“But I know it’s there.” The humor shining in his voice nudged aside my worry and softened the memories of the way I’d grown up.
I turned in his arms to face him. Morning light caught in his dark blond hair and made his leaf-green eyes glow. He looked rumpled and content, nothing like the charming king who performed for his court.
This man was mine. All mine.
“Better thoughts now?” he asked, tracing the line of my jaw with his fingertips.
“Getting there.”
He smiled and kissed me, slow and thorough, like we had all the time in the world. Like the start of festival wasn’t looming ahead of us with all its potential disasters.
When he pulled back, I could tell he was thinking the same thing.
“We should probably get up,” I said, though I made nomove to leave the circle of his arms. “Plan our strategy for today.”
“We should.” His hand slid down my side, leaving heat in its wake. “Though I’m having trouble remembering why that seems important right now.”
“Because someone’s trying to destroy your court’s emotional magic?”
“Right. That.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “See, this is why I need you. You keep me focused on the actual problems instead of getting distracted by how beautiful you are in the morning.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “That’s not focus. That’s flattery.”
“It’s observation.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “An accurate observation based on extensive field research.”
I laughed despite myself. “Extensive?”
“I’ve been conducting a thorough investigation.” His lips moved to my jaw, then down to my throat. “Very thorough. Very scientific.”
“Dominic—”
“Though I may need to gather more data.” His hand found the curve of my hip through the thin fabric of my nightgown. “For completeness.”
My breath caught as he pulled me closer, our bodies aligning in ways that made thinking impossible. “We really should?—”
“We should,” he said, and he kissed me again, less desperate, more deliberate. Like he was savoring every sensation.
I let myself sink into it and stopped analyzing and planning. For now, I only wanted to feel his warmth. Hisstrength. And my magic rising to meet his, creating that resonance we’d discovered that could counter the dampening effects shadowing his court.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.
“I want you,” Dominic said, his voice rough. “Not because we’re running out of time or because we might fail tonight. But because being with you like this feels right in a way nothing else ever has.”
The vulnerability in his admission made my chest suddenly feel too small for all the emotions rushing through me. This wasn’t performance or charm. This was real.
“I want you too. It does feel right.”
He cupped my face, stroking my cheekbone. “Are you sure? Because we can wait if?—”
“I’m sure.” I kissed him to prove it, pouring all the certainty I felt into the press of my lips against his. “I’m very sure.”
Something shifted in his expression, heat mixing with tenderness in a way that made my pulse race. He rolled us so I was beneath him, his weight settling over me.
“Tell me what you want,” he said.
“Just you. Always you.” I traced my fingers through his hair, savoring at how soft it was.
His smile turned wicked. “Good.”
