“You can’t just give up.” I stick a finger in his face. “Agree.”
“Let me get this straight,” he says. “We have to find a witch and ask about the curse. It doesn’t have to be the coven that cursed me, but they have to tell me something about the curse that I didn’t know before.”
“Yes.”
“What if they can’t?”
“We need to at least try.”
“And then you’ll marry me.” He states it like an order.
“No. Maybe. I don’t know.” For all I know, once he gets some new facts, he won’t want me anymore. “But I’ll stay with you. I mean, it’s not like I have a portal laying around, so what am I gonna do?”
Kirian rubs his bottom lip with his thumb before he says, “Deal.”
I get a flutter in my chest, almost like a heart palpitation.
Pressing a hand to my rib cage, I gasp, “What was that?”
“The agreement.”
“We’ve made deals and promises before. How come it never felt like that?”
“Because you weren’t here. You’ll see—all kinds of magic can happen in my realm.”
Oh, I bet.
His fingers move up on my thigh, slipping underneath the denim. Kirian’s so close to my panties, and I want to know what it would feel like to have him tug the cotton material to the side and touch me.
But that would definitely make the curse permanent.
I clear my throat. “Speaking of magic, we probably shouldn’t kiss again, just in case the other kisses didn’t affect the curse.”
“They did.” Kirian scoots toward me, eliminating the few inches between us.
Our bodies press together, and my mind suddenly feels foggy. My nipples tighten, and my panties get damp.
“How can you be sure?” I ask, struggling to keep a rational train of thought. “Did the witches say anything else about other realms?”
Frowning, his hand travels higher, dangerously close to my ass. “No. The details are vague, just the way they meant for it to be.”
“So you can’t be sure.”
“I’m sure I want to kiss you again.”
“Kirian,” I warn. “Don’t.”
He runs his nose over mine while massaging my hip. His fingers are so long, they wrap around to my backside, digging into the flesh. My eyelids grow heavy, my heart starts pounding, and the throbbing in my center becomes painful.
Sniffing the air, Kirian smiles wide. “I know you want me.”
“Can you—can you smell—” I can’t bring myself to say it.
“Your arousal? Yes.”
And I’m horrified. “Is that a fae thing? Can anyone else—”
“They better not,” he interrupts gruffly, like the idea of someone catching a hint of my scent is appalling to him. “Other fae don’t have senses as good as mine.” He breathes through his nose again and shudders. “It’s times like this when I wonder if the witches did me a favor. Because you smell delicious.”
Oh.
Kirian nuzzles my neck, causing goose bumps to skitter over my skin. My toes brush against his legs, my nipples graze his chest, and his stomach is warm against mine. Lifting his head, his stubble scrapes over my cheek, and the tip of his nose nudges my chin.
Inhaling sharply, he lines up our mouths.
Our lips are just an inch apart, and my suggestion that we don’t kiss again is just a far-off whisper in my mind.
I’m about to say to hell with the curse when loud knocking interrupts us.
I jerk back, and the look of extreme disappointment on Kirian’s face is seriously funny. My effort to keep my giggle in fails, and I snort.
“What are you laughing about?” He scowls.
I laugh again. “You’re just really cute when you’re sexually frustrated.”
“I’m not cute.” He sounds genuinely offended. “Kings aren’t cute.”
The rapping continues, and he heaves out a sigh before leaping off the bed. Feeling shy, I stay put. I’m not sure I’m ready for a run-in with another gorgeous fae right now.
When I hear a female voice, curiosity gets the best of me. My bare feet pad over the cold floor as I hide just inside the bedroom. Peeking around the doorframe, I try to see who it is, but Kirian’s so big, he’s blocking my line of sight.
“I have a dress for Quinn,” the woman says. “She’ll be the beauty of the ball.”
“Thank you, Mother. Just leave it with me.”
“She’s going to need my help.”
“I appreciate the offer, but it’s not necessary.”
“There are thirty-two buttons along the back and corsets on the sides. Not to mention her hair. Are you really up for the task of dressing a woman?”
Kirian pauses.
Although I don’t love the idea of being left alone with his mom, it seems like she has good intentions while he has no clue how to work female clothing.
“It’s okay.” I step out of my hiding place and hope I sound brave. “I’d like to look good tonight. It’ll be like the homecoming I never went to.”
“Wonderful.” Kirian’s mom bustles in, brushing past him. He purses his lips at the intrusion, but he doesn’t kick her out. “I’ll just be in the bathroom getting a few things ready.”
She disappears through a door at the other end of the room, and I catch a glimpse of a big white tub surrounded by four marble columns.
Kirian steps over to me. “Are you okay with this?”
“Sure, as long as she’s not going to strangle me or anything.” I add a forced laugh because I’m kinda joking, kinda not.
Shaking his head, Kirian chuckles. “My mother is one of the kindest souls I know. She was taken by surprise earlier when I introduced you. Don’t hold it against her if she seemed cold.”
He’s talking like I have the power to hold anything against the former queen. Yeah, right. She intimidates the crap out of me, but I won’t say that.
“We’ll be fine,” I tell him. “Where will you be?”
“I suppose I should be getting ready as well.” He touches my face, running his fingertips over my forehead, my nose, my cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”
He saunters away, and then I’m alone.
Well, not alone. I’m with his mother. The woman he thinks is my future mother-in-law.
Despite grilling
