Lord Belshazzar mirrored me, lifting a black eyebrow, and then tugged me down onto his lap. I landed in a graceless heap on top of him. The Overlord’s chin trembled at my shocked features, but he didn’t make fun of my inelegance. He silently helped me resituate myself on his lap, though he couldn’t have missed my rigid frame. The lord even yanked a soft and thin blanket off the chair next to ours—before Lord Xenon sat on that seat—and tossed it over my body, draping it over my legs.
The lord’s eyes darted back and forth over my narrowed gaze—I was still upset with him. He tucked a piece of air behind my ear and played with my earlobe. Quietly, he asked, “How was your day?”
“I walked around the entire time.” I huffed and squinted down my nose at him. My voice was clipped. “Master Niallan’s castle is as large as ours. There’s a lot to look at.”
Lord Belshazzar hummed and stared at my ear that he continued to rub softly. “Have any trouble?”
“Other than the doll from hell? No.”
His eyes flicked to mine, then back to his playing. “How many bullets did you waste on the toy?”
My lips pinched. I wasn’t saying.
The Overlord smirked—just a little. He never took his eyes off me, his attention now wandering over my features. His tone was still quiet. “Lord Pippin emptied both of his guns before he wised up.”
“Fuck off.” Lord Pippin sighed and dropped into a reclining chair across from us. “I almost had it once.”
I rolled my eyes. That was a lie.
I hadn’t even come close to shooting my doll.
And I was almost positive I was faster than him.
Lord Belshazzar ran the pad of his right pointer finger over the curve of my eyebrow, watching the action with a hooded gaze. “Do you want to ask me anything about my day?”
I sniffed. “Not particularly.”
The Overlord sighed and pressed his forehead against mine—and left it there. His thick, dangling hair hid us from everyone else. He rubbed the tip of his nose against mine in private affection, and our blue eyes didn’t stray elsewhere, holding each other’s gazes.
He whispered softly, “How long do you typically stay mad at someone?”
Lord Pippin choked but swiftly quieted.
I ignored that lord. My attention was captured by my favorite one. I wrinkled my nose, and muttered, “There’s no time limit. Not really.”
Lord Belshazzar touched the tip of his nose against mine again. His blue eyes fell, casting his expression in a rare moment of uncertainty. On the barest breath, he breathed, “I don’t like it.”
My entire body melted against his, just like that. I wrapped my arms around his neck and cuddled closer to him, practically purring when he pulled the blanket up higher over my body to cover my shoulders too. I curled my feet around his legs and rested them on the edge of his chair.
With our foreheads still pressed together, I managed to capture his fallen gaze with mine. I whispered too quietly for anyone else to hear, “You were quite the beast earlier.”
His lashes lowered over his eyes and shuttered his gaze from me. The Overlord waited for me to carry on, not contradicting my statement.
Still too quietly for anyone else to hear, I murmured, “Why don’t you kiss me? I’ll accept that as your apology—this time.”
The lord blinked. Then his lips were on mine.
Lord Belshazzar pressed my head back, leaning over me, and he kissed me—fast. Our heartbeats linked and pounded like crazy inside our chests. His mouth caressed and coerced and petted until I opened for his onslaught of want—his request for forgiveness. The lord’s minty scent surrounded me, and his tongue dipped inside my mouth, teasing and curling against mine again and again.
Lord Belshazzar showed me how sorry he was, even if he didn’t speak the words, as he made gentle and powerful love to my mouth. He ran his hands up my neck and curled his fingers into my hair at the base of my head, holding me steady as he tipped his head for a better angle. His muscles bulged in his arms around me, not letting me go.
He embraced me like I was precious to him.
He kissed me like it was the last kiss he’d ever have.
He protected me in his arms like I was his world.
A soft moan escaped my lips.
