“I’ve taken care of it,” he repeats.
“Asmo, what does that mean?” I walk over to the couch and stand in front of him. He crosses one long leg over the other before leaning back and draping his arms across the back of the couch. The spread of his arms pulls the neck of his shirt slightly wider, revealing more of the tattoo that graces his chest.
“I spoke with Ivan a few hours ago and I’ve arranged for our date to be in a secure location,” he says, looking up at me through his long eyelashes.
Every instinct in my body is pushing me forward, urging me to climb onto his lap.
“Then why did you even ask me what we’re doing today?” I ask, crossing my arms in irritation.
The corner of his mouth twitches. “I wanted to see if you’d come up with anything.” He looks around and says, “Since the answer seems to be a resoundingno,I made a backup plan. We’ll be dining outside tonight.”
My jaw drops. “You convinced Ivan to let us have our date on the terrace?”
“Something like that,” he says, then stands up suddenly, forcing me to take several steps back. We’re inches apart now, our chests almost touching. My breath catches, as I fight for some semblance of calm.
His gaze drops to my chest, then slowly moves down my body. “You might want to change into something more…like what I’m wearing,” he says, shattering my hazy thoughts.
“What’s wrong with this?” I dressed in black, form-fitting linen pants and a white flowy blouse, thinking we wouldn’t be leaving my wing.
His eyes don’t leave mine, his tone flat as he says, “We’re going on a date, Mae.”
“Fine,” I mutter before walking back to my closet. I sift through my outfits, most of the clothing unworn. Ruby and Nora filled my closet, but I tend to wear my own clothes throughout the day.
Asmo’s wearing all-black, so I sift through the black dresses that Nora brought me. I finally settle on a black mini dress with thin straps and equally thin fabric. There’s also a small part of me that wants to throw Asmo off his game, and I know I’ll look incredible in this.
I step into the dress. It stops at my upper thigh and hugs my body like a second skin, showing off every curve. I grab a pair of black pumps with an ankle strap and step into them, securing the strap. Finally, I select a cream leather jacket and drape it around my shoulders, admiring the final look in the floor-length mirror in my closet.
I look damn good. Asmo’s jaw better drop when he sees me.
His back is turned to me when I enter the living room, robbing me of the moment I was hoping for. He’s inspecting my book collection on the built-in shelves in the living room. I walk to the foyer, passing him as I do.
“Let’s go,” I say and throw open the door to leave, hoping he follows. I head down the main stairs, satisfied when I hear him walking behind me. When I get to the bottom of the stairs, I freeze. I have no idea where I’m going.
I look back at him. He’s staring at me, a smirk on his face. “Would you like me to take over, Your Highness?”
Honestly, no, I don’t. I’m stubborn, and I want to be in control, especially when he’s around. There’s something about him that just makes me feel like he’s constantly challenging me, and I feel like I always have to be right or prove a point. I don’t even know what point I’m trying to prove right now.
I grit my teeth, then remember myself and force a smile on my face. “Yes, please,” I say in a pleasant voice and step out of the way for him to pass me. As he passes, his right hand barely grazes the small of my back, and heat flares at the contact. It takes me a second to realize I should follow him, and I fall in step behind him, the guard following us from a distance.
Instead of leading us to the terrace like I thought, he takes us out the front door and toward the path that winds around the castle.
“Where are we going?” I ask him.
“You’ll see.”
“Is it the pool?”
“Patience is a virtue.”
I roll my eyes but follow him.
We walk in silence for another few minutes before he veers down a side path I’ve never noticed, leading us deeper into the forest. My heart rate starts to increase as I remember what happened the other night with the cambions.
“Asmo, are you sure this is a good idea?” I ask from behind him.
He stops and turns to me, looking me in the eyes. “Trust me.”
I’m so used to looking for that tug, but his words have the opposite effect. Instead of a tug, my magic settles. The magical net I always picture drifts calmly on the water.Trust him, it whispers to me.
