We turned into the back of the compound. The palace gates folded open.
I looked at her more patiently than I ever had. As if I was a lion waiting for the gazelle to walk gingerly into the clearing. Was this girl willing to walk into the moonlight and expose herself to my hunger?
“It’s one night. Your night. To be with the king. It won’t happen again. The Titan does not seek return tallies. So you must decide here and now what you want.” I saw her hesitation. “Georgan will drive you home. Or you can walk inside the palace with me.” I pointed to the top floor where a row of lights illuminated a set of windows. “See that block of rooms?”
“Yes.” Her eyes followed my index finger.
“Those are the king’s rooms. My rooms.”
“There are so many. The whole floor is yours?”
“Yes, but that one with the view of the ocean—that one, love is where I’ll take off all your clothes.” I pressed my finger along the hollow of her throat.
Her pulse beat rapidly.
“I’ll take you to my bed,” I promised.
I heard her inhale quickly.
Damn it. I was hard. My cock ached for her here and now. Had I ever wanted a woman so badly?
The car slowed as we approached the tunnel to the private entrance.
My patience had run out.
“What is your decision? Are you going home, or do you want one night with the king?”
6
Molly
I had never known the silence inside a car could be so deafening. My ears rang. My heart pounded irregularly. I could practically hear the blood rush between my ears.
This morning I was working on my dissertation. I used notecards to sort the broader topics. They were scattered on the floor. I wore pajama pants and a tank top. My hair was twirled in a bun with a pencil crammed in the middle to hold the heaviest pieces in place.
Brooklyn walked in, carrying a carton of lo mein noodles. “You have destroyed our living room.”
“I know.” I sighed. “I’ll clean it up after I get the rest of this section nailed down.”
“Let’s go get coffee,” she suggested.
“I can’t. I don’t have time. Look at this disaster.” I covered my eyes with my palms.
She tugged on my arm. “The notecards will be here when we get back. You need some fresh air. And preferably a change of clothes that isn’t pajamas or yoga pants.” She looked over my wardrobe disapprovingly.
“Again. I don’t have time for real clothes. I’m in the middle of the most critical paper of my life.”
I stumbled to my feet and stepped over the circle of index cards.
“I know. I know. But caffeine will put some of that in perspective.” She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and shuttled me to my room where I shrugged off the pjs and changed into a cute mini skirt.
I pulled the pencil from the bun and let my hair fall around my shoulders.
I met Brooklyn at the door. “Better?”
“God, yes. You look like a human girl,” she teased.
I rolled my eyes. “One quick coffee. That’s it.”
“Got it.”
I had moved to Galona almost a year ago. The country was beautiful. An island the size of Connecticut floating off the western coast of France and just to the north of Spain. It was quintessential Europe. The food was incredible. The art. The music. The fashion. And my God, the wine was amazing. Only, I didn’t get to see much of it. I spent most of my time in the library at Freychon’s Literary Conservatory.
Brooklyn, on the other hand, had dropped out of the program.
We sat outside under the shade of a café umbrella and sipped espressos.
“How’s the job hunt going?” I prodded.
She shrugged. “I don’t think my skill set is appreciated here.”
“Oh, really?” I laughed. “Employers aren’t jumping at the opportunity to hire an almost-expert of one specific classical poem that no one has ever heard of? You’re kidding.”
“I know! I’m just so misunderstood.” She let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes.
“You could wait tables if you had to. Anyone can do that.”
Her cup clinked against the saucer. “I’d rather not. I’m looking for something exciting. Something more challenging than taking cappuccino orders.”
We had discussed this a few times. At some point, she was going to run out of money. “If you take a part-time job you might hear about another job. You could try it.”
“But this is Galona. I want an adventure. A mindless job to pay the rent is exactly what’s waiting for me back in the States. This is my chance to forget responsibility for a while. To make some real memories.”
Before I could respond, something blocked the blaring sun and our table darkened with shade. I looked up to see a man in a suit standing inches from my chair.