"She said they get so bad you can't talk or move."
My thoughts of fucking her fizzle into thin air. She knows how to kill a mood. I take her small hand and press it to the burns beneath my shirt. A frown mars her pretty face. "There's nothing they can do to fix them?"
"They'll never go. On Monday, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t talk. Lynna sedated me, and that's the last thing I remember. I have no desire for anyone but you," I say, honestly. No one captivates me like she does.
She chews that tempting lower lip for a brief moment before her face brightens, as if she is remembering something. I can’t hide my smile. She's almost childlike in that sense; every emotion that goes through her is visible. It's the opposite of me and it's refreshing. She produces three papers with today’s date on.
I sigh on instinct as I spot them. Gossip papers and newspapers; the bane of my life. My mood dips a little lower but Renna is giggling as she flicks through them, and it’s hard to be grumpy around her when she’s in a good mood. "These made me laugh so hard. Apparently this season you're favouring darker clothing,andthey think your thighs look excellent in riding trousers."
“Do they?” I ask, and she nods enthusiastically. She tosses the beige coloured papers onto my desk and I put down my quill to pick the first one up. There is a double-page spread about my upcoming attendance at the Royal Dinner. I raise an eyebrow, tossing it into the bin.
"I paid for that!"
"You can get the gossip straight from the source," I say, my voice low. She bites her lip, walking around my desk. Forget aboutmythighs, her thighs will be the end of me. The way the curves of her body are hugged by this dress feels like a reward I don’t deserve. I pick up the next one, reading the headline.
WHOwill the world's most eligible bachelor, King Rexxan, be taking to the Golden Ball?
I dip my quill in ink, writing five bold letters beneath it.
RENNA.
She laughs, and its genuinely filled with joy. And just like that, she’s injected a little of her sunshine into my thundery mood. Then when she straddles my lap and sits down, I’m internally jumping for joy. I shut my eyes as she straddles me, praying for my poor blood pressure. I was already hard, now it's painful. Mischief glitters on her face as she wriggles her hips a little.
This. Woman.
"I hate those kinds of events," she whispers, her sultry brown eyes on mine.
I kiss her neck, my breath hot on her skin. "And if I told you the meal being served is your favourite?" I ask, my lips caressing the sensitive spot beneath her ear. Her body shudders against mine, and the ache in my groin intensifies. She’s killing me here.
"Chicken pie?"
"Mmhmm."
She pulls away, her face lighting up. "Oh, that does sway me, actually. What's dessert?"
"Trifle, I think."
Her shoulders slump, bottom lip making an appearance. "Find another date then."
I nuzzle my face in her neck. Gods, I have missed her smell for the last two days. Honey and vanilla and smoke from her campsite. "And if your date could abuse his power and pull some strings to make dessert something else, what would you choose?"
She’s grinning at me like I’m the best thing ever, and the ache where my heart should be eases just a little. "Ifhe could do that, I'd choose apple and cinnamon crumble, but if there wasn't vanilla custard on the side, I'd tell him to go fuck himself."
I laugh out loud, my lips brushing hers as her hips rock against me a little. The air is thick with tension. "Is that a yes?"
"What do I get out of it?"
The cheek of this woman. "Other than a date with the ‘world’s most eligible bachelor’ and changing the menu for the entire ball of three hundred people?"
"Other than that," she says, beaming.I am bad at women. I have no idea what they want. Lynna just wants expensive dresses and gold. "I'll get you a dress and jewellery to wear?"
"A new dagger?"
My girl isn't after dresses. Noted. "Of course. Extra sharp. Extra pointy.”
Her laugh makes me feel twelve feet tall. “I’ll come with you," she says, a giant smile on her face. "You can forget about the gifts, I was joking. I'll just come with you."
I'm already smug about the idea of having her on my arm, and for the first time in a while, I’m actually willing to go to a social event. I kiss her, my hands snaking down to her behind as I stand with her legs around my waist and carry her back to my bedroom for the rest of the day.
