A girl could dream.
24
SAMANTHA
Iwasted ten minutes just racing through the room, running my hands over the clothes and picking up every pair of shoes. Len had thought of everything, from casual to formal, matching underwear, and even swimwear. I had no idea where they swam in this world of floating lands, but I hoped I’d be here long enough to find out.
Not knowing how formal the dinner was tonight, I ended up choosing a simple black dress, strapless and corseted at the back. It was dressed up with lace details along the skirt, which was shorter in the front and longer down the back, skating across the floor as I walked.
After hanging the dress on the bathroom door, I hurried to the mirror, dressed in a strapless bra and matching black panties. Pulling open all the drawers, I had fun using the full range of beauty products provided, including kohl on my eyes, mascara to lengthen my lashes, and a pop of pink on both cheeks. I also darkened my lips to a ruby red for another color break in the black ensemble.
The red brought out the red tones in my hair, and when I slipped into the dress, holding the corset against my chest, I was satisfied with how I looked. I’d left a slight curl to my long, dark hair, and the makeup made my eyes wider and greener. The black of the dress had my skin looking bronzer, giving me a glow-up that I hadn’t seen for years.
This polished mask was going to come in handy when I was fed to the royals tonight. I had no idea what to expect, but if this was anything like the books I read, it could end up a bloodbath. The outsider trying to steal the prince was a tale as old as time.
His mother would probably have me hanged at dawn.
“Sam,” Len called from the bedroom.
“In here,” I replied, leaving the bathroom. “Could you help me lace up the corset at the back.”
I’d been looking at my feet, trying to walk awkwardly in heels while holding the front of the dress, so I missed his initial reaction. It wasn’t until the silence extended and I lifted my gaze briefly, that I noticed the stunned look he wore. Tabitha was in his arms, but he appeared to have forgotten she was there as he watched me.
Heat slid into my gut at the hunger in his gaze. Len was no shifter, but he held some alpha characteristics, which had my beast lifting her head. She’d been quiet since we went to Faerie, and I hoped to have a chance to run her soon. It wasn’t a necessity though, since the ability to keep her contained was another one of my shifter quirks. Maybe there was a chance that Len might consider running with me. A little predator and prey moment. The thought of such primal play was enough to have my legs weak, while my panties had officially drowned.
Slick heat filled my center as I moved closer to Len, noticing that he wore a dark suit. It fitted his tall frame flawlessly, the silver shirt a perfect contrast.
He looked like a god.
“You lookfucking stunning,” he rumbled.
“As do you,” I breathed. “Thank you for the clothes and toiletries. It’s so much more than I ever expected, and I’m grateful.”
He relaxed, the predator fading from his gaze as he gently placed Tabby in the center of the bed. Her clothes were changed too, but before I could catch more than a flash of purple, he was standing right before me, blocking my view of anything else. Even with heels adding four or five inches to my height, I still had to crane my neck to meet his gaze. “You needed help with your dress?” he said softly.
My dress?What was he talking about?
The only help I needed was a fae prince tearing it from my body.
“The corset?” he prompted, a twinkle in his eyes.
Ohhhh, right.
“Yes, please,” I managed to say without embarrassing myself further.
Turning to give him my back, smooth strokes caressed my skin as he moved the dress into place. He took his time, tugging at each strap of the lace, pulling it tight against my body, and with each pull I felt a corresponding one in my gut. Followed by a flutter in my damn pussy.
This fae was our destruction.
A beautiful destruction.
“You don’t need to thank me,” Len said after a few deliciously tortuous moments of strapping me into my dress. He leaned down, breath brushing across my bare shoulder as his mouth caressed the edge of my ear. “You’ve already given me everything.”
My stomach was swirling—my head too—as I fought for composure.
Another scrape of his skin against mine, tingling energy and ice between us as he added, “I’m going to enjoy unstrapping you later,” he murmured, and I had to squeeze my thighs together.
“Awfully presumptuous of you, Winter,” I managed breathlessly.
