Page 104 of The Forgotten Queen
Sydria opened her mouth to speak, but a warm, gentle hand on her arm stopped her.
Marx.
He lightly pulled her to him. “Let’s get out of here.”
“She’s running away with me,” Warren chirped as Marx tugged her away.
“She’s mine, and I have no intention of letting her go.” The deep, rough tone of his voice and the heat in his stare made Sydria’s heart squeeze.
He swept her away, and she let him. She would feel a pull toward Marx even if he wasn’t leading her, hand-in-hand.
“I can’t keep my eyes off of you,” he whispered into her ear, raising bumps over her skin.
“I noticed,” she said, exhaling.
His lips brushed up against the side of her face as they moved into a smile. “I like knowing you noticed me.”
She swallowed, trying to control the way her body reacted to him.
They exited the ballroom and walked down the dim hallway, stumbling upon Dannyn and Kase. They were pressed against the wall, a tangle of arms and legs as their lips locked together.
“Get off my sister,” Marx said, pushing his friend’s shoulder as they walked by.
“Marx!” Dannyn condemned.
“You’re just jealous,” Kase said, coming up for air.
Sydria was indeed jealous.
Her eyes widened as Kase’s lips found Dannyn’s again. Thank goodness Marx was towing her away, or she might have stayed there to take notes.
She thought he would take her out to the garden, to the balcony that had become theirs, but her heart fell as he led her up the stairs to their rooms. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this. For her, the night wasn’t over.
He stopped between their two doors and turned to her. “You’re killing me in that dress.”
Maybe shewantedto kill him.
“And,” he closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, “I’m trying to do everything I can to stay within our agreement, so you need to change, and I’ll change, and I’ll meet you on your balcony in five minutes.”
The nightwasn’tover.
She bit her lip. “Okay.”
They both stepped toward their own doors, keeping their fingers interlaced until the distance between them was too great and they were forced to break apart.
“Five minutes,” she said, holding up five fingers even as her other hand twisted her doorknob.
Marx held up his hand too, throwing her a crooked smile. “Five minutes.”
Sydria wiggled out of her dress by herself. Idella wasn’t in her room, and she was grateful. She didn’t need her maid seeing how completely head over heels she was. She flipped through her drawers looking for the perfect thing to wear, stopping when she saw Marx’s oversized t-shirt and shorts.
She smiled.
Sydria was a vixen now.
She threw the shirt over her head, letting the neckline fall off her right shoulder, and she shimmied into his shorts, rolling the waist several times so it would fit her. She went to the vanity and pulled off the gold crown, shaking her head until her hair fell loose from the bun. She bent over the mirror, applying a clear coat of lip gloss, and took one last look at herself.
What are you doing, Sydria? This isn’t real.
