Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
I shuddered.
He pulled me even closer.
Oh gods, please kiss me.
No, don’t.
Yes, do.
No, don’t.
(Please do.)
“Calm, bissi,” he murmured to my mouth, which, incidentally, did not one thing to assist in calming me. “You’ve processed a good deal just now. I’m not going to give you our first kiss in the midst of that.”
Okay, good.
And that totally sucked.
His eyes lifted to mine. “I’ll want you to remember every second of it.”
Argh!
He was killing me!
“Maybe you should let me go,” I suggested.
“That is physically, mentally and spiritually impossible.”
Gah!
Totally killing me.
“Aleksei—”
He wrapped his hand around mine still at his chest and pulled it to the base of his throat. I felt the strength of the corded muscle there, the heat of his skin, the pulse of his heart, but I couldn’t focus on any of them with the look that was in his eyes.
“Are you pleased?”
Was I pleased…about him being my mate?
Was he really asking me that?
Was he…?
I looked deep into his searching night eyes.
To my shock, I got it.
He had everything. He was everything.
And when you didn’t have it, you thought it would be awesome.
But when you had it, everything was far too much.
He was about to give me everything.
And he, Prince Aleksei, True Heir to Night’s Fall, was worried I didn’t want it.
“I’ve had a crush on you since I was six,” I admitted.
His face started to shut down, and I understood.
He had that already from practically every female in four realms, possibly all twenty of them.
It wasn’t what he needed.
“But I had no idea until I had normal Aleksei tonight how much there actually was to crush on, because you are very correct. Laser jousts are stupid. So, well, I guess I have an even bigger crush on you now.”
He changed his mind about kissing me, obviously.
Because I barely got out the word “now” before I was plastered to his long, hard body, up on the very tips of my toes, and his mouth crushed on mine.
So, yes.
I was in for a credit, in for the whole line.
I parted my lips.
I got that rough noise again, this time it filled my mouth, which made my knees fully buckle. His arm tightened to hold me close, he cocked his head, and his tongue swept inside.
He tasted like cognac and Sirk’s pastry chef’s chocolate, almond, cherry soufflé, and he felt like warmth, safety and protection.
Naturally, receiving all those gifts from him, I leaned all the way in, because I’d always wanted all of that, and here he was, offering it to me in one delicious kiss.
He lifted his head, breaking our intimate contact far too soon, sliding his hand out of my hair and swiping a thumb along my lower lip.
Another smooth move.
And one could say I was moved, down to my soul.
His sleek voice was husked with velvet when he said, “You have sketches to draw. I have meetings to attend. We’ll continue that thought when we have plenty of time to enjoy it. Now, let’s go look at troll skin.”
I wanted to laugh. And cry. And immediately comm all my gals to let them know that maybe they weren’t crazy to get in my face about daring to dream.
I did the first, tucking my own hand in his elbow and shifting to his side.
And together, we walked to the entry to the Catalogues.
Chapter 10
He Knew
My head was in the clouds.
I’d never experienced that sensation, but I knew exactly what it was as I walked at Aleksei’s side toward the door to the Catalogues, feeling his arm brush against mine, the heat of his body, the strength of his biceps under my fingers.
I was his.
And that meant he was mine.
By all the gods…
He was mine.
I was in such a daze, my greeting to the female who’d been waiting for us was vague, perfunctory, and therefore rude, but for once, I didn’t have it in me to care.
I was all about Aleksei and what just happened, even though I’d been looking forward to this. Very few were allowed access to the Royal Catalogues. Just staff, curators, historians and researchers (those last two, only if they jumped through hoops and cut through a ton of red tape). So I’d wanted to take it all in.
We’d entered, walked to the lifts, the lift doors had opened, we stood in them, and hearing Aleksei’s silken voice switch to steel was the only thing that clicked me back in.
“Precautions will be taken, Nata,” he bit. “It’s unnecessary for you to accompany us. As you know, this isn’t my first time here, and Mistress Laura has made comprehensive study of a variety of garments. She knows to take care.”
Mental note: I needed to ask Madam Garwah about that “Mistress Laura” business.
The tall, cool, slender, attractive blonde human began, “Your highness, it would be—”
“You’re dismissed,” Aleksei cut her off with uncharacteristic (as far as I could tell in our short acquaintance) impatience and authority. “I’ll comm you when we leave so you can engage the lockdown sequence. Therefore, I’ll thank you now for staying late to allow us entry.”