nose then takes out a bottle of alcohol from the cupboard behind me.

"Okay. I'll start soaking the raisins in rum and you can gather the rest of the ingredients."

My mood shifts back to excitement and I tell my heart to slow down on the swooning. Food first.

"Teamwork. I like it."

Using his mage hand in combination with his two physical hands, Adelbert sets out bowls and measuring cups and calls out ingredients for me to get out of the pantry.

I set the eggs, flour, sugar, and vanilla on the counter and gather the butter and milk from the fridge.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're really good at multitasking? That's rare for a male," I jokingly state the obvious. Also subtly recalling in the back of my mind how he was able to make me come with that magic hand while stroking himself to completion.

"Not that I recall. Why?"

"Well, you have bowls floating through the air with magic, and your own two hands are doing something completely different, and you're also telling me what to do."

Adelbert shoots me a smirk.

"Hmm… I like the idea of telling you what to do. But you're also a bit bossy in bed. I like it."

My heart stutters at him stating that so plainly and a blush races up my chest and burns my cheeks.

Fingers fidgeting, I mumble, "I don't know why, but it seems that's the only place I can find my backbone and ask for what I want."

Adelbert pauses what he's doing and steps in front of me. Grasping both my hands in his, he says earnestly, "I really like that. I hope you will grow to trust me enough to always tell me what you want, in every aspect."

I offer him a half smile.

"I'm working on it."

"I have a lot to work on too," Adelbert admits.

"Like with your magic? Since the picnic you haven't really used it on me." Then I quickly add, "Not that I've noticed."

Adelbert chuckles lightly and skims his hands up my arms until they're settled on my shoulders. He waits for me to look him in the eye before he speaks with utter sincerity.

"It's actually quite strange, but I haven't really wanted to. When I finally gathered the courage to kiss you, I wanted it to be all me . My hands touching you. My mouth kissing yours. My tongue tasting you. My cock fucking you," he adds in a sultry tone. "I was greedy. Still am." Adelbert shrugs nonchalantly like this truth didn't just rearrange my brain and everything I thought I had figured out about him.

"You've wanted to kiss before today?" I ask, focusing on that one specific thing.

"For so long."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I didn't know."

Adelbert's smile is a little wistful.

"In a way, I didn't either. Everett gave me a bit more perspective when we were in Vegas. That certainly helped. But when I saw you out in that storm and the thought of losing you, it made me feral. Everything that had been holding me back until that moment was as good as gone. I had to have you."

"No regrets yet?"

"Not a single one."

Adelbert folds me into his arms and hugs me close, swaying softly from side to side. He places a kiss on top of my head and I snuggle closer to him, the way I've wanted to since I arrived in the Black Forest.

I can't help but feel like I'm home. This house. This kitchen. This male. It feels right. It feels like mine.

Meow.

"Sir Purrington!" I exclaim, carefully extracting myself from Adelbert's arms and making a beeline for the cat. I fall to my knees in front of my fluffy friend and stroke his fur as he rubs against me with a contented purr resounding from him.

"You must be hungry. Let me get you something to eat."

"Don't worry, I'll get it. I think Sir Purrington deserves a special treat tonight," Adelbert says with a soft smile as he looks at the cat.

I flick my gaze between the pair, picking up on the new energy between them, then do a double take.

"You just called him by his name. Not ‘cat.' I'm not complaining, but did I miss something?"

Adelbert's expression turns melancholy for a second, his eyes focused on the cat as he says, "Sir Purrington is the one who alerted me to your whereabouts during the storm. I was so busy wallowing in my study that I didn't notice that you weren't in the house. I'm so sorry."

"Is that true, Sir P? Did you help Adelbert find me?"

Sir Purrington rubs harder against me and I take that as confirmation.

"Thank you, my friend," I whisper to him and scratch under his chin in the exact way I know he likes.

Adelbert places a bowl of salmon in front of Sir Purrington and I swear the cat looks at him with approval before wolfing it all down.

"Where did the salmon come from?" I ask Adelbert, knowing I haven't seen any in the fridge or freezer before.

Adelbert clears his throat and the apples of his cheeks pinken in the most adorable way.

"I, um, may have, um, placed a special rush order with Pixie Parcels as a special treat. To say thank you and all." He rubs a hand through his hair and the pink spreads to the tips of his pointed ears.

"Babyyyy." Butterflies return to my stomach and warmth spreads through my chest. The fact that Adelbert is showing this unguarded side of himself to me makes my eyes prickle and I blink furiously to will the evidence away.

I place a peck on Adelbert's cheek and wash my hands.

"What's the next step?" I ask him and pretend I'm not falling deeper in love with him with every second that passes.

Adelbert bends and places a kiss against my temple and guides me through the steps.

Together, we make the most delicious torn pancakes. He teaches me how to beat egg whites until they're stiff, or until my arm gets so tired that his mage hand has to take over. I marvel at how Adelbert uses his magic to whisk those egg whites until they're stiff enough that he can hold the upside-down bowl over my head and nothing falls out.

We talk and laugh and touch. We share kisses and cuddles and I know I'll never grow tired of doing this exact same thing every day for the rest of my life.

We don't talk about the bond and we don't talk about his presentation. I also don't allow myself to look too far into the future, choosing to revel in the present and getting to know this unencumbered version of Adelbert.

Arms coming around me, Adelbert helps me sprinkle confectioner's sugar over the pulled-apart pancakes.

I feed him the first bite and go to lick some of the stickiness off my finger, but Adelbert reroutes my hand and puts my finger in his mouth instead, licking it clean.

"Delicious," he purrs.

I return the favor.

Soon, we're feeding and licking, until Adelbert decides he's had enough of the Kaiserschmarrn , and hoists me up on the counter, drapes my legs over his shoulders, and eats me instead.

It doesn't take long until I come undone and Adelbert's name echoes off the walls as I scream in pleasure, trembling with waves of bliss rolling through me.

When my soul returns to my body, I find Adelbert hovering above me, gently brushing stray hair from my face.

"You're so incredibly beautiful," he mutters.

"So are you," I slur, drunk off orgasms and blissed-out with life.

"Let's get you to bed." Adelbert scoops me up and I sling my arms around his neck.

After a couple of steps I lift my head and point out, "My room is that way."

"Liebling, if you think I'm not keeping you with me then you are sorely mistaken."

"Okay," I sigh contentedly and snuggle closer.