Laithir laughed. “It is Tuesday,” he told her.
Shantra blinked. They’d been in bed for three days! She couldn’t move. Didn’t want to move.
Then something struck her. There was something odd about Laithir. First of all, he was dressed while she was still sprawled in the bed, completely naked. She hadn’t put on a stitch of clothing since she’d walked into the bathroom that first night.
But something else was different. Something odd. She curled around and lifted the pillows, stuffing them behind her head as she scooted higher in the bed. Keeping the sheet over her naked body, she squinted in the dim, early morning sunshine. “What is that?” she asked, wary of being alone with him. He was a voracious lover, and her body melted in his arms. But she was sore! She was sore and embarrassed at how much she liked being with him.
“A wedding present,” he told her.
Shantra cringed. She wasn’t a big fan of presents. Her brothers usually got her jewelry, expensive trinkets that she rarely wore. Or they’d get her clothes – from other designers! Although, one time, Rais had brought her a beautiful suit, one that she’d absolutely loved. She’d also designed it, but he hadn’t known that.
“A present,” she finally said, trying to brighten up. She had enough diamonds and precious jewels to start her own jewelry store and not run out of product for years. It was all stuffed into a box that was rarely opened. But she tried to be excited, or at least pretend interest.
That was, until the tiny, fluffy thing in his arms lifted a head, blinking dark eyes in her direction.
Shantra gasped with delight!
“A kitten!” Her arms were already reaching for the tiny creature with creamy fur and golden eyes, wanting to hold the kitten close. “Mia got a dog as gift once.”
“Your brother told me about the dog,” he said with a grimace. “No way am I letting you do that to a dog,” he told her. The dog was a huge German shepherd, loyal, strong and powerful, easily trained to defend her family. Mia had adopted her pet with love, but the poor beast walked around the palace with a pink bow; she was treated like a cocker spaniel. Oh, the dog was still ferocious and would protect her family to her death, but she pranced around.
If Shantra was going to have a pet to cuddle, it was going to be an animal that needed cuddling. And one that enjoyed its independence because he planned on taking up most of her attention. After the last three days, he knew that he was going to be spending a great deal of time with her in that bed in the future. She was the perfect lover. Slowly, she was getting over her shyness, accepting all the various possibilities of making love, different positions, and she was starting to touch him, to lose her embarrassment over wanting to touch him.
Just the memories were making him hard again, and he focused all of his attention on Shantra, making sure she liked her present, and not on how much he wanted to make love to her again.
“Do you like him?” he asked, even though her excitement was obvious
“Yes! He’s perfect!” Then she laughed. “Are you sure it is male?”
Laithir shrugged. “No. I just thought it was cute and you might like him.”
Shantra was charmed. “You picked him out yourself?” she asked, not sure she believed him.
“Well, the vet brought a litter of kittens for me to choose from. So in a sense, yes. I just picked the fluffiest.”
Shantra laughed, delighted with her gift. “Good enough.”
Snuggling the tiny creature, she smiled up at him. “Thank you,” she told him happily.
Laithir bent lower and kissed her. “I’m relieved that you aren’t allergic to cats. I hadn’t thought about that when I came up the idea.”
Shantra laughed happily. “Nope. No allergies.”
“I have work to do. I’ll see you tonight though.”
That was news to her. She stared up at him, trying to hide her disappointment. And there was something else, something deeper that she didn’t want to think about too deeply. Something that scared her more than a little. So instead of asking why he had to work, she forced a smile and nodded. “I understand.”
“I hired a personal assistant to help you, and I’ve increased your guard team. Don’t go anywhere without them, okay?” he ordered.
She suppressed a sigh. “I promise. And thank you for hiring someone to help me out.”
“My first wife’s mother and sister are here also. They can help you get acclimated.” And with those dreadful words, he walked out of the room, leaving Shantra staring at the closed door with confusion.
She worried about that last statement for a moment, but then her new little friend made a mewing noise and she looked down at the tiny cat. “I guess I’d better get dressed, shouldn’t I?” she offered to the animal.