Page 45 of Bearing Secrets
“Maybe,” she agreed, giving his dick a squeeze. “But be careful who you splash with water, mister. I have your life in my hands.”
He growled, and with a movement too fast for her to register, spun them around. Now suddenly Natalia was up against the wall, out of the water, and she had Kirell’s hulking form looming over her.
In her hand, he hardened rapidly.
20
He couldn’t delay it any longer.
The distraction of their unexpected intimacy, and the second bout in the shower had been enjoyable, but time wasn’t on his side, and he needed to move ahead with things if he hoped to pull it all off.
“Hey,” he said, snagging Natalia’s hand as she whisked by him in a towel, looking ready to plop back onto the bed and have a nap.
“Hi.” Her eyes drifted downward. “You’re not wanting to go again so soon, are you? I could use a minute.”
Laughing, he stepped between her and the bed before she could sit on it. “No, that’s not where I was headed.”
She must have picked up on his change in attitude, because she straightened and gave him a much more serious look. “What is it, Kirell?”
“I need you to get dressed.”
“You kinda ripped the shirt, remember?”
A spike of lust raced through him at the reminder, but he pushed it aside. There was no time for that now, he had bigger things to deal with. “I know. I meant in your dress.”
“My dress? What? Why? Are you sending me home?” Her eyes grew clouded. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Not in the slightest,” he assured her. “Quite the opposite, in fact. This is working out. Which means it’s time for you to meet someone. Something more than a towel or sweats is appropriate, and until we can get some more of your clothes up here, the dress will have to do.”
“I see.”
“I doubt it,” he teased, sticking out his tongue. “But thanks for pretending.”
“Not a problem,” she said with a giggle, dropping the towel and prancing over to where her clothing from the night before was draped over the backs of some chairs.
Kirell stared longingly at her body, enjoying the way the bouncing caused her rear to move in response. Truthfully, he wanted to pounce her again, and even thinking about it his body responded to the idea, but the iron will he’d been lacking so thoroughly where she was concerned was back at his disposal.
Moving to the closet, he pulled out his martial uniform and put it on. Though it wasn’t necessary for this meeting, he wanted Natalia to feel comfortable, and that meant dressing to match.
“So, who is it that I’m meeting?”
“Someone important.”
Although he knew it had to happen, Kirell was nervous. If the Queen didn’t approve, or if Natalia screwed up, they would be in big trouble. The deadline was barely more than twenty-four hours distant and finding someone new to portray his mate would be flat-out impossible at this point. Hehadto make it work with Natalia.
Finishing doing up his buttons, he turned to see Natalia was already dressed. Her hair was wet and still up in a bun on the top of her head, but that couldn’t be avoided.
“If it’s someone important, why are you taking me through the secret passages?” she asked when he moved over to the wall and not the door, popping open the panel.
“Because I’m not ready for the rest of the House to see you yet. Not until you have the approval.”
“Theapproval? That sounds ominous, Kirell. Should I be worried?”
“No. I think you will be fine.” It was the truth. He did feel as if she would be an acceptable choice, but Kirell wasn’t going to presume to know everything that his Queen did.
“I’ve heard that before.” But she followed him anyway, walking with her spine straight, proud and unflinching, even as they skulked around through hidden passages.
It wore on him to act so secretively, to hide things from his family members, but it wasn’t up to him. The Queen’s position was just as at risk as his own if someone found out what was going on and brought it to the attention of the rest of the House. Though she would try to distance herself from him, to claim that he had done it unbeknownst to her, she would be tarnished, and her already unstable position couldn’t handle that sort of black mark.
