I stop walking and pull Luci closer to me. My hand rubs up and down his arm in what I hope is a comforting gesture. His wide green eyes stare up at me.
“It’s fine Luci. None of these mundanes will notice a thing. If they hear you call me, my lord husband, they will just think we are in a weird cult or that it’s a kinky thing. Their minds aren’t going to jump to magic being real.”
Luci’s face goes pale and his eyes dart around the small crowd of shoppers swirling and milling around us.
I chuckle. “See? No one is paying attention.”
He panics for a few more seconds. Then he draws in a big breath. Seemingly fortified, he nods his acceptance.
“Are you sure you have time to take me shopping, Drew?”
The utter bewilderment and uncertainty in his eyes is punching me in the gut.
“Of course. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise,” I say tenderly.
My finger runs down the side of his face. He trembles and leans into my touch, chasing it. Then he blinks several times and pulls away. His cheeks are flushed and his eyes are dark.
Arousal stirs low in my gut and my cock twitches.
“Touch starved little thing, aren’t you?” I whisper before I can stop myself. Damn it. That wasn’t the kindest thing to say.
Luci drops his gaze and bites his bottom lip. My fingers drift down to his chin and tilt his head back up to look at me again.
“I like it,” I assure him. “It means I get to touch you all I want.”
The bewildered lost puppy look is back. So I lean down and brush my lips over his. A swift, barely there kiss. But when I pull away, there is a strange look in Luci’s eyes. Almost as if he is intoxicated.
He blinks and seems to focus. His eyes start to fill with a different look. Now he is looking at me as if I hung the moon and the stars. My heart thuds in response.
Oh crap. Luci is vulnerable. Lonely. Needy. It would be all too easy to make him fall in love with me. A bit of love bombing. Probably not even that. Just being nice to him will probably do the trick, because I don’t think anyone has ever been nice to him in his entire life.
Fuck. I don’t want to trick him into falling in love with me. I hope we can settle into a pleasant, amiable, and peaceful marriage. But I don’t want this fragile young man to start worshiping me. I don’t deserve it.
“Come on! Let’s go shopping!” I say far too brightly.
I turn on my heels and tow Luci after me into the nearest clothes shop. He looks overwhelmed for a moment. Like a deer in headlights, then all of a sudden, he is making a beeline for the women’s section and pulling me after him. Soon he has abandoned my hand all together and is rummaging through the racks in excited abandon.
I watch him with a grin on my face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so happy. The knowledge that I have done this is filling me with pride. My actions have brought Luci joy. I could watch him forever, but it doesn’t take long for him to accumulate a pile of clothes draped over his arm.
“Do you want to try them on?” I ask.
He blinks at me in surprise. Is he startled that I asked? Or that shops allow you to try things on? Maybe it’s both.
He licks his lips and nods. I smile and lead the way to the changing rooms. I stop once we are by the entrance. Luci steps up to my side. The assistant smiles at him. Luci freezes.
The assistant looks like a nice young girl. All long blond hair and precise makeup. She certainly seems unruffled by Luci’s armful of feminine clothing. There is no need for him to be uneasy.
Ah, okay. I get it now. I should have remembered that Luci doesn’t have much, if any, experience of the mundane world. Clothes shopping in a mall is very different from visiting a tailor on Savile Row.
I gently lift Luci’s bundle of clothes off of his arm and quickly count them.
“Nine items, please,” I tell the assistant.
She smiles and hands Luci a white plastic card with the number nine etched into it. He takes it dazedly.
“Your boyfriend can go in with you, if you like,” she says as she winks at me.
Luci straightens up. “Husband.”
I feel my eyebrows rise. Is he being possessive? Asserting his claim on me? I like it. It’s making my insides feel all warm and tingly.
“Oh, how cute!” gushes the assistant. “How long have you been married?”
“Two weeks,” says Luci, and I swear I can hear pride in his voice.
“It’s your honeymoon!” she all but squeals. “How long were you together before you got hitched?”
Luci turns to look at me with a horrified and mortified expression. I smile warmly and place my hand on his shoulder.
“It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind,” I say to the assistant.
She smiles broadly. “And they say romance is dead.”
I grin at her and steer Luci into the changing area. It’s a Thursday morning, so we are the only people here. I guide Luci into a cubicle and slide the heavy curtain shut behind us. I hang his selection on a hook and take a seat.
“Is it alright if I watch the show?” I ask.
Luci blushes again. I love the way his pale skin turns pink so easily. It’s the cutest thing in the world.
