Read Online A Touch of Fae by J.M. Madden - Free Book Online Page A

making fun of her. His expression was open and sincere so she tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you, considering I look like Frankenstein’s bride right now.” The bruises on her face throbbed as she thought about them.
    “Ach, you are still breathtaking. Though the bruises, they are painful, no?”
    “No. Well, yes,” she agreed, flustered. “They do hurt.”
    “What did you do to yourself before we got here?” Rory asked, looking pointedly at her hand.
    Violet stirred the eggs absently and reached for bread to put in the toaster oven. “I was under a car looking for an oil leak. I was tightening bolts with a wrench and my hand slipped. I cut it on the fan blade, then the wrench fell down through the engine and hit me on the eye.”
    Both men cringed at the same time and Violet thought it was actually pretty cute. They had the mannerisms down of two people who had been together a long time.
    Turning, she fished plates out of the cupboard and began dividing up the dozen eggs she had scrambled, the bulk of them going to the guys. Jam and butter she placed on the bar, along with a stack of wheat toast. Filling two mugs with hot coffee, she slipped them in front of the men. Sandro reached out first and took a scalding sip. “ Graci, graci, bella . Wonderful.”
    Violet thought wonderful was a stretch. They were probably used to Columbian select something-or-other. Certainly not plain old Maxwell House. But she nodded to him anyway. “No problem.”
    Rory watched her carefully. She had bumped her hand reaching for the plates and he had seen her wince. “Are you okay?” he asked. “How many stitches did you get in your hand?”
    “I’m fine.” She waved his concern away with her bad hand, even though it hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. “Just ten.”
    Rory’s mouth gaped open in surprise. “Ten?” he repeated. Within moments he was off the stool and tugging on her elbow. Violet allowed herself to be guided to the stool he had just vacated. “You have no business cooking for us if you just got that many stitches in your hand. We’ll take care of this.”
    There actually wasn’t much left to do. He swapped plates with her and poured her a cup of coffee. Snatching a paper towel off the roll, he stepped beside her and laid it on her lap. Violet thought it was pretty funny but allowed him to do it. When he picked up the fork to feed her a bite of eggs, Violet stopped him with a dirty look. “I’m good. Thanks.”
    Rory actually looked a little hurt that she didn’t allow him to feed her, but he quickly turned back to his own breakfast. Glancing at Sandro, she saw he was watching the interplay between them. His expression was unguarded as he looked at Rory and the love was there for anybody to see.
    “How long have you guys been together?” she asked.
    The men’s gazes connected and Violet could have sworn she felt the heat in her own bones. Wow! There was some serious chemistry floating between these two. She was not surprised when Sandro answered.
    “I used to drive cars in Italy. Racecars. Rory came over on business and was at one of my races. After the race, we clicked. I thought he looked…tasty. And he was.”
    Incredibly, Rory flushed with color and Violet had to laugh. The muscle-bound man blushed like a young man. His fair skin colored even more furiously when she laughed and he turned away to eat his food at the opposite counter. Violet felt almost privileged that they let her into their teasing. It was obvious from Rory’s reaction that Sandro had said this to him before. The fact that it was said to a third party was what was causing the embarrassment.
    “We have been together thirteen years now.”
    Violet’s brows raised in surprise. It was obvious they had been a couple for a while, but she hadn’t realized how long. Thirteen years was a long time.
    The little grandfather clock in the living room chimed seven o’clock. Sandro scooped up the last