Page 121 of A Game of Veils

Of pregnancy, he means. The herb can only act as a contraceptive for the man if it’s taken before the act.

I nod, deciding it’s better not to mention that I’m already taking regular doses. I have no intention of bearing Marclinus any children until I’m good and ready.

But that’s hardly a typical attitude for any would-be-wife to take.

A sudden burst of laughter filters through the door. My head jerks toward it, my pulse stuttering.

We have much more immediate concerns.

I shift my weight on Lorenzo’s lap reluctantly. "You should probably go as soon as the hall is clear. If one of my maids comes back early before luncheon..."

Lorenzo nuzzles my hair. "We must have at least an hour before anyone even thinks of lunch."

"But if anyone sees you..."

"We'll hear the lock." He pauses. "I can go out the other way."

The way the princes have stolen into my locked room more than once? I twist around to raise my eyebrows at him. "Are you going to reveal that secret?"

His pleased smile takes him from handsome to absolutely breathtaking. "I suppose it's only fair. There are passages in the walls that connect the servants' area to a handful of the most prominent bedchambers in the palace—from some time ago when the highest ranking nobles wanted to be attended to as promptly and discreetly as possible. They were theoretically closed up before we ever arrived here, but we stumbled on one entrance in an unused bedroom down the hall from ours, found our way in, and made them our own."

Lorenzo points to the wall next to my bed. "The wallpaper blends in perfectly, but it's right there. If anyone comes, I'll vanish in an instant. If I absolutely have to, I can hide behind an illusion for additional cover."

At his assurances, my stance relaxes. I narrow my eyes at him. "I would prefer if from now on you all at least knock before barging in."

"As you deserve. I'm sorry we invaded your privacy before."

"I think that's really more on Raul and Bastien to apologize for."

"And I look forward to hearing you tell them so." He strokes his thumb over my cheek, setting off new tingles that race through me. "Do you want me to go, Rell?"

Hearing him grant me that nickname gives me a thrill I hadn't anticipated. I can't deny the answer that clangs through every particle of my body. "No."

As I turn my face toward him again, he catches my chin and lowers his mouth to claim a kiss. It carries on, lingering and sweet, until I'm aching in all sorts of ways.

"What would you like, Princess?"

My mind is still rattled from everything that's happened today, but a longing rises up in me too swift and strong for me to ignore it.

Why not? Why deny myself anything from this moment now that I’ve embraced it?

I turn in Lorenzo's arms so I can kiss him more firmly. Then I say, my voice little more than a whisper, "I want you to take me to the bed, strip off all my clothes, and make love to me as if we're the ones getting married."

His face lights up with so much affection I lose my breath.

Taking my hand, he stands and draws me upright with him. My skirt falls back around my legs. My drawers lie in a puddle by my feet.

Lorenzo kicks his loosened trousers the rest of the way off. He walks me over to the bed, his eager gaze never leaving me.

When we’ve reached it, he peels my gown off over my head. He takes in my mostly bared body and pauses over my forearms.

Lifting my hand, he presses a gentle kiss to the smattering of purple scars below my wrist. “You never need to hide these from me. They’re as beautiful as the rest of you.”

He grasps my chemise next. I find that standing nude before him is a totally different experience from the nakedness Marclinus forced on me.

There’s only one pair of eyes watching me now, with nothing but admiration.

I grip the hem of Lorenzo’s shirt. His smile widens as we tug it off together.

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