Page 38 of The Pakhan's Forced Bride
“Really? Anything?”
“Anything,” he nods, his eyes roaming over me, a soft smile on his gorgeous lips.
“Take me to your favorite place. A restaurant? Somewhere unique, maybe.”
He narrows his gaze and nods. “I know just the place. Somewhere you’ve never been before.”
***
Standing in front of my closet, I browse through my dresses. I’m so excited to go out with Ardalion this afternoon. He said we should go before sunset; it’s the best time to see this place he’s taking me to.
Now I get to dress up, celebrate, have fun, and see even more of LA.
After searching through the options I have, I pull out a beautiful, bright pink dress. It’s body-hugging, waist-snatching, and hip-accentuating. All of my favorite things in a dress.
And of course, the gorgeous glittery velvet material is going to be an eye-catcher with my hair braided over my shoulder and pink lipstick to match the dress.
But Ardalion told me to wear flat, comfortable shoes, not heels. I assume we’ll be walking somewhere, and from what I’ve seen, LA’s walkways aren’t the most even or easy to manage in heels. I’m grateful he thought of my comfort and warned me ahead of time. There’s nothing more annoying than uncomfortable feet when you’re trying to have fun.
Luckily, I have glittering gold sneakers that will match the whole vibe perfectly.
When I’m ready, I stand in front of the mirror and examine my reflection. The dress doesn’t hide any of my curves. If anything, it accentuates them all. If I were on one of those blind dates, it would earn me a lecture about ordering salad instead of pasta. But Ardalion hasn’t made me feel self-conscious about my body once since I’ve met him. In fact, quite the opposite.
Besides,Ithink I look cute, and that’s what matters the most.
“Are you ready? Oh, fuck, wow,” he stammers, and I turn to see him standing in the doorway of my bedroom. “You look fucking incredible.”
A smile grows over my lips. That’s exactly the type of response a girl wants. “I’m ready,” I say, grinning at him.
“Well, then, princess, follow me,” he says, holding out his hand.
I walk towards him, admiring how incredible he looks in black pants and a black shirt. The shirt is fitted tight over his broad shoulders and around his arm muscles. The top few buttons of his shirt are undone, and the dark ink of his tattoos is teasing me.
Chapter 12 - Ardalion
She’s wearing pink.
It might be my favorite color on her. Whether it’s the soft pink of her silk cami she wore the other day, or the bright and eye-catching pink of the dress she’s wearing now, it looks incredible on her.
Not to mention that the dress hugs tight against every part of her body and shows off every beautiful curve she has.
Fuck.
I can’t stop staring.
In the car on the way here, I had to constantly remind myself to keep my hands on my side of the vehicle. I want to touch her. I want to feel the soft velvet beneath my fingers as I run my hands over her body.
Tonight I want everything to be about her, though.
It’s not about me and my wants and needs.
Belle deserves amazing things, and tonight is about me giving that to her.
That’s why I’ve arranged something very special, something bold and adventurous and exciting. I think she’s going to love it.
The driver parks, and Belle peers out the window, trying to guess where I’m taking her.
“A restaurant on the pier?” she says, grinning. I have a feeling she’s excited to go anywhere. It doesn’t matter—she turns it all into an adventure.
