AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Then her eyes dropped to her father’s, anxiously seeking his approval.
And she got it.
“That wasphenomenal,” González gushed. “Better luck next time, ay, Branimir?”
“Yes, father,” the northern warrior said, grinning. He glanced at Sara and tucked his arm over her shoulders, tugging her against him. “Or not, if I’m lucky enough to face my talented wife again.”
Sara patted his hand affectionately. “Come. To the victor go the spoils, was that not what we agreed?”
The salacious, expectant look she shot him as they left the field was echoed in the hungry noise Ren made in my ear.
“Spoils,” he murmured, nibbling on the sensitive skin. My pulse pounded. “I like the sound of that, consort.”
“Except you haven’t won anything,” I heard myself remind him.
“Oh, I have,” said the king. “I’ve won the greatest prize of all.”
He bit down on my ear, drawing a gasp from me that I tried – and judging by the sniggers made by the two lords in front of us, failed – to hide.
“I wonyou.”
-
I dragged myself away from the scene, trying not to miss the weight of Ren’s hand on my knee as soon as it disappeared.
I’d gone too far. I needed to rein my magic back from across all the years it had jumped…
-
My eyes opened to his rich brown ones, crinkled in delight and inches from my face.
“If this is the time you’d awaken naturally every day, husband,” Ren said softly, his head resting on his hand where he lay across from me, “it’s a terribly good thing you usually have me to wake you up. It’s barely evenmorninganymore.”
“Mmm. Then why did you let me sleep in?”
“I may be anobnoxious, bothersome pest,” he said with the cutest of wrinkled noses, curling his fingers to indicate they weren’t his words but mine, “but even I’m not so heartless as to pull you out of bed on your twenty-fifth birthday. You’re an old man now, darling.”
“Fuck you.” I shoved at his arm, making his face land in his pillow, and then planting a firm hand on the back of his head tokeep it there. “I’ll remember that when you turn the same age as me inless than two months, asshole.”
Ren mumbled something incomprehensible into the pillow, his hands flapping expressively in the way they always did when he spoke. I gave myself another few seconds of peace before allowing him to turn over. He beamed up at me.
“You’re sogrumpy,” Ren said, laughing. “I love it.”
“I love you.” I gathered him into my arms and pressed soft kisses to his temple, enjoying the lazy way we lounged against each other.
“I hope you enjoy today,” my king murmured after a long minute that still felt too short. His fingers traced light patterns along mine. “I’ve arranged for over a thousand people to attend your birthday celebrations and fawn over you, including royals from countries I’d never even heard of before. It’s going to be grand, and it’s going to be glorious, and you’re going to be the centre ofeveryone’sattention.”
I froze.
“What?” The word came out small and meek, and I buried my face in his shoulder, horrified. “I can’t…I don’t…”
His shoulders shook with silent laughter and my future self jabbed a vengeful finger into his ribs to make him squirm. Relief flushed through me, even knowing that the horrendous fate he’d just described would have been years away. “What do you really have planned, you prick?”
Ren slid off the bed, still chuckling, but my fingers closed around a fistful of his shirt to stop him leaving. I didn’t want any space between us.
“How about two days on the coast, with a carriage ready to take us there as soon as you’re dressed? Just you, me, and the waves,mi sol,” he assured me, and my heart soared with yearning.
Yes, I wanted that. I wanted it so badly.
