Total pages in book: 362
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
“Re—” I gasped as his thumb drifted over the tip of my breast. The layers of clothing provided little barrier to the coolness of his touch. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm,” he murmured, bringing both hands to my hips. “Before you arrived, she offered to back him up in case of any problems.” His lips found the hollow beneath my jaw, sending a tight—almost too tight—shiver down my spine. “Which he eagerly accepted.”
“Oh, no.” I drew my lip between my teeth as I stared at the ceiling. My heart felt like it was a trapped hummingbird. “Theon won’t be pleased to hear that.”
“I wasn’t exactly pleased myself.” Ash nipped at my chin. “But my Queen informed me that I was only to ensure that Attes behaved if Lailah wanted that, and it seemed to me that she had no interest in my intervention.”
“I have so many questions about those two.”
“They had a thing some time ago,” he said. I’d already figured that much out myself. “It did not end well.”
Concern took root. I grasped his cheek and guided his gaze to mine. “Is she safe with him?”
“A part of me wants to say no, just to see what you would do to Attes. I’m sure it would be bloody and violent.” A quick, savage grin appeared as his fingers dipped under the band of my leggings. “But you said we needed to be responsible. Lailah is safer with him than she is with anyone else.”
I was relieved to hear that. “You don’t seem to be behaving all that responsibly right now.”
“I’m being completely responsible.” He nipped at my lower lip. “I was gone longer than I wanted to be. I missed you, liessa.”
A swelling motion filled my chest as I admitted, “I missed you, too.”
His nose brushed mine. “Of course, you did.”
My eyes narrowed as I stepped an inch or two away from the desk. “Let’s back up a second—or five. You really shouldn’t have hit Attes three times.”
“It was four.”
“You probably shouldn’t have corrected that statement.”
One side of his lips curved up as he drew my right hand from his chest. Kissing the center of my palm, he turned his head. His gaze slid to mine as his tongue flicked over the golden imprint. “It wasn’t entirely intentional. My arm may have moved on its own at some point.” He caught the tip of my finger with his teeth. The sharp prick and tight draw of his mouth conjured a heady mix of reactions that had my heart pounding in anticipation and—
Letting go of my finger, he lifted his head. “Attes deserved it.” The essence stilled in his eyes as they met mine. “He knows that.”
What Lailah had said about Attes choosing not to heal himself filled my mind. “But he can’t keep deserving it every time you see him.”
“Debatable.”
“Ash.” I sighed.
“The way your voice lowers when you’re annoyed makes my dick hard,” he countered. “I’m not sure that’s the desired effect.”
“It’s not.”
“You sure?” His body pressed into mine, inching me back against the desk, and I felt against my belly just how much he was telling the truth. “I can practically taste your arousal.”
My blood heated as every single one of my nerve endings hummed.
“Sunshine,” he murmured, threading his fingers through mine. “Attes and I talked things through and came to an understanding.”
“But not forgiveness?”
“Forgiveness is nothing more than a benefit to the forgiver,” he reminded me. “Because it is easy, it does so very little. Understanding is much harder. It allows for a chance to move forward, which is what we will do.”
The next breath I took came a little easier. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“I knew you would be. That is why I made an effort to understand.”
“After punching him? A few times?”
“No.” Ash smirked. “That happened after we came to an understanding.”
“Oh, my gods.”
“I know I should probably apologize.”
“But you wouldn’t mean it,” I said, and he gave me another half-grin. “I think it’s better if we stop talking about Attes.”
“Agreed,” he murmured, nipping at another finger. “You said you had a feeling that drove you to Vathi? Was it the vadentia?”
“I don’t know. I mean, it had to be that, but it felt different. I’m not sure how to explain it. It started when I was talking to Penellaphe and Ward and realized—”
“Wait a second.” Eather swirled in his irises. “You were talking to Penellaphe and that viktor?”
“Yes. I tried to summon Holland.”
Ash pressed a kiss to the golden imprint. “Was it because you missed him? Or was there another reason?”
My head tilted slightly. “Both.”
“You’re surprised.” His lashes swept down. “It’s cool against my throat.”
I blinked. “I…I just didn’t expect you to think of that. Of me missing him,” I admitted.
His chest rose with a heavy breath. “Sometimes, I forget how lucky I am to have had a kind and involved father.” His gaze lifted to mine. “I hate that basic consideration comes as a surprise to you. I wish I could change that.”