Woman Bewitched by Tianna Xander Read Free Book Online Page B

have complained of the stink and she wouldn’t have wanted to draw that kind of attention to herself.
    They approached the restaurant. He motioned to the doorman to open the door for them as they entered. He took a deep breath. The scents here were always glorious. Nearly as glorious as the woman next to him. So much for distracting myself.
    “They have the mud river. It’s where they gather most, if not all, of the clay for the bricks they use for buildings. The clay stains the water and everything in it a dark brown. Whenever I bathed, I made sure to rinse my hair with the water. It didn’t turn it brown as I had hoped, but my hair was no longer this ugly silvery white.”
    Kyl stared at her hair for a moment and shook his head. “It’s not ugly. It’s glorious.”
    “It’s a pain in my ass.”
    It was all Kyl could do to keep himself from thrusting his fingers through her thick, blonde hair and take her lips in a passionate kiss to show her how beautiful he thought it, and her.
    “It’s wonderful to see you this evening, defender,” the host said as they entered. He turned his gaze to Marti, his eyes widening as a smile split his face. “May I seat you outside where you can watch the sunset? It is beautiful, but not nearly so much as your companion.”
    “Please do, Tempen. I’m starved and wish to eat as soon as possible.”
    Tempen smiled and turned to lead them through the building. “Of course! If you would follow me, please?”

Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Marti let Kyl take her hand as they walked through the intimate interior of the restaurant. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw a few women staring daggers at her as they walked past a big group of people. When she did a double take, they were gone.
    What was wrong with the women on this world? Didn’t they realize that Kyl was merely helping the sister of a fellow defender?
    She let the two men lead her through another door that led out onto a huge veranda that boasted a gorgeous view of a large body of water. Whether it was a lake or an ocean was beyond her. She only knew the view was one of the most beautiful she’d ever seen. She stopped, unable to function for a moment as she stared at the rainbow of colors reflected on the smooth surface.
    Waves gently lapped against the shore. The soothing sound relaxed and calmed her as nothing else had these last few years.
    Gently, Kyl steered her toward a chair, holding the back of the seat as she lowered herself into it. Before she knew it, food appeared in front of her as though they knew what she wanted. How could they when she did not?
    Gingerly, she took a bite, unsure if she would like the strange-looking food. Her eyes went wide at the unusual flavor. “This is delicious!”
    “Did you expect something less?” Kyl asked with a grin. “We aren’t barbarians. We do know how to prepare food so as not to disgust our visitors.”
    Marti felt her face heat. “I—I didn’t mean it like that.” She glanced around, fearing that someone else could have misconstrued her words as he had done.
    “I know you didn’t.” He chuckled. “I was teasing you.”
    Tears burned her eyes. “It’s just that it’s been such a long time since someone has done that. I’m not sure I can tell the difference between teasing and accusation.”
    His expression turned somber. “Forgive me. I didn’t think.”
    “Don’t worry about it.” She took another bite, mindful of the others who shared the veranda. The last thing she wanted to do was make a spectacle of herself and embarrass her companion.
    “I thought you were hungry.” He frowned as he watched her pick at her meal.
    “I am.”
    “Then why are you pushing your food around your plate instead of eating it?” He reached over and covered her hand, effectively stopping her from doing just that.
    “I—I don’t know.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “Perhaps I’m just afraid of making a spectacle of myself like I did earlier