Page 65 of Out of Office Nights
Deep shudders moved through him. He snatched her to him. And an eternity after he’d kissed her, declaring a few dozen times how much he loved her, and then dragging her to bed for lovemaking that made her sob some more, he gathered her into his arms.
He kissed her eyelids, then waited till she opened her eyes. ‘I’m warning you now, I’m not wasting time on a long engagement. I need to make you mine as soon as possible before I go insane.’
‘I’ll marry you tomorrow.’
That soothed him long enough to kiss the sense out of her.
Until she pulled away. ‘There’s one more piece to go on the kintsugi. Will you do it with me?’
Warmth filled his eyes to the brim. And his nod was a little jerky as he cleared his throat. ‘It would be my honour.’
Throwing their dressing gowns on, they walked hand in hand to his studio, and in the early-evening light, they slotted the last piece of the broken teapot they’d brought with them from Morocco into place. Together.
‘I lied,’ she murmured as they stood, his arms around her, staring at the finished work.
A kiss brushed her temple, her jaw, the corner of her mouth. ‘About?’
‘About myjidanot liking you. She would’ve loved you. Eventually.’
‘And I would’ve welcomed her as the true mother I lacked. But I sense that she will continue to live through you.’ His hand dropped to her belly. ‘Through our baby.’
‘You don’t know that I’m pregnant yet, Teo.’
‘Hmm, maybe not. But I intend to make sure you are by the time you walk down the aisle and take my name.’
And like a true prince on a mission, he achieved that goal.
‘A toast.’
Azar groaned, although a thread of amusement trailed it.
‘To Domene X’s “Beauty in Dysfunction”. And to House of Domene’s “Perfection in Chaos”.’
The two collections had complemented each other so brilliantly, the result had sent shock waves through the fashion industry. The old king attended, then stood up and applauded long after everyone had finished, the blaze of pride in his eyes something Teo wouldn’t forget in a hurry.
Teo grinned now at Azar’s visible relief, then pivoted towards his twin, ribbing at the ready.
But his brother was staring at his phone, his nostrils pinched. Some identical twins were eerily attuned to each other’s moods. Teo, although he could broadly decipher Valenti’s emotions, had often wondered whether by suppressing his own feelings he had somehow blocked the vital deeper connection to his twin.
It seemed now he’d opened himself up to love and the trove of sentiments it came with, he’d tapped into his brother’s emotions too. All humour vanished as he felt terror flooding his twin despite it not showing on Valenti’s face. He lowered his glass. ‘What’s wrong?’
Valenti shook his head, striking for the door. ‘I have to go.’
Azar stepped into his path, one imperious hand up. ‘Take a half minute,hermano. Tell us what’s wrong,’ he insisted.
His chest slowly heaved, even as he glared at Azar for delaying him. ‘Lotte is in trouble.’
Teo blinked. ‘Your ward? I thought she was tucked away in finishing school.’
His twin turned his glare on him. ‘So did I. Apparently, she’s not…’ His jaw clenched. ‘Look, I don’t have time to explain. I need to go,’ he insisted.
‘Where?’ Azar asked.
‘Reykland.’
Azar nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket. ‘I know you have your plane on standby. But my fighter jet will get you there faster, if you’ll use it?’
Valenti exhaled in a rush. Then nodded. ‘Gracias.’
