We arrive in Stratford City sooner than I would have liked. What I wouldn’t give to stay locked in here with Callum for the rest of the day. There are several ways we could put the small space to creative use. But now isn’t the time to think about that.
Our Bond hasn’t wavered since the night we made love in Callum’s room, the night I agreed to marry him, the night he let me use my Gift. Since then, we haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other. Every moment not locked in campaign work is spent wrapped up in one another. The longing I feel deep in my bones for him hasn’t abated; if anything it’s only intensified.
Just the thought of it is enough to stoke the fire in my blood.
“How long do we have?” Callum mumbles, his lips finding the sensitive spot on my neck, and I know he’s thinking similar thoughts to mine.
“Long enough.” I hoist the heavy skirts of my dress and clamber my way onto his lap, our mouths tangling around my clumsy maneuvering.
Within seconds, his hard cock is in my palm, his fingers are stroking my folds, and I sink down over him with a sigh of relief.
“We don’t have more than a few minutes.” His hands slide under my dress, latching on to my thighs and assisting my hips as they roll over him.
“Then you better make me come quickly, Your Highness.”
He does, because he always does, chasing his own release seconds later.
The wheels clatter over the cobblestones as we right ourselves, rolling to a stop right as I manage to get my skirts back in place. Next time I will insist on wearing something less restrictive, if for no other reason than it wouldn’t be prudent for the fiancée of the future president of Avon to be caught with her skirts around her ears.
Callum exits the carriage first, reaching back to help me down the rickety steps of the carriage. My feet hit the ground and I sway, leaning into him to keep me upright, the sudden rush of blood and fear making me queasy.
The carriage has stopped right in front of La Puissance.
I haven’t been back here since we lost Harold, and the sight of my former home brings on a rush of emotions.
“Are you all right?” Callum tightens his hold on me, pulling me into his side.
I sink into his warmth, but only for a second. I force myself upright, force myself to be the kind of partner he needs right now in this moment. Callum needs me to be strong and so I will find a way to be so.
Callum’s worried eyes never leave me, even as we’re ushered behind the building to the back entrance. He guides me into a chair in the kitchen where I’ve spent more hours of my life than I can count and crouches down in front of me, the fine material of hissuit pulling across his thick thighs. “Cate. Talk to me. What’s wrong? If you don’t want to do this, now is the time to tell me.”
“Why are we here? Did you know this is where we were coming for the announcement?”
Callum hesitates, his blue eyes hiding emotions that send a tingle of fear down my spine.
Bianca cautiously creeps over to us, as if she doesn’t want to interrupt our conversation. “Cate? Do you have a minute before the announcement?”
I look to Callum, who nods.
“I’ll give you a minute,” he says, planting a soft kiss on my cheek before turning to walk away. “We can talk later.”
“You should hear this too.” Bianca stops him before he can get very far, a calm hand on his forearm.
I stand, linking my arm with Callum’s. “What’s going on, B? You’re scaring me a bit.”
She smiles and it’s genuine and calming. “Nothing to be scared about.” She turns to gesture behind her. Many of the Gifted club members join her, coming from around the side of the building to clump around her. Meri and Tes and Rosa and Helen, a few faces I haven’t had the chance to get to know very well.
Bianca takes a deep breath. “We have been talking over the past few days, and we’ve come to a consensus.”
I raise my eyebrow, trying to hide the hurt that comes along with being excluded from these talks. I understand why, but their rejection still stings.
“And we all agreed, voted unanimously in fact, that you should be the one to take over leadership at La Puissance.”
Bianca’s words hang in the air for several long, quiet seconds.
“I’m sorry, I think I misheard you?” My stomach spins once again, but this time, there’s no grief or sadness. Only excitement,and some disbelief, and an overwhelming feeling of this being exactly right.
Meri grins, but it’s Tes who says, “We want you to take over for Harold. And we think that’s what he would have wanted too.”
