I grinned, sitting down across from her. “When it comes to you, Princess, I can’t help it.”
We ate, the conversation flowing easily. But I couldn’t stop staring at her lips, remembering the way they felt against mine, the way they parted when she moaned. I wanted to hear those moans again, wanted to feel her body tremble beneath me.
But I held back, the uncertainty gnawing at me. I didn’t know if she was ready for that, if this—this—thisthishad a future in her mind.
So for now, I would enjoy this moment, this simple pleasure of sharing a meal with her. Because even this, even just sitting here with her, was more than I ever could have hoped for. And I would take every moment I could get, cherishing it, cherishing her.
Lila drank three full glasses of water and kept up the chatter all the way through dinner. I’m not certain what exactly we spoke about, because I was distracted by the realizations of the day.
Mate.
But we came from different worlds. Not justorcandhuman, but…wealthyandprimitive.
I hit other malesfor a living. I came alive on the ice, slamming my flesh against another’s, causing him pain and knocking him out of the way. Lila came from a world of refinement—ballets and galas and country clubs.
Were we too different? More importantly, didLilathink we were too different?
Was this just a fling to her, the way my other relationships had been?
Finally, with a satisfied sigh, she plopped her empty glass down on the table. “Okay, I’m ready.”
I raised a brow, and she smirked in return.
“I mean, I’m full, I’m hydrated. Let’s go again.”
It took me a moment to realize she was talking about sex, and myKteerbegan to vibrate as my cock hardened. “You mean you want to come again, Princess?” I rumbled, pushing away from the table.
Lila raised an imperious hand. “Actually, first I need to pee.Then…”
Remembering how hearing her sweet mouth utter those filthy commands had made me so hot, I growled, “Tell me.”
She grinned impishly. “Then, I think you ought to practice that thing with your tongue.”
When I scooped her up to take her to the bathroom, she was laughing.
But when I deposited her back on the bed, she didn’t assume the position right away. Instead, she began to squirm out of her blouse and bra, which I’d neglected to remove earlier, while watching me. “You’ve been quiet. What are you thinking of?”
“You.”
She chuckled again, then nodded toward my crotch. “I can see that. This explains why you grunted in response to my questions at dinner?”
My hand was cupping my cock through my jeans, absent-mindedly rubbing it while watching her removing her clothes, but that comment pulled me up short. I frowned. “You asked me questions?”
“Ha! See what I mean?” Lila’s grin made it clear she was teasing me and there were no hard feelings, as she slithered beneath the covers of her bed. “I asked you about your brothers and Eastshore Isle.”
Fuck me, Ihadbeen distracted, huh? With a rueful headshake, I pulled my shirt off, then reached for my belt buckle. “I’m sorry,dkaar. What did you ask?”
Lila looked like a picture of innocence, with her honey-gold hair curling around her shoulders, reclining on those fancy pillowcases, the white comforter pulled up to her shoulders. “I wanted to know how Korrad’s new marriage was working out, if you’d heard anything.”
Ah. Impressed that she remembered my brother’s name, I kicked my way out of my jeans and pulled back the comforter to sit down. “He hasn’t said much, but Brakkor is filling in the gaps. Kor sounds happy, but…” I shrugged. “He already found his Mate, and lost her, so…”
I rolled to take Lila in my arms, but to my surprise, she held me off, palm against my shoulder.
“What do you mean, he found his Mate? You mean his wife? Or was he married before? Oh—you have a nephew, right?”
“Jay is twelve now,” I agreed. Settling myself back against the pillows, I eyed Lila warily, uncertain how much to say. “Mating is…different from marriage. A marriage is a legal contract, but finding your Mate…”
I couldn’t help the way my hand went to my bare chest, feeling the steady thump of my heart and the frantic rumbling of myKteer.
