words for how good it feels when you do that to me.”
“Indescribable,” I chuckled.
“So indescribable.”
“And in a few minutes, we’re going to do indescribable things all over again.”
“Planning to fuck me until I can’t walk?”
“I wasn’t, but now that you mention it, I really like the sound of that.” And I really did.
22
Ariel
We were so busy devouring each other’s bodies, we almost forgot about dinner. We’d made love, dozed for a while, and then started all over again. It was six thirty before I remembered Marcus was coming to get us at six fifty-five. I sat up and nudged Tyler, who was busy nuzzling my breasts. I usually loved when he did that, but I needed a quick shower before we went to dinner.
“Come on, let’s continue in the shower,” I told him, playfully pushing him away. “Marcus is going to be here in twenty-four minutes, and we need to clean up.”
“Fine.” He pretended to pout as he got up, but he followed me into the bathroom amiably.
I got ready in record time, leaving my hair damp and keeping my makeup simple, but Casey had texted Tyler and told him that dinner would be informal, so I pulled on jeans and a sweater. It was colder here than it had been in Las Vegas, and I was definitely going to have to go shopping. I’d done a little shopping the day Tyler had bought me the new cell phone, but I needed more. I was sure Casey would help me figure that out, though, and tonight I wanted to relax. I’d been running on adrenaline the last few days, and I needed emotional downtime.
Marcus knocked, and I pushed away thoughts of everything going on as we walked down the halls, down a flight of stairs and then into an elevator. We went up a few floors, and when the doors opened again, it was like being in someone’s house. The doors led to a small foyer, and everything opened up from there. There was a spacious family room with a fireplace flanked by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A large television sat above the fireplace, and there was a baby’s swing next to an L-shaped leather sectional.
“Hi!” Casey came padding into the room wearing jeans, a turtleneck tunic, and had nothing but socks on her feet. She immediately hugged Tyler and then turned to me. “Welcome to our home.”
“Thank you so much for having us,” I said. “I hope we’re not intruding.”
Casey laughed. “The palace is something like a million square feet, so if I don’t want to see anyone, I literally can hide for weeks. And anyway, Tyler’s family. Anything he ever needs, all he has to do is ask.”
“The palace is actually six hundred and twenty-seven thousand, four hundred and ninety-two square feet,” Erik said, coming and immediately reaching out to hug me and shake Tyler’s hand.
“Six hundred thousand square feet.” Tyler grimaced. “That’s fucking ridiculous.”
“Well, we’re not the only ones who live here,” Erik said. “Between the Royal Protectors, our assistants, full-time housekeeping and kitchen staff, and all three of my first cousins having suites here, I could probably add on to the place.”
“Bite your tongue,” Casey admonished him, shaking her head. “We haven’t even gotten furniture for most of the suites yet. We had to scramble to get something ready for you guys.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I began, but Casey held up her hand.
“It’s no big deal. It needed to be done, but to get all the rooms updated and decorated is going to take months, so he can just hold off on any additions.”
Casey slid her hand into Erik’s, and they showed us around their living area, which included a kitchen, formal dining room, four bedrooms, and a pool. She’d done a nice job making it homey while simultaneously keeping the historical aspects intact.
I told her so once we sat down to eat. “You’ve done a great job so far,” I said. “I imagine the idea of decorating a place as big as the palace would be daunting.”
“Well, our first focus was here, where our family will live. We have the baby with us now, and then our son Luke and the twins, Jocelyn and Jessica, will join us once the school year is over. There isn’t an English program available to them yet, so Luke is with my ex-husband in Las Vegas, and the twins are with my second ex-husband in Monte Carlo.”
“I’ve read about the struggles to rebuild Limaj since your cousin was on the throne,”