Page 95 of Chosen By the Fae King

I accepted his judgment and kept her on the eliminated list. Getting my hands on some of the others was going to be far more tricky. I couldn't bump into everyone.

Nox changed the subject and we talked of lighter things while we ate. I liked being alone with him, sharing a meal, and speaking candidly. It made my insides warm and I felt connected to him.

When dinner was over, he walked me to my rooms instead of using his powers. He said he wanted to draw out our time.

When he closed the door to my room, with both of us inside, I could hardly stand the way he drank me in, yet stood so far away.

“And now, little hellion, you have me all to yourself. What will you do with your prize?”

My mouth was suddenly dry. “I thought dinner was the prize?”

“Dinner plus time alone with the king who wishes …” Nox licked the tip of his canine, prowling closer.

“What does the king wish?” I whispered.

Gods! What was I asking?

His eyes gleamed. “The king wishes for a kiss from his female.”

“His female?” My pulse spiked. I wet my lips, and his eyes followed the movement. “That’s a different matter altogether than a kiss.”

“Coy and clever. I like it.” He traced a finger down my cheek, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. “I grow impatient, Aeryn. Every minute I'm with you I grow more impatient to have you.”

My heart thudded wildly. How could I resist him? And yet, if I gave in now, I might lose myself in his embrace. I didn't want to read too far into his possessiveness. He could mean it as something temporary.

Or he might not.

I blinked up at him through my lashes. “A kiss, but then you must answer one question for me.”

Nox's eyes gleamed with challenge and desire. “I agree to your demand, my lady.”

He dipped his head, and I rose onto my toes, our lips meeting in a kiss that I felt all the way to my toes.

My hands curled into his shirt, clinging for support as his mouth moved over mine. Heat and longing surged through me in waves, and I sank into the kiss, losing myself in the feel and taste of him.

Too soon, he lifted his head. I swayed, dizzy and breathless, my lips tingling.

Nox's eyes had darkened to slate. His voice was rough when he spoke. “Ask your question.”

I licked my lips, struggling to think clearly. What did I most wish to know?

“Why do you want me? Why say that I'm your female?” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

One eyebrow rose. “Do you doubt my desire for you?”

“No,” I said hastily. “I only wonder why. We are strangers, after all.”

“Are you sure about that, little menace? Because you don't feel like a stranger at all to me.”

It was true. He didn't feel like a stranger, but how well did we really know one another? Nox could have any of the contestants if he so desired.

He’d bedded at least one of them prior to the trials. I had to know he actually wanted me, not just the body he liked to touch.

“What draws you to me?”

Nox traced his knuckles down my cheek. “Your spirit. Your honesty. The way you look at me as if I am not a king and how you definitely don't speak to me as one. You fascinate me, Aeryn, and I find I cannot get enough of your company.”

His mouth quirked. “Also, you are the most vexing and intriguing female I have ever known. I want to unravel all your secrets.”

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