You are fucking beautiful.
His lips quirked, and I knew he may have caught onto my hidden, blurted meaning. “Fucking beautiful? Wow… Hara will be happy to hear that.”
The music picked up tempo, and he linked his hand in the crook of my arm. Two men stood, arms behind their backs, on each side of the terrace, the archway draped with coral-colored cloth. Leading me toward them, I recognized each other them.
Two of the Elite Eight.
“We’ll get you some air,” Garrett spoke softly, nodding at one of his men. The chilled air relieved the heat scalding my body. The sky was dimly lit by the moon and every star blazed together in a beautiful cluster.
“Better?” Garrett asked, his warm breath tickling my ear. “Are you cold?”
I shook my head, trying to ignore that I could feel his body, even though he wasn’t touching me. “No, I’m all right.”
He stepped away, and I missed his closeness immediately. “Just let me know if I can be of any assistance.” His words dripped cockiness. Walking over to the terrace railing, he placed both of his hands on it, looking upward. I wondered what he was thinking about. A man with so much on his shoulders, why was he even bothered with me? Sophia was right; I wasn’t worth his time, nor did I need to be around the royals. There really was no place for me here.
“When you’re silent, it scares me,” Garrett confessed, still peering at the sky. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” I replied too quickly.
He looked over his shoulder. “Liar.” He turned his body to face me and leaned against the white banister, arms crossed.
“I was just finding my constellations.”
“Ah yes. Those.” He pushed off the railing and walked toward me. “I was thinking about how tempting my mother made you look tonight. No wonder Telliva doesn’t let their women wear gowns like that.” His eyes roamed my body. “One good thing about this hellhole, and something I can agree with. Because I’d hate to be fighting men off you while I’m supposed to be searching for the enemy. It’d be a horrible distraction for me.”
“Stop with your compliments,” I snapped. Looking over my shoulder, the coral drapes were closed, blocking anyone from seeing us. I turned to face him. “Keeping me locked out here?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He shrugged. “You can leave whenever you wish.”
“You have two burly men outside those curtains.”
He nodded. “For my protection.”
I gave him a puzzled look. “Your protection?” He returned to the banister. “From who?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yes you, Peitho.”
I mouthed Peitho to myself. That was… “The goddess of persuasion and seduction.” I stifled a laugh. He was getting ridiculous with this goddess nonsense.
“Oh goodness,” I quipped. “You found me out. Whatever shall I do?” I took a step in his direction. “A mere mortal finding out my identity is very dangerous.”
He turned around abruptly. “So you admit it?” His voice serious, he looked at me as though this was actually real.
“I concede, yes.” I crossed my arms. “Which leaves me in a dilemma.”
He raised a brow. “Oh?”
I paced. “It means that I either need to keep you prisoner…” I met his gaze, crossing my arms. “Or I must have you killed. You did say the Elite Eight were under my control, correct?”
He let out a breath. “And to think I thought you’d never hurt a soul.”
“Souls are for taking.”
He continued to look at me, his face unreadable.
“My Lord.” One of Garrett’s men spoke from behind me. I didn’t bother to turn around; I just watched Garrett focus on his man. “Your sister is requesting your presence.”
Garrett nodded, and I heard the sound of footsteps exit the terrace. He strode to me and didn’t stop until we were only inches apart. With no hesitation, he cupped his hand around my neck and pulled me into a hard kiss. My mouth fell open immediately, our tongues finding each other, battling. Rounding his other hand around my face, he caged it, lavishing my mouth slowly. Our breathing was meshed together, hot and strained, neither of us wanting to give the other one space.
I was becoming his addiction.
Garrett broke our connection and brushed my bottom lip with his thumb, his eyes watching as I struggled to keep my composure.
“I’m not done with you yet, Avie.”
With that, he walked away, leaving me wanting more.
Again.
Garrett
Chapter 28
I tried to clear my head of Ava and the moment I just had with her, but it was like forgetting your name.
Impossible.
I needed to get a hold of myself, stop acting like a lovesick puppy, and focus on what I was actually here for. I shouldn’t have left the palace to go to Bampshire—it just made everything worse. A dependence I kept feeding myself.
I’ve never felt jealous.
Never considered marriage.
Never wanted to make a woman completely mine.
But with her, I started pondering these things.
Sighing heavily, I searched the room for Hara, who was laughing with a group of her friends. Catching me out of the corner of her eye, she excused herself.
“Did you fix things with Ava?” she asked.
“Is that why you pulled me away?” I asked, irritated.
She joined her arm with mine, walking us away from a group of people who settled close to us. Weaving through the crowd, she kept her voice low. “No. It’s your alleged fiancée.”
I rolled my eyes. “What about her?”
Hara waited until we passed a few more couples, giving them sweet smiles and waves. “Do you remember my friend Vivian?”
I definitely remembered Vivian. She had raven black hair, a pair of massive breasts, and stunning green eyes. Her parents were killed suspiciously in a carriage accident, and she became a prostitute to pay off her family’s gambling debts. I had offered her help, but she’d flat out refused.
I hadn’t seen her in quite a few years, now that I thought about it.
“I remember.”
“She wrote me, stating that one of the girls overheard some talk about Pierce. He’s one of their customers. She said that not all the men were taken that day on the field. One stayed behind.”
“Probably the lookout or something.”
Hara snapped her fingers. “I thought so too, but this man said he stayed behind to make sure that the job was…well…done.”
“Who is this man?”
“I’m not sure yet, but she is going to find out. What else I thought was interesting was that the man didn’t have an accent. He was Tellivan.”
“A lot of men who visit whorehouses don’t have accents,” I said uncomfortably, not wanting to have this conversation with my younger sister.
“But this man rode up in a royal carriage.”
I stopped mid-step. “How did she know for sure?”
Hara narrowed her eyes. “It had the lion’s crest with the crown on it.”
I looked around to see if George had arrived but didn’t find him. “Do you think she could describe him?”
“Well…I don’t think she was the one who…serviced—”
“Got it,” I quickly said, running my hand over my face. “See what other details she can provide, and ask her if any of her other coworkers want to make some extra cash. I need all details they can get.”
∞∞∞
“Did you know about it?” my mother snapped, her brown eyes filled with fury. She struggled to keep her composure in the middle of Hara’s party, but her jaw twitched.
“I did.”
“How dare you not speak to me about this the moment I came back to this wretched place.”
“I didn’t want to worry—”
“We would have never come back. Edward can’t touch us—”
“He can touch you and Hara, wherever and whenever he chooses. Arunian law can’t protect her from his order because she is his daughter.”
Mama clasped my forearm and squeezed. “If Hara gets arranged to marry some spoonfed mongrel, who can’t wipe his own ass, without my permission, I will make sure your father regrets it.”
I glowered at her. “Watch your voice, Mother. You’re not in Aruna, even though it may look like it.”
“My daughter will not be pawned off like cattle!”