“Sort of. I’m still learning. I like it. And the people I work with are really nice.” Elle chuckled as she placed a few finger sandwiches on her plate. “The lady who owns the place is always trying to set me up with guys.”
A strangely savage jealousy surged within me. The mere thought of another man with Elle filled me with discomfort and a twinge of sadness. Imagining another pair of lips on hers made me want to growl.
“Uhm,” I cleared my throat. “I take that to mean you don’t have a boyfriend?
Or girlfriend?”
“Am I getting interviewed for the newspaper?” Elle said. “Lots of questions. It’s fine.” Her eyes grew somewhat distant, but the smile remained. “It’s been a while since someone took this much interest in me. It’s…I don’t know… nice to be seen and known.”
Our eyes locked, and an unspoken but powerful something passed between us. An intense explosion of energy. For her part, Elle wasn’t. She held my gaze when most women would have looked away. Instead, a playful grin played at her lips.
“That’s true,” I said. “My mother used to say to be loved is to be known.”
“Hmmm,” Elle said, taking a bite of a pastry. “I like that. What other things about me would you like to know, I wonder?”
The way your lips taste.
“I guess we’ll have to figure that out.” I brushed my hair out of my face and took a sip of my tea.
After eating and drinking our fill of tea, I took her to explore more of the estate: the old hunting lodge in the woods that was now used as guest quarters, the apple orchard, and the vegetable gardens. They were also still in bloom thanks to the magic.
“Interesting,” Elle said, gazing down at the garden from the suspended walkway that traversed above it.
“What’s that?” I asked, glancing down.
Below us, one of the staff was milling about the garden with a basket, picking ripe vegetables.
“Mighty big eggplants you have here, Mr. Dragon Prince,” she said, pointing to the large dark purple vegetables to the right.
“Very funny,” I said.
“Is it?” she asked, looking up at me.
We were close.
Very close. I could smell the lavender body wash she’d used that morning, the slight hint of mint on her breath. Heat. Need. What was going on with this woman?
Elle moved even closer to me, her face filling my entire field of vision. An intense desire coursed through me. I’d never wanted anything more than to kiss her right then and there.
“Your Highness?”
Elle and I flinched, looking down at the garden. The staff member waved up and smiled at us.
“Would you like me to collect any tomatoes for dinner tonight?” he called up.
“That would be wonderful, Victus,” I said, still smiling but speaking through clenched teeth. “Thank you for your…dedication.”
He waved, a goofy smile on his face, and got back to work. Elle had already continued along the walkway toward the castle. I grumbled in irritation and sexual frustration. With one more bitter look at the gardens, I hurried after her.
We’d spent most of the day together, and the sun had begun to slip low on the horizon. Dusk settled over the grounds when we finally returned to the house.
Elle yawned. “Wow, I’m exhausted.”
“We did stay up quite late last night. Neither of us got much sleep. Let me walk you to your room. I’ll have the staff bring dinner to you there, then you can get in bed at a decent hour tonight.”
It was all I could do not to imagine her sliding under the covers naked, pressing herself to my own hot skin, my hands roving across her curves.
“That sounds great,” Elle said.
My intentions for her dinner were thrown aside, though, when my two friends greeted us at her door.
Rasp saw us first, and his face broke into a smile. “We just got back, bro. We brought dinner.” Rasp held a few bags from a local beloved burger joint. Vincent held a drink carrier of milkshakes.
Vincent lifted the carrier and shrugged awkwardly. “We thought it would be a nice way of saying sorry.” He looked at Elle. “You know, for kidnapping you in the middle of the night and flying you to a strange castle filled with your mortal enemies with the idea we were helping you, but in the end we only made your life more difficult, and also might accidentally have started a war between dragons and wolves.”
“That was a mouthful,” Elle said. “And you think some burgers, fries, and milkshakes will make up for all that?”
Vincent frowned, a deep crease forming on his brow as he looked down at the drinks. “Uh?-“
“Well, you thought right,” Elle said, cutting him off.
I fought back a sigh of disappointment. My friends meant well, but this simply meant I would not have a chance to ingratiate myself with Elle tonight like I’d thought I might. There was no guarantee of anything carnal happening, but the sexual tension between us had only grown stronger throughout the day. Besides, a prince could dream couldn’t he?
“Looks like another dinner party,” I said, forcing a smile. “Let’s get started.”
As much as I’d wanted her alone, I couldn’t argue the fact that she seemed to like Rasp and Vince, which was nice. Both men had been ostracized by their own families, and as such most of the nobility looked down on them. Having a noblewoman, even if it was a wolf, take to them like this would be good for their mental state. In the end, it was an enjoyable evening, and I laughed more than I had in a long time. In fact, since I’d met Elle, I’d laughed more than I had in years.
And wasn’t that an interesting revelation?
AURELIUS
When I awoke in my room the next morning, it was with an overwhelming sense of disappointment. Today, Elle’s family would finally let us know when and where to deliver her back to their custody. Once she was handed over, I’d likely never see her again.
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