soon again I will have you in the daylight, then swim nude with you. I am unsure that I will ever get the image of you out of my mind from that day,” he breathes.
“Elias,” I choke.
My obvious discomfort only makes Elias laugh behind me as he dismounts. Without a word, he helps me down and steadies me on my feet. “Stay with the women, I’m going to check in with my men,” he murmurs, his steel-blue eyes focused on me.
Nodding, I take a step back and start to turn from him. He doesn’t let me go right away. He reaches for me, cupping my cheek as his thumb runs along my bottom lip, his eyes never leaving my own.
“My Queen,” he rasps. “Why do you make me feel this way?”
“This way?”
His lips tip up into a smirk. “As if my entire world centers around you. As if I would not be able to continue on in this life without you at my side. I have never felt such a way before, it is unnerving, sweeting.”
I don’t tell him that it’s love and it’s unnerving as shit. Instead, I give him a small smile of my own. “I feel the same way, Elias,” I breathe. “I feel the exact same way.”
“Odd sensation,” he points out.
Swallowing, I nod. “Yes, odd.”
He drops his hand before he gives me a wink and jerks his chin behind me toward the women. I watch as he turns from me and walks over to his men. I continue to watch as he makes his way over to Godiva and Aleida, then I keep my eyes on them as they huddle together and talk.
There is something going on, something that he’s hiding from me and as much as I want to demand he tell me, I decide against it.
Turning my back to him, I make my way over to my girls. They all look in good spirits, until my gaze flicks to Katrina. She is staring beyond us, and I know who she is staring at.
“What happened?” I ask.
Her entire body jerks. “He acts as though I no longer exist,” she snaps.
“This is bad?” I ask.
She licks her lips, then shifts her gaze from him to me. “Last night, before he went to take Duraina home, he kissed me. It was lovely, no, it was the best thing I have ever felt in my entire life. Then, he deepened it and cupped my breast,” she whispers, her cheeks turning flaming red.
I lean in, at the same time Ellyn and Jasmine do the same, all completely engrossed in Katrina’s story.
“What happened?” I softly demand, not wishing to draw anyone’s attention toward us.
Katrina’s eyes water as she shakes her head. “I told him that I was pure, that I haven’t done anything with any man before. He stumbled backward as if my body had lit him on fire. He turned from me and practically ran. Then he took Duraina home and he didn’t come back to the castle until this morning.”
“Maybe he was just late…” I attempt to offer, but Katrina shakes her head wildly.
Her bottom lip trembles and she attempts to hold her shit together. “I watched all night, waiting so that I could steal a moment and talk to him. I just wanted to tell him that I very much enjoyed his kiss. I wanted to tell him that I knew he could not be more than a bedmate with me, but that I was willing.”
“Do not,” I snap.
Her eyes widen. “But that is the only way that I can be with him,” she argues.
Shaking my head, I reach for her hands. “Save that gift for a man who will appreciate it. A man who can and will love you. A man who will cherish you. Do not give it to a man who is looking for a little fun on the side. I am serious about this, Katrina.”
Ellyn is chewing on her bottom lip and she wraps her own hands around mine, which are still holding on to Katrina’s.
“I gave my gift to a man who only wanted a bedmate for the night, Katrina. He did not care, he gave me sweet words and once he had me, he was gone before I could even roll over to my side. I never saw him again,” she admits on a whisper. “Then, I met a man who actually liked me, for me, and it was beautiful with him. So much better.”
“I lost mine in the bed of