Page 47 of The Lord of Whispers

He was well aware of my mother’s machinations.

“You know it.”

“What’s her name?” Rhett asked, showing a modicum of interest.

I smiled. He was nearly as relentless as my mother, just in a different way. “Eliza Rafford. And you can go for it,” I said, giving Rhett the go ahead to pounce on Eliza the moment my mother wasn’t looking.

My mother would be pissed, but it would just be the latest disappointment in a long string of disappointments for her when it came to me.

“You know I’m more into brunettes anyway,” I said.

“Brunettes orabrunette?” I heard him mutter under his breath, but he didn’t push it any further.

22

Jay

The tux I wore was so dark blue it was almost indistinguishable from black. I was standing at the bottom of the staircase in the foyer waiting for Alarie to come down. She appeared at the top of the stairs wearing the gown I’d had custom made for her for the occasion. It matched my tux. It was a dark blue velvet number, its plunging neckline almost meeting the high slit up her leg. She also wore the thin, long, gold necklace I’d gifted her. It formed a “Y” around her lovely neck before narrowing into a single gold line that trailed down her delicious cleavage toward her tiny belly button.

There was no hint of a smile anywhere near my face. I knew my look was possessive and primal, and it was all for her. I allowed my eyes to bore into her as she delicately placed one foot in front of the other, descending the stairs carefully but confidently in her four-inch stilettos. I patiently waited at the bottom of the staircase in the foyer. I held my hand out in anticipation of hers when she reached the last few steps. She placed her hand into mine, and I bowed, lifting her hand to my mouth and kissing it sensually.

“My lady,” I said, rising from my bow. I felt my need to possess her lingering behind my every word.

“My lord,” she returned, with heat in her voice.

I took a deep breath, as if I could inhale her. Exhaling, I said, “Unfortunately, my dear, there’s simply not enough time for me to rip this dress off you and have it pieced back together in time for the Gala. And we really do have to get going. I told Grey I’d meet him before things got kicked off,” I explained, regretting my promise.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to see if I can provoke you into pulling me into a quiet hallway at the Gala then,” she teased.

I pulled her small body into mine, pressing the front of her against my hard line. “You should be careful what you start, Alarie,” I growled. “There are lessons you’ve yet to learn. Lessons that I willvery muchenjoy teaching you, that would make the Summer Ball seem like child’s play,” I warned.

I thought of the way she had looked at my belt wrapped around my hand, like she wanted to find out what I could do to her with it. She took in a deep breath, causing her breasts to press against me. She wasn’t intimidated by my words. Like the good girl she was, she wanted to find out what more I had in store for her.

Somehow, we managed to make it out of the manor and to the Winter Gala without me ripping Alarie’s dress off her. We walked into the Winter Gala, arm in arm. Our coordinated outfits raised a few eyebrows perhaps, but it wasn’t uncommon for people from the same House to coordinate their attire. The effect of our outfits was likely exaggerated by the fact that it was the first major Court event we had attended together without either Luke or the lady as a buffer.

“How’s Nik?” I asked Grey about his only son, the prince of broodiness. It had been a few weeks since I’d last bounced around the border wall with Nik.

I subconsciously searched the room until I spotted Alarie talking to Lady Morrigan over to the left of me.

“You know how he is this time of the year. He’s pissy because he has to come to Court soon for the Choosing,” the King lamented.

I let out a chuckle. No one got under Grey’s skin like his own son did. It was funny because Grey didn’t realize that the stubbornness that drove Grey crazy in his son was the same stubbornness I often found myself up against when dealing with Grey.

“Well, the High Court isn’t for everyone, Grey,” I said.

“Yeah, well, sooner rather than later Nik’s going to have to start coming to the High Court more than once a year. He has to accept that this is part of the Kingdom he will rule over one day,” the King said.

We’d had this conversation many times before. One of the reasons that Grey ended up as King over me was that he had an heir and I did not. But now was not the time to delve into the topic that was the rocky relationship between the King and the Prince.

“Look, Grey, you’ll have to do without me for a couple of weeks. I’m going home,” I said.

“Yeah? What’s the occasion?” he inquired.

“Alarie misses the beach,” I said truthfully, letting the implication of my words hang between us.

After a moment, the King replied with a chuckle, nodding his head in understanding.

“That explains the matching outfits. You never can resist an opportunity to mark your territory, can you, Jay?” Grey teased.

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