The Beastkeeper's Redemption

Eight

Eight 
 -ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

She felt herself listing to the side, unconsciously leaning into the warmth she felt permeating from him, leaning towards the easy smile curving his lips and the lovely amiability glimmering from his mercurial eyes.

Kaede was an enigmatic, confident male and Izzy was helpless to feel anything but intrigued by him. Even now, she felt herself blushing in his presence- which was absurd. She was not some inexperienced, timid miss who had never flirted with another man before, nor was she shy or unused to a hundred pair of eyes tracking her every nuance.

So why then could Kaede get under her skin so easily, with nary a smile that made the white of his teeth stand out in stark contrast to the tan of his skin, that made his eyes spark and crinkle at the corners into lines that were familiar with the gesture? She had intended for this meeting to transpire entirely differently, to not be so taken with him- but there was something that simply endeared him to her in uncountable ways, she couldn't begin to fathom how easily the warmth of affection was seeping through her.

"It is not all that romantic," she told him, hoping to diffuse some of the tension she felt simmering in the air between them. "It can be quite bothersome, really."

His head tilted to the side, his grin softening into perplexity. "Bothersome? Recalling every kiss between us?"

He sounded like he couldn't quite believe it.

And neither could she, if she were honest. Even if she couldn't retain information in the astonishing way that she could, Izzy doubted that there would be a kiss or touch from Kaede C'lainn that she would ever be able to forget. "In a way," she mused.

"You have to explain to me then what you mean, Miss Cotton," he urged as if his very existence depended on the words coming out her mouth.

She couldn't stave off the flicker of a smile that moved her lips, entirely transfixed on the male beside her, whose knee brushed into her skirts, so close to touching her own. "Well," she began, "of course remembering the kiss is very pleasant, but there are also other things I can recall... vividly."

His eyes narrowed, though she detected no ill-intent in the mannerism. "Other things?"

Izzy nodded her affirmation. "I remember a distinct flavour of bitter liquor," she told him wryly, "and a sharp tang on your tongue- perhaps a cheese you had for lunch? And there were exactly six droplets of wine on your shirt, and you missed a button of your waistcoat so that it sat unevenly on your chest, the seam pressing into a rib of mine-"

"Gods, you make it sound awful," he grumbled, colour heightening his cheeks. A self-deprecating look crossed his face as he ran a hand through his hair, tousling the thick locks into disarray so that they came out of their leather binding. Unlike the day prior, today Kaede had presented himself... immaculately. He'd taken a blade to the short beard that had shadowed his jaw, leaving the sharp angles and hollow planes of his cheeks smooth. And he wore fine attire, looking every inch the gentleman in a dark winter coat and embroidered waistcoat. She could never fault him for his appearance, yet now she spied his tail flicking with agitation at the topic of their conversation when before it had been stationary, draped over the settee they shared.

"Not at all!" Izzy was quick to reassure. It was in her nature to appeal to the comfort of others, and the last thing she wanted was to make him feel uneasy in her presence, or worse- because of her. Which led to the next bit of incrimination that her mouth emitted, "I can also recall the good things- like the way you nipped my bottom lip a total of three times. Your technique is quite memorable, particularly how you nudge my upper lip apart with yours-" She snapped her mouth shut, her skin on fire.