Page 163 of Scourged

Andrian’s throat closed. It took him a few seconds, but eventually, he found his voice. “They’ll receive your letter. They’ll come. And I look forward to meeting them when they do.”

Her brow furrowed, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Really? You do?”

Andrian smiled and pressed a kiss to the soft skin beneath her ear. “I do, My Queen.” Another kiss and an inhale of the ever-present jasmine on her skin. “I think you’ll find it all particularly mortifying, which sweetens it a bit.” He drew away with a laugh just as she swatted his arm.

He was still laughing when she faced him fully. She cocked her head, wet hair brushing her collarbones, and watched him.

And he simply watched her back, his stare unwavering.

After what felt like an eternity, she smiled. A slow, coy smile, something far more wicked than before.

“You know,” she started, her voice gravelly. His hand clenched into a fist on his knee. “I think this might be my new favorite thing.”

“What?” he said, his voice rough. “Talking about your parents?”

She shook her head, smile widening. “No.” She leaned forward, laying her hands flat on the bottom of the tub. “I mean, taking baths … with you in them.”

Fucking gods.He couldn’t stop his body’s reaction to this woman, even if he tried. He shifted slightly, lifting an eyebrow. “Is that so, princess?”

She bit her lip, slipping her right hand across his hip and pressing it to the porcelain behind him. “Oh yes,” she purred, leaning into him until her lips brushed his. “It makes thingsfarmore interesting.”

He groaned. But just as he was about to lean forward and capture her lips with his own, a boom reverberated through the bathing chamber. Mariah froze, eyes darting to the door, but she didn’t move or draw away. Her bedroom door clicked open, and footsteps smacked across the marble floor.

“Mariah? Where in the Goddess’s name are you?”

Andrian recognized the voice instantly, but there wasn’t enough time to react before the sliding bathroom door was pulled open and Ciana burst in, her cheeks bright with a flush of exertion that morphed into something far more mortified.

Mariah glanced over her shoulder at her best friend.

“I think knocking is appropriate when entering one’s bathroom, Cee.”

To her credit, Ciana didn’t back down. Still flushed a brilliant pink, she instead locked her hands on her hips, tossing her golden curls over her shoulder.

“So, this is where you’ve both been for the past day. I thought you hated him?” She turned her glare to Andrian, but then flushed harder, and looked away.

Mariah turned back to him, amusement and warmth and joy dancing in her eyes.

All things that made him so unbelievably happy.

“No,” Mariah murmured. “I don’t hate him.”

“Ugh,” Ciana groaned, spinning away. “Just … get out here as soon as possible. In case you forgot, you’re getting coronated tomorrow, and we have to decide on your dress.” Ciana stomped from the room, shouting to whoever she’d brought with her.

Which was Sebastian, if Andrian had to guess.

“Well,” he said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Mariah’s ear. “I expect to hear shit aboutthatfrom Ciana for the next fifty years or so.”

Mariah’s bright, answering laugh was swallowed by his kiss, and he showed her just how much better baths could be.

“How about this one?”

Mariah’s eyes flashed as she pushed through her bedroom doors into the living room, spinning the skirts of the burgundy and gold gown. It hugged her curves, her skin glowing with a healthy tan. Her gaze settled on Andrian when she stopped moving, lips curled into a smile.

She was so beautiful, he worried his heart would stop in his chest.

He cleared his throat, leaning forward. “It’s?—”

“It’s not the one.”

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