Page 84 of Dark Princess: Shadows

"Not yet," Rob admitted. "But I'm hoping there might be. She's..." He searched for words that wouldn't sound too eager. "She's fun."And beautiful, and warm, and assertive without being overbearing.

He really liked Gertrude.

Something flickered across Lusha's face—disappointment? Annoyance? "Well, good luck." She waved a hand. "Just don't get too attached." She looked around and then leaned toward him and whispered, "These immortals are so promiscuous. They love having a variety of lovers."

He'd heard the same from Mia, but Gertrude didn't fit the profile.

"Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind." He shifted the drinks. "Say hi to Alfie for me."

"I will." She gave him a saccharine smile.

What was her deal?

He'd deliberately kept things purely in the friend zone with Lusha despite her occasional flirting, respecting her relationship with Alfie. Perhaps she liked to keep her options open and collect male attention, like insurance policies, just in case her current relationship didn't work out.

Rob had known plenty of women like that, including his former fiancée.

No, that wasn't right. Lusha wasn't like that. Perhaps she just didn't like Gertrude for some reason, though he couldn't imagine why. Gertrude was awesome, and unlike some of the immortals who seemed to float above it all, she felt really approachable.

Maybe it was time to stop overthinking everything and just ask her out on a proper date.

As he entered the clinic, he found Gertrude sitting in Bridget's office, and when he walked in and put the coffee and sandwiches on the desk, she laughed.

"Are you trying to win my heart through my stomach?"

"Is it working?"

"Definitely. I'm starving, and the café makes the best turkey club in existence."

He frowned. "How did you know that was what I got?"

She tapped her nose. "Immortal sense of smell." She rose to her feet. "But we shouldn't eat here. Let's move the party to the waiting room."

"Of course." He handed her a cup and lifted the other one and the bag. "Will Bridget get mad if we eat in here?"

"She will give me the look, and I'd rather avoid it." Gertrude sat on one of the chairs. "But seriously, it would just be disrespectful."

"True." Rob suddenly noticed how quiet the clinic seemed. "Where is everyone?" The doors to both patient rooms wereopen, but the princess wasn't in hers, and Ell-rom wasn't sitting by Jasmine's side.

"Big changes today," Gertrude said, unwrapping her sandwich. "Morelle was released this morning, and she is moving to the Clan Mother's house."

Rob blinked in surprise. "That was fast. She just opened her eyes yesterday after thousands of years in stasis."

He was still trying to wrap his head around those numbers. The princess was nearly as old as human civilization, but since she'd spent most of that time unconscious, did it even count?

"Morelle is doing remarkably well. She's half goddess, after all, so that's not surprising. She just needed a jumpstart to take off like a race car."

Rob laughed. "I like the analogy. Are you a racing fan?"

"Not really." She took a sip of her coffee and sighed. "I needed this. Anyway, Brandon took her on a tour of the village first, and then they are heading to the Clan Mother's, or maybe they are already there because Ell-rom left a while ago to join them for lunch." She took another sip. "So, now it's just me watching over Jasmine. Bridget took advantage of the quiet to handle some paperwork in her other office." She took a big bite of her sandwich and moaned in pleasure.

The sound did all kinds of things to him that were too embarrassing to admit.

"Sounds like an opportunity for mischief," he said teasingly, but his pulse quickened at the thought.

Gertrude's eyes met his, and the way she slowly licked a crumb from her bottom lip sent more heat rushing through his body. "What kind of mischief did you have in mind?"

The invitation in her voice was unmistakable. Before he could overthink it, he leaned in and pressed a quick, soft kiss to her lips.