Page 64 of The Time Of Queens

She flinched, quickly followed by realisation flittering across her face. Shocking me further, she reacted to my comment in an entirely different way than I ever expected. As she grabbed my arm to stop me from walking and turned me to face her.

“I am sorry… I didn’t mean… of course I know that you would never… I mean, you know… make me do anything like that… I just meant like sleeping in your bed… but not in it to do… well,that,”she blustered through her words, and once again I found it utterly adorable. For how could I hold onto my anger after that? Such a sweet and endearing apology after what I had believed to be an attack on my character. Something she genuinely looked to be embarrassed and sorry about.

“Then perhaps this means you no longer think the worst of me?” I asked, making her finally smile as she nudged my arm with her shoulder and said,

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

I found that I, too, couldn’t help but grin at her playful response, huffing to act the part and making her giggle because of it. Good Gods, I was a man lost, for just that sound alone had me near falling to my knees and begging her to let me worship her.

Thankfully, before this mental slip in character, I still had a shred of good sense left in me to refrain and instead walked her inside her new room. One I was satisfied to see was a damn sight better and more comfortable than her last one.

“Er… this is too much… I am just a…”

I stopped her by stepping up behind her and taking her shoulders in my hands. Promptly ignoring the way I made her tense in my hold.

“You are notjustanything, Keira,” I told her, making her gasp. Then I left her, knowing that if I didn’t, I would have ended up telling her so much more.

I would have ended up telling her what I was only free to speak aloud once her door was closed …

“You are my everything.”

24

WELCOMED RUDE AWAKENINGS

That night, I confessed to not getting any sleep for fear of missing her footsteps should she try to sneak out during the night. However, she must have been exhausted, for when I finally gave into temptation to check on her, I found her sound asleep. I knew it was a great intrusion to her privacy, but I found that I couldn’t help myself as I slipped inside.

I swear, just the sight of her was enough to steal my breath, for her peaceful beauty was such that I couldn’t wait to wake to find it gracing my own bed every morning. I even found my hand reaching out to her and gently brushing back the hair from her face, marvelling at how soft it was. It was like spun gold falling through my fingers, and I knew then and there that I would spend any opportunity in touching it… that was,once I was free to do so.

In fact, it pained me to have to leave her, as all I wanted was to gather her up in my arms and carry her back to my bed. To hold her in my arms and no doubt find the most peaceful sleep that this long life had never known. But instead, I forced myselfto leave the room, once I had first covered her tempting body from view to ensure she didn’t get cold.

After this, I spent the rest of the night thinking of her and counting down the hours until she woke. I even found myself excited for the day ahead, and for all the time I would ensure I spent in her presence. Now having the excuse to do so. Of course, I knew that I would need to address this change to my council, along with that of my siblings. None of which I had done last night, for I was in no hurry to speak with my brother. Nor was I even in the slightest bit concerned with what Lucius might have discovered regarding this mystery girl that had eluded me. For as far as I was concerned, I had everything I needed.

I didn’t need Fate.

I would make my own with her.

Speaking of Fate, I waited for her first duty of the day with nothing short of excitement as I knew what it was to be. I had ensured it. The only person I had told of the change was my steward so as he could have her instructed on her new duties. Oh, how I wished I could have seen her face when she was told, for I could only imagine the adorable outrage that would ensue.

Which was why I purposely left myself in a state of undress, in hopes of enticing that delicious blush to appear once more. I also hoped she liked what she saw, and that revealing the size of my body didn’t scare her away… for I was not a small man by any means. Well, there was only one way this would play out, and I found my heart quickening when I heard her approach the door.

However, if I had thought she would simply sneak in quietly, then I was sorely mistaken. No, instead, she slammed open the door, making it rattle on its hinges, and no doubt doing so in hopes of waking me abruptly with her loud manner.

“Wakey, wakey, oh masterful Lord of the house!” she shouted, stomping in with a breakfast tray in her hands. One she unceremoniously dumped down on the table hard enough that Ifeared the china would not survive two mornings in a row. For it bounced violently against the silver tray. Then without even so much as looking at me, she walked to the drapes and yanked them open with enough force I thought these, too, would break.

The sight of the sun flooding my room had me blinking and wincing at the sudden burn to my retinas, forcing me to throw up an arm and cover my face.

“Right, so what are we wearing today, Master? Something pink and full of lace? Ooops no, no… wait, I am sorry, I forgot for a moment then that I was no longer a lady’s maid and therefore now a footman expected to dress a grown-arse man!” she snapped, and I was dumbfounded by her actions, as much as I was amused at them, for clearly the fight hadn’t left her.

So it was at this point that I decided to fight back with my own weapon as I suddenly tossed back the sheets and got out of bed. And her reaction to this was utter perfection. As she was still in the middle of her rant when she turned, took one look at me naked, and let her words trail off mid-sentence. At the same time, her eyes widened to the point of being comical as well as when her mouth actually dropped open. This all as she obviously stared at my body, even going so far as to shamelessly take in her fill by scanning down the length of me.

“I… you… erm… naked,” she stammered.

I smirked before making a point of looking down at myself.

“I must say, Miss Williams, your power of perception is quite impressive,” I quipped.

“But I don’t want to see that… I mean you… you and that,” she said, stumbling once again on her words and making me chuckle.

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