“I don’t care,” he murmured, and I closed my eyes as his warm breath fanned across my face. I tilted my head back, and our lips met, a whisper of skin on skin that electrified me. Heat exploded in my belly, and I longed to press my body against his, but I was sitting in the chair and facing the wrong way. Annoyed, I nipped at his lower lip, and he growled, then gripped my lower jaw and pushed his tongue past my lips. The dark, exotic taste of him filled my senses, and I moaned, gripping his forearm hard as I fought to bring him closer.
The next thing I knew, he’d scooped me up into his arms and was kissing me so hard that I could barely breathe from the intensity of it. My body was burning up as he pressed me down onto the mattress, my heart jackhammering so wildly against my chest I was sure he had to feel it. And through my lust-drenched brain, I wondered if we were actually going to do this now. Were we finally going to give in to the desire that had been pulling us together almost from day one?
Eventually Iannis lifted his head from mine, his violet eyes smoldering as he looked down at me. I reached up to trace the flush that had spread across his alabaster cheeks, and he pressed his hand against mine, holding it to his cheek. It was an incredibly tender moment, one that was completely at odds with the savage way he’d kissed me, and for a heart-stopping second I wondered if maybe he really could love me.
“You must understand,” he said quietly, his thumb stroking the back of my hand, “that after living as long as I have, it’s difficult for me to make hasty decisions. But,” he added, his voice growing husky again, “I’m beginning to think you’ll be more than worth it if we do decide to do this.”
And with that, he rolled off the bed and left me lying there, staring at the ceiling and wondering just what the hell had hit me.
25
An hour later, Iannis and I climbed into the carriage I’d had the concierge call for us, and we were off to the ball. The Finance Secretary and the other delegates had come to collect us, but because Iannis and I had spent so much time arguing, we hadn’t been ready to leave. Iannis had ordered them to go on ahead without us while we’d finished getting ready, which meant that we would be arriving fashionably late. The fact that we’d also be arriving separately from the other Canalo delegates would raise eyebrows, and only further the rumors that I was Iannis’s mistress.
Then again, after the way Iannis had kissed the breath out of me earlier, was I really so far away from becoming exactly that? My lips tingled in remembrance even as I pressed them together in distaste. I didn’t like the term “mistress” – it implied that I was a kept woman, which was far from the truth. But since we weren’t married, I guessed that was the only other title they could fall back on for me.
I looked away from the window at Iannis to find that he was watching me, and the air thickened between us instantly. Not wanting to deal with the tension, I decided to give him a debrief, which was something I needed to do anyway.
“You might want to know that I learned a couple of things when I was hanging out at the coffee shop this afternoon.”
“Oh?” Iannis asked, relaxing back against the velvet upholstery. “I’m surprised you didn’t mention that back at the hotel room.”
“I was going to, but we were sidetracked,” I said dryly. “From what I’ve been overhearing, a Lord Cedris ar’Tarea is apparently the frontrunner as the next Minister.”
“The Chief Mage of Rhodea.” Iannis nodded. “I’ve heard rumors to that effect too, though I can’t quite fathom why he is such a popular choice. He governs a small state and has little experience with international affairs.”
“That’s what one of the mages in the coffee shop was saying. I also heard several people mention that you were a prime contender as well.”
“Hmm.” Iannis’s lips thinned. “Between the two of us, I certainly believe I would be the better choice as the next Minister. But I would rather not leave Canalo so soon in my political career.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” If Iannis became the next Minister, there was no way he’d have any time to train me. “A bunch of people came up to me and asked how you were going to vote. I guess maybe I should tell them you’re voting for yourself,” I joked.
“Very funny.” He did not look amused.
“That reminds me,” I said, my eyes narrowed. “One of the mages who tried to chat me up was a Coman ar’Daghir, and he kind of looks like me. A lot like me.”
Iannis went still for a moment. “Eye and hair color do not necessarily equate blood relation.”
“But you’re not denying that he is a blood relation,” I accused, folding my arms across my chest. Iannis said nothing, simply staring blankly, and I ground my teeth in frustration. “Oh come on! You have to tell me who my father is. You can’t keep me in the dark about this.”
“You’re not ready to know yet.”