"Oh, my god! She's alive!" I heard Lydia and Julia's voices before they shook me completely out of my sweet slumber.
Every inch of my body was on fire the minute I opened my eyes.
"Sleepyhead, it's three o'clock in the afternoon. We were wondering if you went into a coma or something." Lydia giggled, settling heavily on my bed.
"It hurts everywhere!" I mumbled inaudible words in despair, disappointed to not see Ian next to me.
"Did you forget Lydia is leaving today?" Julia asked.
"Oh yeah, sorry. Give me two minutes."
"Two minutes? Take your time to get ready. We will have a fancy tea like how those fancy ladies do, and then you can kiss me goodbye. Get up now!" Lydia smacked me on the butt from over the sheets.
"Ahh! Please. Give me some time. I will be right there." I was too embarrassed to reveal my skin under the sheets. It was probably bruised everywhere.
"Fine." To my relief, they both left me alone finally.
Ian pulled me back into a comforting embrace. I wiped my tears against his shoulder and realized that he was still dressed. He told me once he didn't like sleeping with his shirt on. Not wanting him to leave me, I started unbuttoning his shirt.He caught my wrists and cupped my face. Was he laughing at me?"What are you doing, Nadia? Who undresses someone while crying like that?"My stupid tears won't stop even when he was mocking me. I rubbed my face against his neck, not able to bear the distance between us."I want you to sleep here, please. Take your shirt off!"He pulled my face away from his neck and kissed me until I was out of breath. Sudden arousal rippled through my body, bringing back memories of our last time together."I also want to sleep here. But you have to behave," He said, squeezing my nose between his fingertips.Behave? Why would I want to behave now of all the times?"Why?""You still
The much awaited day was here. I woke up bright and early and ate breakfast with my folks as I would not see them for almost a week.Lydia came to visit as well prior to leaving for wedding shopping. She was bubbling with happiness, explaining the quiet engagement ceremony. Everything seemed a little too good to be true.As we were lazing in the sun sipping tea and watching the hummingbirds near the beautiful petunias and hydrangea blooms, a servant came looking for me."The King wants to see you as soon as possible.""Me?" I looked at my mother anxiously."Where is the Prince? Let him know first. You never know what threats and warnings the King wants to give you.""He went to the town square with Mason but should be back anytime now," Lydia replied."Well, I think it's a bad idea to keep the King waiting. I will update Ian about it later."Both my mother and aunt called my name in a shrill voice as I was leaving."Be c
It was a glorious morning in the company of an even more glorious man. Ian was anything but boring. I had all my worries about not being compatible or have nothing to talk about types of worries cleared away during the train ride itself when I lost track of time in his company.My only complaint was about time, which was rushing like crazy while we are making precious memories.We stopped for breakfast by a mountain town with a funny name, Fludir. Nestled amid snow-capped mountains, pine trees, and serene natural beauty, it was a dream of a town.Once we stepped out of the warm indoors, Ian rubbed my shoulders as we crossed the street to the wagon stop."You seem to handle this weather okay so far.""It's freezing, but I love this town. You just have to hug me every other minute so I keep warm." I put my hands in the pockets of his winter jacket and pulled him toward me."Is that so? Someone told me yesterday that my smiles and words w
Lyra helped me braid my waist-long dark wavy hair into a neat upstyle bun. It was good to get some expert help when I was so unsure about what to wear and how to present myself in a roomful of snobs.It was 11 AM, and I was still in the mountain lodge. Ian left at seven in the morning and asked me to get some sleep and join him at the Courthouse Square in the city center before noon.I covered my dark circles with some makeup but couldn't cover the tired look on my face.I was up till late at night thinking, and Ian was merciless in the morning. He woke me up before five o'clock and seduced me with those long toned legs wrapped around me, taking over my precious sleep time."Is My Lady ready?" I heard Mr. Prim's voice from somewhere, asking one of the servants. He was going to accompany me to Ian's meeting."Lyra, I got this. Could you please give the blue file over there to Mr. Prim? I don't want to forget it."Ian asked me to bring it
The rest of the afternoon dragged on with a room full of stiffs discussing the most depressingly dull topics. Ever since I saw Ian look at Catherine, my stomach felt queasy. Even the nonstop supply of coffee cakes and pastries that were brought in every hour didn't appeal to me.Ian suggested going to the library in this building or exploring the city with Lyra and Mr. Prim. I wanted to leave too.I didn't trust his ex though. What if they rekindled some old memories and ended up in each other's arms somehow? Someone has to play gooseberry and interrupt them from getting too cozy.So I subjected myself to torture for four long hours, listening and nodding off.The only thing I understood from all this was that many kingdoms collapsed all over the world, paving way for the British and Russian empires to expand colossally.Even Julia's grandmother knew this much, and her stories were much more interesting.Everyone in the room seemed to be div
I woke up with a nasty headache, and memories of last night came flooding back before I opened my eyes. I groaned and tried to stir, but there was a weight pressing me down.I gazed upon Ian. He was lying on my chest asleep, with his arms wrapped around me. I didn't want to miss a single moment that I got to hold him.The dawn was slowly breaking with snow falling hard."Ian..." I planted a wake-up kiss on his forehead.He mumbled something and went back to sleep."It's already seven o'clock. You will be late.""I am not going anywhere," he said, adjusting himself in the middle of my chest. My heart fluttered in response."Ian!" I shook him hard to wake him up.He got off the bed and gave me silent treatment while I followed him around the suite. He hustled to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.I gave the kitchen maid a list to get me some fresh produce for cooking. It was darn cold outside, and I had no intentions
~Ian~"What are you going to do to me?" Her voice was trembling with excitement as her bound wrists writhed against the restraints."Dirty things for sure." I was equally excited to see her under me like this.My mind was constantly warring between being gentle with her and drilling up her ass relentlessly. I wanted to be inside her in every sense possible, to devour every inch of her and cover her in my scent.Watching her offer herself to me, with no hesitation or doubt, I wondered if she was the one who had me tied down to her with something far stronger. It was her deep trust in me that held me down. I will do my best to never let her down."Ian," she whispered, dripping with desire as I uncovered her naked body.The way she hungered for my touch, her willingness to let me hold her and please her; it was the best kind of feeling of power. I wanted to capture these moments and freeze them forever.She looked up at me wi
Long after Ian was gone on his two-day trip, his words and thoughts played on my mind. The weight of uncertainty and heavier emotions kicked in as I tossed and turned on the bed, trying to catch up on some sleep.Ian being Ian, kept me awake until dawn when it was time for him to leave.The sandalwood and citrus notes of his perfume lingered in the air and on my body. The way those stormy grey eyes looked at me one last time, sucking me in before he kissed goodbye.He was a completely different person with me as opposed to the rest of the world. I watched him put his mask of indifference back on that gorgeous face as he walked out of my room and nodded to the guards. That tender, vulnerable side of him was instantly replaced with dominance and confidence. His strong voice was void of any emotion except for the firm authority that had taken over.It took all of my willpower to not call his name and hold him from the back to stop him from leaving. The despera