Page 84 of Kings and Monsters

"You forget how to use a phone?"

Balthasar smiled wider as he always did when she tried to tell him off. "You hate surprises that much?"

"If I knew you were coming, I might have made sure I wasn't covered in kitchen splatter and sweat after a night shift," Rosa complained even as her heart pounded.

"You are still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said, heat flaring in his eyes.

"You still wait far too long to kiss me." Rosa closed the five steps that separated them. His cane clattered to the floor as he took her face in his rough hands and kissed her. He didn't feel as solid in her arms as she remembered, but his lips still knew how to make her come alight.

"I'm sorry I made you wait," he said against her lips.

There was a loud whistle from the bar, and she spotted Merlin and the others watching them through the gap in the door. She stuck her middle finger at them, closing her eyes and deepening the kiss.

"Let the man breathe, Wylt!" Merlin shouted loudly.

"They aren't going to stop until we go out there, you know," Balthasar said, his fingers twisting around one of her loose curls. "Merlin has done plenty of yelling at me, and he still managed to keep his huge mouth shut."

"You mean he knew about this?" She narrowed her eyes. She was going to give him the kicking of his life.

"Easy,tesoro. I asked him to let it be a surprise."

"Using your Italian on me is cheating," Rosa said, kissing his laughing lips.

"You want to get out of here?"

"So badly." She passed him his cane. "We need some privacy so I can yell at you for making me worry about you so much."

"How about making me worry about you! I get kidnapped for five minutes, and you go off and make dodgy deals with gods and wake up Arthur Pendragon," Balthasar growled.

"Then don't get kidnapped, and I won't!" Rosa's replied, before burying her face into the groove of his chest and breathing him in. "Seriously, never get kidnapped again, or I swear I'll leave you to rot and marry Arthur."

Balthasar gently lifted her face and kissed the tears from her cheeks. "I love you. Don't you eventhinkof marrying Arthur Pendragon."

"I love you too, so it's lucky you didn't wait much longer. We had a trip to Vegas already planned. An Elvis was going to be involved," she couldn't resist teasing. Balthasar only kissed her again, reminding her exactly why she could never marry Arthur.

"Rosa Wylt, I swear I will never get kidnapped again if you swear never to become the Queen of the Seelies and summon the Lord of the Hunt."

Rosa's eyes were filled with love and mischief as she gave him a crooked grin. "No promises."

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