CHAPTER 19: Burning Affections

　　[Eli’s POV]

　　My eyes traveled around the garden that surrounded us. After breakfast, Moyra insisted on coming out here to enjoy the sun, and I refused to let her go alone. Though she was a guest in my mansion, that didn’t mean that the help or a few others wouldn’t bother her. Even if it made me look overbearing, I insisted on coming along.

　　Now that we were out here, Moyra sat along the edge of a large fountain that sat in the middle of the garden and let her fingers trail along the water within it. From my vantage point, she truly looked like a nymph, sitting there tempting any man who might venture by.

　　"This is nice." She murmured, turning her unseeing gaze towards where I sat. "Won’t you join me?"

　　For a second, I felt my heart flutter at her request, as if I was a young boy that was interacting with his first crush. I needed to get myself together if I ever wanted to get anywhere with the woman in front of me.

　　"Sure," I replied, making my way over.