Page 54 of Cold Heir

Eyeing the unique necklace Levi purchased especially for me, I smirked a bit.

“Don’t worry,” Julian laughed, “the tracking device has been removed. You have my word.”

I offered another smile before turning, allowing him to secure it. The softness of his skin caressed mine unintentionally, but it gave me chills nonetheless. When I faced him again, he was clearly deep in thought.

“I hope you understand that things are different now,” he stated. “I know it probably seems strange that our trust in yougrewafter you ran away, but I’m pretty sure you understand why that is.”

He smirked and so did I. I understood. Being with my team told him more about me than I could have ever comfortably told him myself.

“I get it. And I appreciate how openminded you and the others have been.”

Giving me a nod, Julian turned to face the largest city within the quadrant, which rightfully belonged to him.

“Something happened today,” he shared. “Something that sort of brought things full circle in my perspective. I suppose it solidified your place in our lives, our deepening commitment to you.”

The statement was vague, bordering on cryptic, but I didn’t ask him to elaborate. He seemed at peace with it, so I would be too.

My gaze drifted to his shoulder and I leaned my head against it, taking his hand next. “I never thought I’d be here.”

He gave my fingers a gentle squeeze. “It’s beautiful at night, isn’t it?”

A small laugh slipped out of me. “It is, but I don’t mean‘here’,as in the Capitol,” I clarified. “I never thought I’d behere.With you. Any of you … withanyone,” I admitted.

It was true. Several months ago, I honestly thought I knew exactly how my life would play out. I’d fight for my cause, and then I’d die for my cause, with nothing to speak of in between other than the love I shared with my family.

Only, I was blindsided one night … by three handsome princes who made me feel like I had clouds at my feet. They showed me there was something other than familial affection. They showed me whatlovewas.

Something came over me. It was akin to lust, but much, much deeper.

Passion.

It hit me the second I followed a whim and placed a kiss to Julian’s lips with what Ithoughtto be innocent intent. Initially, it was only that, but that swiftly shifted. In acknowledgment of this take-charge move I made, he stood straight, leaning away from the ledge to embrace me properly. He brought me back to him, and with our bodies locked tightly together, that innocence burned away in our heat.

Firm hands explored me through the fitted dress I wore. Within seconds, the hem had been raised to my hips, granting Julian access to brush the softness of his palms up the length of my thighs and back down again. Our breaths came quickly, and I felt lightheaded from the rush.

Everywhere I touched him, my fingertips met a solid physique. They climbed his biceps to his toned shoulders, and I locked them at the nape of his neck. I was barely aware of the moment I was lifted, placed atop the ledge with nothing keeping me balanced but the firm hold Julian had on my waist. With forty-seven stories separating me from the sidewalk below, it became even more apparent that I trusted him.

With a gentle tug, he lowered the plunging neckline of my dress even more, pressing his lips to the softness of my chest. When I drew in a sharp breath, he gripped me harder, possibly because he was suddenly aware of how he’d awakened my flesh. In response, my thighs parted, allowing him to settle between them, allowing my imagination to wander where this would all lead.

His mouth climbed to my collarbone where his tongue met my skin again. Tossing my head back, I accepted the fact that, whatever he wanted from me tonight, I wouldn’t say no.

Not for anything.

A current of cool air breezed over my ear, and the feel of it aroused goosebumps that covered every inch of my body.

“I have a confession,” he whispered. “I want you so badly right now. More than life itself.”

My hands shook with need as they wandered down toward his waist, where I fumbled clumsily with his belt.

“Good thing there’s no one here to stop you from taking what you want,” I teased, adding a breathy, “Your Highness,” that caused the beast in him to release a groan.

The instant I unclasped the buckle, I moved down to his zipper, feeling my hunger for him grow with every second. A seeking hand wandered beneath my dress, and a sharp tearing sound accompanied the feel of delicate, black lace being torn and then snatched from my hips, proving that his impatience rivaled my own. He tossed what was left of the undergarment over the ledge and I imagined it fluttering down to the crowded streets of the Capitol.

Instinct told me to brace myself for him, and the moment he showed me the force he packed, I knew I’d been right to do so. He entered me with urgency, and somehow, I withheld a scream, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip to quench it. Otherwise, my cries of pleasure would have rang out across his city, giving away our secret, and exposing how we lacked willpower when the raw, unbridled passion we shared ignited. He embraced me, locking my body to his as we gave in to the pressure that had mounted between us.

An intoxicating thought entered my head, and it lingered as pleasure ravaged me, quickly driving me over the edge of the cliff.

The thought was that he was mine,theywere mine.

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