Page 158 of The Forgotten Queen
“I’ve been so lonely my entire life, trying to fit the mold of what I thought everyone else wanted me to be. Then I met you, and there was no mold, no expectations, just pure acceptance.”
Marx could have said the exact same thing about her.
Seran bit the side of her cheek, the way she always did when she was nervous. “I was broken, but you didn’t try to fix me—you gave me room to fix myself. You taught me to want more out of life, believe in myself, trust my instincts, and not settle for what everyone else said I had to be. You didn’t set me free. You broke down the walls so I could free myself, and I love you for that.”
Marx had definitely heard her say that. He stared back at her, a wave of affection pouring over him. In one motion, he threw his bag and gathered her in his arms. His mouth came down to hers, soft and hungry. Seran’s body reacted. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her chest into his, their two bodies becoming one. Her fingers skimmed across his shoulders and into his hair as their lips moved together. Seran tasted like freedom and happiness.He pulled her closer as the kiss turned more passionate—accelerating zero to sixty. He felt the curves of her body as his hands roamed across her back. With every breath, he fell deeper into her. They both wanted something from the other, and neither one of them held back.
His lips broke apart from hers, hovering close. “I must be a really good teacher,” he breathed.
She cracked a smile. “Maybe I’m a really good student.”
Marx pressed a few soft kisses against her mouth, then pulled his head back, meeting her eyes. “I love you so much. You’re the only woman I will ever love. I knew the second I left New Hope today that if I couldn’t be with you, there wasn’t anyone else I wanted to be with. The last few weeks without you have been the worst days of my life. Being with you completed me, and I was worried I’d never feel that way again.” He slipped his hands around her waist, keeping her close. “Your goodness has redeemed me, and I’m never letting you go again.”
She smiled as Marx tilted his chin, kissing her forehead.“Come on,” he said, breaking apart. “We’d better get out of the closet now.”
He opened the door, and every head in the inn’s lobby turned to them. “Thank you for letting us borrow your coat closet,” Marx said to the innkeeper.
The man shot him a confused nod.
They walked hand in hand up the stairs and down the hall. It seemed surreal, having Seran there, like at any moment, he would wake up from his dream and be alone again.
“I guess you’ll want to go say hi to Dannyn and Kase.” Marx wanted Seran all to himself…at least for a little bit, but he knew they would be as happy to see her as he was.
Well, almost as happy.
“Can that wait until tomorrow?” She smiled, reaching up on her toes to kiss him.
Marx had no problem with that.
Their kiss heated, lighting a fire in his soul. He groaned and reluctantly pulled away. He motioned toward the door of his room. “You can have my room. I’ll go talk to the innkeeper about getting something else for me.”
“Why wouldn’t we stay in the same roomtogether?” she asked, pressing both hands against his chest. There was a sultry undercurrent in her eyes that scared Marx.
Scared him to death.
He wasn’t strong enough to withstand that look. He combed a hand through his hair. “We can’t stay together. I want to do things right. When I thought I’d lost you, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would do if I ever got the chance to be with you, and this is part of it.”
“What else would you do?” she asked.
“Well, for starters, I would want to actuallyaskyou to marry me. Give you a choice. And give your father a choice.”
Her lips pursed together. “Give me an example of how you would do it?”
Marx raised his brows. “Now? In the hallway of an inn?”
Seran shrugged. “Why not?”
“Well, I’d probably use your full name—yourrealfull name—and say something traditional like Seran Alyssa Haslet, will you marry me again?”
“Marry me again?” She raised her eyebrows.
He scrunched his nose. “You don’t like it?”
Seran glowed with beauty. Her palms slid up his chest, and she pressed a soft kiss to his lips and then continued andcontinued.
Marx closed his eyes.
His defenses were weakening—he was putty in her hands.
