Gerome watched with mixed feelings as the door to the guest bedroom closed and Luis vanished from his sight. Even though they didn’t even have a real truce yet, dancing and talking to him hadn’t been so bad.
He turned around and wandered over to his kitchen. He needed some wine now. The wine fridge offered too many bottles to choose from because the butlers always kept it well stocked, but Gerome settled for a bottle of Riesling. Taking it and a glass, he made his way over to the big couch. With quick movements, he opened the bottle and filled his glass. Vampires didn’t get drunk, but he certainly enjoyed a good glass of wine now and then. Today he needed it as he had lots of things to think about: Sam’s lecture to start with. The man had been right in many ways.
Out of everything, Gerome never expected sweet, gentle Sam to blow up on him like that, but apparently, it’d been necessary, and he didn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if he’d asked Alex. The guy would’ve been heard through half the palace. His ears still rang with Sam’s words. Try to be nice for once. I know you can be.
He intended to do just that. He’d let Luis have a place in his life, try to approach him as a friend, and see what happened between them. Even though they hadn’t had a good start, Luis seemed like a nice guy, one willing to at least talk to him. Hopefully, they could become friends someday.
Gerome sipped his wine and leaned back into the comfy couch. It was big but not particularly stylish. He’d picked it because he could sleep on it when he didn’t want to go to bed. It was also an inviting spot to sit down and chill. He sipped his wine, rolling the rich bouquet around in his mouth. It tasted superb, and he took another sip before closing his eyes.
His mind wandered back to Luis. The man’s behavior had changed the moment he’d realized Gerome wasn’t going to hurt him. He could still kick himself for making Luis afraid and ignoring him for months. His mind tried to come up with reasons—like work, stress, the baby—as an explanation for behaving like a total ass. But no matter which way he turned it, it was his fault. He should’ve looked after Luis much sooner, not to mention not threatening him after the fateful dinner. No reason excused behaving like an asshole. None.
Luis would probably never forgive him. Accept his apology, yes, but forgive him? No, most likely not. Sam could say whatever he wanted, but he’d never fucked up as badly as Gerome had.
He sipped his wine, thinking about what to do next. Luis was unhappy, very unhappy. Gerome couldn’t even see a way to make staying here better for his mate. But allowing him to leave was out of the question. How would that look? Mates never lived alone. He couldn’t do anything to help Luis other than try not to be an asshole anymore.
****
Gerome didn’t go to bed that night. He wasn’t tired, so he simply switched to his PC and started working again. There was always something to do, and since he’d taken over a lot of the everyday business of the coven, a never-ending string of paperwork showed up.
A door opened, and Gerome looked around. Was his butler already here? Usually, they started at nine, and it was only half past eight in the morning. He’d changed the butlers’ shifts so they no longer worked around the clock. With them there from nine to six only, he had more privacy now.
The door to the guestroom stood open, and a rumpled, sleepy-looking Luis stood there, staring straight at him. “Sorry. I didn’t think you’d be here. I didn’t hear anything, so I thought...” he stepped back and started to close the door again.
Gerome stood abruptly, not caring that he threw a couple of papers down in the process. “Luis, wait!” he called and hurried over from his office to the bedroom door.
“Yes?” The door opened again.
“You don’t have to be sorry for coming out of your room. I was working, so I was silent. What do you need? Can I get you anything?” Gerome stopped himself and took a step back. He was rambling.
Luis stared at him, his eyes big. “I just wanted to get some coffee. I usually wait until someone brings me breakfast, but I thought I could... you know... go to the kitchen and make some.” He blushed.
“You don’t have to explain why you left the room,” Gerome said softly. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I can show you how the coffee maker works if you want?”
Luis nodded. “Yes, please.”
“Come on.” Gerome led the way over to the kitchen to show Luis where everything was. Soon, the man had a steaming mug of coffee in his hand while Gerome waited for his.
“Thank you. For everything,” Luis said, facing away from Gerome.
“For what? I should have done a lot more much sooner.”
“It’s okay. Really. Do you realize we’re apologizing a lot here? Is that normal?”
Gerome chuckled while taking his coffee from the machine. “You’re right. No more apologizing for the old things, okay? You know I’m sorry, right. Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah, I am. Maybe it’s time to move on.” Luis, his hair standing up in the wildest directions, sipped his coffee and leaned on the kitchen counter.
“Um, do you want to get a haircut anytime soon? I can arrange an appointment for you. And drive you there, if you want.” Gerome took a sip of his hot coffee. Heavenly.
Luis looked up from his mug. “I think that wouldn’t hurt. You wouldn’t mind driving me?”
“No. Not at all. I’ll call later and see how soon they can squeeze you in.”
“Okay, thanks.”
They drank their coffees in silence until the arrival of the butler interrupted them. Gerome needed to get back to his work, and Luis needed to eat something. He had to gain some weight so he wouldn’t look sick anymore. From his place at the PC, Gerome watched as Luis looked in the fridge and pulled out some bread and cheese. He didn’t put much on his plate—not nearly enough for Gerome’s liking. As Luis started eating, Gerome couldn’t avert his eyes. His mate picked up the bread, took a tiny bite, put it back down, and chewed slowly. It took him forever to eat one piece of bread. The other one remained uneaten on his plate. Gerome waited for him to get himself another cup of coffee and finish eating, but Luis put the bread back in the fridge, fixed himself another cup of coffee, and silently went back to his room.
At least, he’d come out of his room. Now it was up to Gerome to see to his mate’s eating habits, and he’d also see that the man took care of himself. He’d been the cause of Luis’ sorrow and pain for so long, and now he needed to be the one to fix it. He just needed to find the best way to do that.
A short time later, the butler interrupted Gerome as the man started his day by checking the fridge for the food that he needed to replace. Turning back to his PC, Gerome made a hairdresser appointment for Luis for two hours later. Until it was time for them to leave, he had to get some work done.
Abandoning his nearly finished invoice, Gerome stood and stretched his back. He needed to tell Luis to get ready, and he’d get another cup of coffee for himself on the way.
The machine hissed to life, and he pressed the right knob for another cup of the strong brew. This coffee was expensive as hell, but he wouldn’t give it up for anything. He technically didn’t need coffee since too much vampire blood ran in his veins, but he loved it to drink it. There was nothing better than a hot cup or three after a long night or day.
Taking his mug with him as he wandered over to the guest bedroom, he knocked softly on the door, blew on the hot java, and waited until Luis answered the door. He could’ve simply opened it, but he wasn’t going to do that. He’d respected the closed door and his mate’s privacy for so long that he wouldn’t start ignoring it now.
Gerome took a sip of his coffee. Maybe he should have brought Luis another cup as well. Hmm. Next time. It was too late now. Footsteps approached from the other side, and a second later, Luis opened the door.
“Gerome?”
“Sorry to interrupt you, but I made a hairdresser appointment for you at twelve if that’s okay.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you. Are you sure you’re okay with driving me there? I don’t have a license.” Luis, insecurity lacing his voice, looked up at Gerome.
“I already offered, and I figured we could get lunch afterward.” He stopped. “Or do you want the butler to drive you?” he added slowly. Luis already agreed this morning, but he shouldn’t pressure him into anything. He had to remember that. Even though he didn’t like the thought of Luis going with anyone else, there had to be no pressure.
This wasn’t rational, but he couldn’t stop the uneasy feeling in his stomach from creeping up. Alex had been kidnapped because he carried his baby. His mate would be at an even higher risk.
“No, going with you is okay if you don’t mind driving me.”
“Not at all.” Gerome forced himself to smile so Luis wouldn’t see the worry on his face. Where did that come from? For the last few months, he’d suppressed every thought of his mate, and now he suddenly worried about him being kidnapped? What the fuck was wrong with him?
“Okay, then we’ll leave at twenty to twelve,” he forced out, unsure what else to say. Letting Luis see how much he suddenly worried was wrong.
“Thank you.” Luis smiled shyly at him.
“You’re welcome. See you later.” Gerome turned and slowly walked back to his PC. The guest bedroom door closed softly.
Damn, what was wrong with him? Gerome couldn’t stop himself from worrying. But as the royal consort, Luis was valuable.
He forced his mind back to work. He’d be with Luis all the time, and therefore, nothing would happen. Security at the palace was high as well, so he didn’t need to worry.