Page 12 of Roar Letter Word

Addie carried her book with her as she returned to the hallway, following the instructions the housekeeper had given her. She wore her blinged aquamarine flip-flops, treading over the finely curated grass and taking a little sneak peek into the botanical gardens. What she saw there was beyond her comprehension, a spill of radiant vegetation and lush herbs and flora, none of which she recognized.

And the smell. Astounding, and once more, words escaped her.

Addie finally arrived at the pool, which was massive in length with an accompanying hot tub off to the side. Glass windows ran along the length of the lounge area, which looked out over the vast acreage. What made it even more incredible was that Addie couldn’t even see where it all ended.

The sky was clear with two suns battling, one an average bright canary yellow while a smaller one bled blood orange. Addie was the only one out there, so she took a seat in a lounge chair, but only after removing her cover-up.

Addie was not new to the concept of being ogled. She was sure that it wasn’t a new concept to the women of Nova Aurora as well. You had to put up with it, and the more famous you were, the more ogling there was.

She kept her body in tip-top shape for tours and because society demanded it. She was curvy in the amount the world accepted, with average-sized breasts and depth to her legs and arms where her strength came into play. She was criticized for both, so Addie often chose to ignore the tabloids. It was fruitless to try to satisfy everyone.

When Mahes finally arrived, she felt that flush of warmth that happened when someone you are drawn to takes a second glance at you. He was shirtless, as he was when they’d first met, still wearing the same bathing suit. He stopped in his tracks as if he had just seen the clouds part and a goddess had descended.

Addie’s heart began to flutter. Not only was he insanely tall, but he was also insanely fit. He had broad shoulders that reminded her of mountain ranges, with grooves along his pectoral muscles and abdomen that looked rather cavernous. She noted the strain in his arms pulsing like tightly wound cords down his biceps and into his forearms.

He looked hypnotized, which made Addie feel powerful and, ultimately, rather sexy.

She grinned at him, feeling flirty, and tapped the seat next to her. He walked over without a word and sat.

Addie unintentionally intimidated some people on Earth, but those were usually fans and men who had never spoken to an attractive woman. But Mahes was unreasonably attractive himself. Addie found herself stumbling on her words when she was usually the eloquent one.

“So, Gerri didn’t tell me that much about you and what you do for a living. I figure it must be pretty snazzy if you’re living in a place like this.” Gerri had called him a king, but Addie wasn’t certain yet if that was just some kind of expression. The conversation hadn’t gotten very far before they had been interrupted.

Mahes had been looking down at the concrete and then turned to look at her. His eyes narrowed, seemingly confused.

“What did she tell you?” he asked suspiciously.

Addie blinked, confused by his own confusion.

“She told me you were a shifter. But that’s it.”

In the glare of the double sun, Addie could see how chiseled Mahes’s jawline was, appearing to be carved from delicate stone and placed in a museum. She had known men like him before, aesthetically anyway, and most seemed obsessed with their own reflection rather than her … in a way that was superficial rather than intimate.

But Mahes felt different somehow, eyes dark as a velvet night.

“I am one of the rulers of this area in Nova Aurora. I am the lion shifter King of Tellahn.”

He said it in a solemn, proud way that was alluring. But the information made Addie run hot with a blush, feeling herself entirely exposed.

“Oh” was all she could manage.I guess Gerri wasn’t exaggerating then.

He looked at her like a dog does when waiting for a command. It was admirable. No man had ever looked at Addie that way. As if he actually gave a shit about her opinion.

It was remarkably refreshing.

“I hope that suits you,” he said in a quiet, contemplative tone.

Addie was dumbstruck. Gerri really had made good on her promise to bring someone different into her life. Not only was he an entirely different being, but a fucking king? No wonder the acreage expanded beyond her eyeline. And he really seemed to want her approval.

She slid her jaw back and forth, wanting to satisfy him but also wanting to be honest. The truth was that she was bursting inside like a million fireworks had just been sparked.

Addie smiled at him, then leaned forward. “Oh, it suits me. It suits me really well.”

SIX

MAHES

Mahes’s mind was spinning as he stood in the hallway, his usual kingly, placid nature having flown out the window. Pritesh had dropped a bomb on him, saying that he needed to educate himself when it came to human women.

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