Page 29 of Savage Prince

His eyes are all for me and I suddenly can’t wait to be alone with him.

This is what we need, just a few hours alone together to prove to him that our connection is as strong as ever. I might not have the same memories as I did before, but I’m still the same person, and I adore him.

I more than adore him. I’m head over heels for this man. I feel so connected to him that it’s like his every thought and feeling echoes through my skin. And I know that isn’t just because he’s gorgeous and sexy and has the kind of smartass sense of humor I’m pretty sure I’ve always preferred.

This is something bigger than a crush or puppy love.

I’d bet my right hand that Ford is my fated mate, the one man in the whole world who’s better suited to me than any other. We were meant to have an epic love story, and I’m not going to let either one of us miss out on that because a monster tried to murder him, and I lost my memory saving his life.

“All right, then,” the woman says with a knowing smile. “I’ll leave you two alone to rest and enjoy the room. If you’re hungry later, we serve tea and cookies in the lobby at three and my husband does a wine tasting at six on the back patio.”

“Thank you,” Ford says as she shuts the door. He locks it behind her before turning back to me, heat and anxiety mixing on his handsome face.

I pull the condom box from my jeans and drop it casually on the bedside table before crossing back to lean against the wall by the window, giving him some space. “Putting those there just in case. But we don’t have to rush into anything if you’re not ready. We could just lie down on the bed and…talk.”

“We should talk,” Ford says. “But not on the bed.”

I glance around the room before turning back to Ford with an arched brow. “Well, considering you’re going to hit your head on the ceiling if we sit on the sofa or at the little table in the corner, I guess we should sit here? On the window seat?”

“You can sit,” he says, staying where he is. “I’ll stand.”

“Okay.” I perch on the window seat with a sigh, wondering if he’s always been this dramatic or if this is a new development in the wake of our near-death experiences. “What’s on your mind?”

“I told you before. We’ve never slept together.”

I nod. “I know. And I can understand why we wanted to wait, but the situation has changed. I trust you, Ford. I know you want more from me than proximity to my throne.” I shrug. “And if I ever change my mind about that, I can always kick you out of my bed. It’s not a big deal.”

He exhales. “But it is. You told me it was. Before.”

“Okay. Can you explain why? Help me understand?” I force a serious expression onto my face, though I honestly can’t imagine why I would have cared so much.

Sex isn’t a big deal for shifters. We aren’t as uptight about those kinds of things as humans and our immune systems destroy STDs on contact. There’s literally no reason to hold back unless you’re worried about getting emotionally attached to someone who doesn’t feel the same way about you.

And I have zero concerns about that with Ford.

I can feel how much he cares about me. He’s proving it right now, resisting something I have no doubt he wants as much as I do out of concern for the way I used to feel.

“It’s not just that you and I haven’t been together,” he says. “It’s that you’ve never been with…anyone.”

My brows shoot up so fast my hairline twitches. “What?”

“You’re a virgin. You told me you couldn’t have casual sex with me because a person’s first time is never casual.”

“Woah.” I slump on the seat, cold despite the sunlight warming my back. “That’s…weird.”

“It’s not weird. You just had firm boundaries about things like that.”

“No, it’s weird. I’m twenty-three, right? That’s what you said?” He nods and I shake my head harder. “Yeah, that’s weird. I’m a shifter, I don’t have chronic halitosis, and I find sex very interesting. There’s no way my virginity should have survived past sixteen or seventeen, let alone twenty-three.” I narrow my eyes on his. “Did something bad happen at Zion? When I was younger? Something to make me scared of letting my guard down with men?”

He stretches his neck to one side, avoiding eye contact. “No, not that I know of. But your dad was protective. And terrifying. And Alpha of the pack. I’m sure all of that discouraged guys who might have wanted to sleep with you.”

“Okay, but I went to college for a while. Right?” I lean to one side, trying to catch his eye, but he only glances my way for a second before averting his gaze again. “Why didn’t I make up for lost time while I was there?”

“You had a boyfriend,” he says. “But you said you knew it wasn’t going to last long term. And like I said, you had control issues, and they only got more intense after you left college.”

“Why did I leave?” I ask. “My instinct is that I like learning new things. Did I pick the wrong major or something? I would assume that I decided to transfer to Lost Moon, but the timeline doesn’t match up. What happened for the two or three years in between leaving human school and transferring to Lost Moon this summer?”

He tips his head back, his throat working as he stares at the ceiling. “I don’t want to tell you.”

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