My toes curled, and a part of me still couldn’t believe we’d fooled the Council. “You did your jobverywell.” I ran a finger across the stubble on his jaw. “You’ve made me feel so much safer and more protected. I feel so safe that I’m positively giddy.”
His throat bobbed. “I can’t even tell you how thankful I am for that, Princess. After I took the Stone from you...” He stopped, and his jaw worked. “I didn’t know if you’d ever speak to me again following that. I feared you hated me.”
Tenderly, I smiled at him, then ran my finger down his throat. “I know you didn’t want to do that. I know you only did it because you had to.”
A rush of relief flowed over his expression, and he nipped at my finger. “You’re a very forgiving fairy, Your Highness. It’s one thing I lov—” His throat bobbed in another swallow. “It’s one thing I greatly admire about you.”
My heart hammered over what he’d just stopped himself from saying, and I shrugged nonchalantly. “Am I right to think that? That you didn’t want to take the Stone from me?”
His nostrils flared, and he nodded. “You’re very right. It nearly killed me to do that to you.”
I grinned anew. “Then it’s exactly as I thought. You genuinely care about me, and you’ve been wildly attracted to me from the beginning, but you couldn’t act on it.”
“Wildly attracted, eh?” He chuckled.
I batted my eyelashes playfully. “Am I wrong?”
“No.” His gaze darkened, and he pushed a kiss to the top of my breast. “You’re the most beautiful, alluring creature I’ve ever met. I’ve been dreaming of fucking you from the first day I met you.”
My toes curled anew, and I reached for him, wanting to give him the same mind-shattering release that he’d given to me, but when my hands wandered south of his waistband, he grabbed my wrists.
“Let’s not test it, Princess. We got away with this much, but the last thing I want is to be whisked back to headquarters only for them to assign a new warrior to your care.”
My smile dimmed. “But what about your needs?”
He kissed my neck. “We can try it later.”
“Later, as in this afternoon?” I teased.
He grinned, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen anything more arresting. “Probably not this afternoon. I’m still shocked that your demands tricked the Council’s magic at all, and I don’t want to press our luck.”
“Then tomorrow?”
His eyes smoldered. “Well, if you keep looking at me like that, Princess, I’m going to have a hard time saying no.”
Surrendering to the inevitable,I got up and redressed, Kole doing the same. And we weren’t a moment too soon, because a second later, Betsee was knocking on the door.
“Princess Primelle? Are you all right? The door’s locked!”
“Oh, sorry!” I squeaked. I flung out my telekinetic magic to unlock the bolts, and the servant bustled in, carrying fresh linens and towels.
“I won’t be but a moment,” she called cheerfully.
I opened my mouth to make an awkward reply, but Kole said, “Now, where were we?” He nodded toward the list I held in my hands, the one that I’d just picked up off the floor that had the ten Houses. “You had mentioned something about a castle and wanting to know if you remembered who owned it.”
I shook my head, realigning my thoughts to what I was supposed to be doing—memorizing the House lists—not being pleasured by my warrior.
I gave him a secretive smile, then took a deep breath and forced myself to concentrate on the matter at hand while Betsee traipsed completely oblivious around the room.
“Um, that’s right,” I replied. “I was wondering who the House leader is at that large castle north of the city, the one with the fountain and silver spires?” I settled myself onto the couch near the fireplace, trying to act completely innocent, but my heart was still pounding from what Kole and I had done.
Kole straightened his position, his sword gleaming at his back once more. He was the portrait of a dutiful warrior as he stood behind a wing-backed chair. “Lady Ginella. She’s been in charge of House Ginella for four hundred and sixty-eight summers.”
“That’s right, and her first name is Diam, and she has magic from two kingdoms, seer magic and an earth elemental.”
“Correct,” Kole confirmed, his tone subdued, but when Betsee wasn’t looking, his gaze turned smoldering, and he winked.
But just as fast, a whip of magic flared on his wrist, and his flirtatious expression wiped clean.
