Billionaire Romance Boxed Set 1(130)

“Hold on,” he said. “They’ll come.”

Pursing his lips, he let out a high whistle, and threw a few crumbs into the air. I looked around.

“I think the birds are all asleep,” I said.

“Ye of little faith,” he said. He whistled again, and again threw a piece of bread into the air. My hand shaded my eyes and I watched as a small bird darted up from inside of one of the hedges and caught the bread in midair.

“Ha! Did you see that?” Eliot’s face shone delightedly.

I threw bread in the air, coaxing a few more of the small birds to come out.

“What are they?”

“Wrens, I think,” Eliot said. He scattered bread on the ground, and soon the air was filled with the whirring wings of the birds stealing crusts from each other.

“Can I have some more?” I said, turning to Eliot.

“Here.” He took my hand, and I tried not to blush as his fingers touched my wrist. He held my hand out in front of me, toward the wrens, and placed a few crusts in my palm.

“Be very steady,” he whispered, and I blushed. His body was so close to mine; even through my coat I thought I could feel his heat.

The birds, at first wary, soon realized that we were nothing to fear. A small wren with eyes like tiny black beads flew up and landed on my outstretched finger.

“It doesn’t weigh anything!” I said. Its tiny claws scrabbled at my fingers for hold, tickling me into giggles. The wren pecked a crumb from my hand and flew away, but was soon back. So were a half-dozen other wrens, all vying for attention and crust on my palm. I could have squealed in excitement but I didn’t want to scare away the little birds. Soon all of the bread was gone.

“Do you have any more bread?” I turned to Eliot; he had an odd expression on his face that fled the moment he met my eyes.

“Sorry, no more.”

I held out my empty hand anyway, and a larger bird flew up to my hand. It had red alongside its head and tail feathers, but when it realized my palm had no food, it beat its wings and in one swift motion rose in the air and away.

“It’s good luck to see a jay.” Eliot said, and we both watched the bird flap its way toward the woods. “It means spring is coming early.”

“I can’t wait,” I said.

“Not a fan of the cold?”

“I just want to see what it looks like here in springtime.” I motioned towards the woods. “It must be beautiful.”

“Very,” Eliot said. I turned my head up toward his and touched his shoulder lightly.

“I’d like to go visit the cemetery on…Fiumei, I think?” I wasn’t sure how to pronounce the road.

“Oh?” Eliot’s face had gone still, empty. “Why’s that?”

I withdrew my hand quickly, flushing. Despite his touch earlier, he must not want me to get closer. “I have family buried there.”

“Of course, yes. I’ll have Marta take you.” He stepped away from me and glanced toward the house. “I’m not sure if she’ll have time today, but perhaps later.”

Surprised by the cold and distant tone his words had taken, I withdrew as well. No more touches, no more meaningful looks. I let myself look over at him as we walked toward the house, but his gaze was fixed firmly to the snowy path beneath his feet.

Very well. I was here to do math, not to flirt. Eliot had made that perfectly clear.





“She’s your guest!”

“She’s a student, Otto. The only reason I’m letting her stay—”

“Is because your landlady hasn’t repaired the heaters? I’m sure that’s why you let the young girl sleep with you.” The voice boomed through the phone, and Eliot glanced around guiltily, as though Brynn might hear.

“We aren’t sleeping together,” Eliot said.

“Pity! Marta tells me she’s a beauty with a good head on her shoulders, if a bit rubenesque.”

Eliot seethed unexpectedly at Otto’s description.

“You haven’t any idea what you’re talking about.”

“I know you could do worse. Marta adores her, have I told you that?”

“It’s out of the question.” But now that his brother had brought up the idea, Eliot shifted uncomfortably where he stood. Hadn’t he fallen for Brynn from the start? But she had come to work as a student, and he couldn’t in good conscience put her in such an awkwardly difficult spot. Suppose she didn’t care for him? Suppose she did, and then they argued and broke apart. Apart from being irresponsible, he felt frightened at the thought of losing her.#p#分页标题#e#

“Eliot, you’re incorrigible.”

“Actually, I was wondering if Marta would take her around tomorrow morning. She wants to see a few things, the Fiumei cemetery, and I’m rather busy with work.” Eliot pressed his lips together. His work had stalled again; he simply didn’t want to go back to that graveyard. Not so soon. Soon? It had been ten years, but it felt too early to go back. He closed his eyes and saw the white rose petals falling.