Khamsin came around the corner of his enormous desk and put her arms around him. “You’re not going to interfere. And neither am I. Not yet.”
“Why not?” He remained rigid in her embrace, his eyes icy but free of the white flurries that would indicate he was drawing on the freezing power of the Ice Heart.
“Because.” She laid a hand over his heart and petted him with small circular, soothing strokes. “This may just be one chance for Summer to have what we do, and I’m not going to jeopardize that. I’m not going to push her, and you’re not going to pound him. We’re going to sit back and let the two of them sort this out. At least for now.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Of course, you don’t. You’re very territorial.” He growled and she smiled up at him, loving him so much her heart felt like it would burst. “I don’t know what went on in that grotto, but if Dilys deserved a beating over it, Summer would have said something to Spring. And she didn’t. That tells me that even though she says she wants nothing to do with him, Summer isn’t prepared to sic you on him.”
“I’m going to sic myself on him.”
“He saved her life, Wyn.”
“So now he gets to do whatever he wants with her? Over my dead body.”
Kham laughed. “It’s not like his intentions are dishonorable. He would marry her tomorrow if she said yes.”
“Fine. And he can keep his hands and other parts to himself until then.” He brought both of her hands to his mouth, kissed them, then kissed her until her knees went weak. Then he set her in his chair and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To work on my international relations.”
“Wyn.”
He paused at the office door. “Don’t worry,min ros.I’ll be very diplomatic.” He smiled, showing teeth, cracked his knuckles, and departed.
“Oh, wonderful.” Khamsin sighed and got to her feet. It was probably best to give Tildy a heads-up that there were going to be bruises in need of healing.
After an uneventful day spent hiding in her room and yet another night spent tossing and turning to disturbingly erotic dreams, Summer woke the next morning tired and out of sorts. As she rose from her bed, a flash of color caught her eyes. She pulled back the sheer curtains covering the glass balcony doors and gasped.
Her entire balcony awash in flowers. Bright, vivid rainbow-hued flowers in all shades of red, pink, yellow, purple, fuchsia, orange, and blue. She opened the door, drew a breath, and hummed in delight. The scent was amazing. Even knowing who must have sent them, she couldn’t keep herself from touching the soft petals, breathing in the gorgeous fragrances.
It was a ridiculous, romantic extravagance, this balcony full of fresh, fragrant blooms, morning dew still sparkling like diamonds upon their colorful petals.
And, despite everything, including her own sense of self-preservation, she loved it.
Dilys Merimydion had chosen one of the best possible ways to steal past her defenses. Flowers were one of her weaknesses, the others being children, pets, delicious food (especially desserts) and a shameful obsession with the decadent, sinfully rich chocolates created by Zephyr Hallowill, the master chocolatier who had emigrated from the distant kingdom of Windhaven fifteen years ago to become Summerlea’s royal confectioner. All right, so those weren’t the most unique set of secret passions for a woman, but Summer always had been the most feminine of Verdan Coruscate’s daughters
Every blossom on the balcony was one of her favorites, which probably meant one or both of her fellow Seasons had probably helped him. He hadn’t signed the two dozen small cards tucked in amongst the blooms, but the bold masculine scrawl and the message repeated on each of the cards left her in no doubt as to the person responsible for this floral munificence.
Claim me as thine,the cards entreated.
Summer drew another breath of intoxicatingly perfumed air and shuddered as she recalled the wild storm of ecstasy that had swept over her, wringing scream after scream of mindless pleasure from her. Gods help her, she wanted to experience that again. One taste of passion—of him—and she was already dangerously addicted.
But it was more than just the pure eroticism she craved. Yesterday, in Dilys’s arms, she’d looked into his eyes and seen everything she’d ever wanted looking back at her. Everything. Even things she’d never known she wanted.
She looked at the cards in her hands, read the scrawl of black ink.
Claim me as thine.
Her jaw clenched. She ripped the cards in two and dropped the scraps on the surface of her dressing table.
Her maid, Amaryllis, came into the room with Summer’s morning tea a few minutes later, her eyes widened at the sight of all the blooms. “I’ve never seen so many flowers in one place. They’re beautiful. Did Sealord Merimydion send them?”
“The cards weren’t signed.”
If Amaryllis heard the curt edge to Gabriella’s tone, she gave no sign of it. “Nobody told me you had deliveries this morning. But why did you have them put all the flowers out on your balcony?”
