Masquerade Part 4 by Valerie Francis

Author:Valerie Francis [Francis, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780994014184
Publisher: Fifth Hammer Books, Inc.

Isla woke early the next morning. Marlowe was snuggled into her back with his arm wrapped around her. It was warm and cozy, and to her surprise, completely natural. They were both buck naked and somehow that felt right too. Or maybe it was just appropriate . . . shedding clothes as easily as identities. She rubbed her eyes. It was far too early to analyze anything, and in all honesty, it didn't matter. She'd slept soundly and the worries that had plagued her the day before felt a million miles away. Such was the magic of the game.

The only thing that could make this more perfect was coffee. She'd noticed an espresso machine on the kitchen counter, and knowing Eve, the cupboards would be well stocked. She slipped out of bed, threw on a shirt and padded into the kitchen. She found a bag of coffee and set about making a cup of cappuccino. There was a meditative quality to the ritual of it all. Grinding and packing the beans, steaming the milk and warming the mug. She created a little artwork in the foam; a stack of five hearts, each one a slightly larger than the one above. Such a simple trick but somehow it made the coffee more enjoyable.

She took a sip and sighed. Maybe it was the tranquility of the place and the view of a pale blue morning sky, but it was, without a doubt, the best cup she'd ever made.

From the bedroom she heard soft stirrings and knew that Marlowe was waking up. Within minutes he'd joined her. He was shirtless, wearing only navy pyjama pants with a light plaid design. His hair was tousled and a mix of grey and brown whiskers covered his face. This was Marlowe raw — no fancy clothes or romantic lighting. He was perfectly imperfect.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said and gave her a quick kiss, his stubble prickling her chin in the process. How normal this all seemed. Like they were a regular couple going through a well-rehearsed routine.

"Good morning, handsome." She resisted the urge to run her fingers over his chest. Surely some restraint was healthy.

"That coffee smells absolutely delicious. Is there any left?"

Isla shook her head. "No, but I can make you some." She set down her mug and began to clean the espresso machine. "They're single farm beans."

"Is that good?" asked Marlowe, reading the label on the coffee bag.

"Very."

There was a brief pause in the conversation when Isla turned on the grinder.

"Grade: double A," he murmured.

"Means it's a larger bean, and larger beans tend to be riper." She nodded her head toward the cupboard. "Can you grab me a mug, please?"

He did as she asked, then leaned against the counter and watched her work. "Ok, smarty pants,” he said glancing back to the label. “It says here the altitude is 5,000 feet. What does altitude have to do with it?"

With the coffee underway, Isla started to steam and foam the milk. "The higher the altitude, the more fruit flavour the coffee has.

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