Page 139 of Violet

As for Iris… It’s something we never discussed, I know she’s snuck off with boys but we’ve always had adon’t ask so they can’t get the other into troublepolicy.

I look out the window at the sea between the island and the mainland. I honestly can’t stop staring, watching how our little green island disappears, and then blue and now more blue, and the approaching city, glittering in the dusk.

Stephan’s been reading scripts and sending texts in the luxury helicopter, but I think soon we’ll be over land and then…

My first trip outside of Sabine.

He glances at me, down at my bunched hands on my jeans, and then at my face again. “It’s okay, Princess. You’re with me.”

“But you’re not Stephan, you’re Asher now.” It’s a really stupid thing to say, but his clothes are more the flash and cool of Emporia where the rich and famous live, play, and make entertainment. He’s shaved, too, which makes me sad in a way it didn’t when he’d shaved for our mating ceremony.

It’s part of his persona, so those cheekbones can cut glass, so his million dollar smile isn’t detracted from. The guy with the scruff is my mate. And I get it, he makes movies, but it’s like a gulf suddenly appears the closer we get. The buildings seem to gain height as we fly over them. There are over-manicured suburbs with modern houses and then cliffs and white sand beaches.

We come up to a mansion on the top of a small cliff,with the beach just below, and the helicopter lands, touching down on a helipad.

“No, Princess, I’m me. Always me. Asher’s nothing more than the persona I am when I give interviews. When I’m out in public to be seen. You get the real me, for what it’s worth. Your brother will tell you.” Then he frowns as the door slides open and a man stands there, offering me his hand.

“Don’t ask him, on second thought. Who the fuck knows what he’ll say,” Stephan mutters behind me.

But when he’s out, he takes my hand, leading me up a winding path to a huge patio, complete with an outdoor kitchen, an enormous pool, and deck chairs everywhere. He leads me past tables and chairs under a cover, and then through two square pillars to an outdoor covered seating area, with arm chairs and a coffee table and sofas. Beyond that is a big fireplace, and huge glass sliding doors, which are open. Beyond that another seating area.

I gulp. “This is yours?”

“Yeah, but I only use this shit for entertaining. I’m one person. There’re only so many places I can be bothered to hang out in. Although…”

He eyes a sofa and a wicked glint shines, but he shakes his head and leads me up a sweeping staircase. There’s a smaller seating area, beyond that a kitchen, and then, I assume, bathrooms and bedrooms. “This is where I spend a lot of time.”

“This is ridiculous, Stephan,” I say. “So much space.”

“Have you seen where my aunt lives?”’

“But—”

“Nothing.” He takes my face in his hands andtips it to him. “This is nothing compared to some places. But…” He drops kisses on my lips, my eyes, my cheeks. The phone in his pocket buzzes, and he sighs, his forehead touching mine. “But princess, as much as I want to hang in here all evening and indulge in my fantasies, we have a party to attend.”

“A party?” My heart sinks. “I didn’t pack a dress.”

“Had some delivered today. I’ll show you the bedroom and…” He leads me through the living area and down a hall, into a huge master bedroom that overlooks the beach. “Later, I’m going to fuck you all over the place, brand it ours.”

“An Emporian party? Can I just stay here?”

He laughs and maneuvers me to the bed when he takes me down onto it with him. “Hell no. I want to show off my hot mate. Besides, Clea would kill me. You have to be there. Think of it as payback for the Season ball shit.”

Stephan bites my wrist. Sliding his hand down my top, he flicks open the little buttons on it so my bra’s exposed. He toys with my nipples, making me moan.

“The shower is huge,” he whispers. “Maybe get in there.”

I roll onto my side. “What am I wearing for this thing? I don’t?—”

“Hang on.” He gets up and goes to a walk-in closet I didn’t see. It’s more like a room to the side, and he flicks through shimmery, glittery material. “This.”

He comes out holding up a sequined dress that to me is scandalously short, and in a soft lavender gray. It’s gorgeous.

“Lingerie and shoes to match. Get in the shower. I need to make some calls.”

The bathroom’s marble, and the shower is huge, justlike he said. I shuck off my clothes and turn on the water, and two showerheads come to life. I don’t mind using his soaps. It’s all him.

I’m washing my hair when air brushes me.

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