Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
And anyway, flirting with him was all kinds of fun. Aleksei was an excellent flirt in a manner that was very Aleksei.
Hot and sweet.
But a possibly imminent audience with two royals was on my mind.
The fact I’d buzzed Sirk up and he was currently heading toward the door I’d opened was on my mind.
The fact Allain had gotten in touch earlier that day to press about me signing the no contact order against my parents (this he’d sent, and I’d signed, and I’d subsequently received a notice from the Royal Ministry of Law and Justice that it had been filed), and I wondered if my parents received the same notice, was also on my mind.
The fact I couldn’t find one of my two silver strappy high-heeled sandals was on my mind.
And the fact that Cat was on my Palm display, freaking out about champagne, was on my mind.
“Everyone’s coming, Laura. Everyone!” she all but shouted. “I mean, I knew Terrinton was a draw, but Bash and Tay are seriously connected.”
Cat, being Cat, tapped into those connections and, good news!—even though she was working, Bash was her date that night.
“So it’s going to be a crush,” she continued. “Royal Fire and Safety will be all over my ass if I don’t put out a velvet rope, something I’ve done. I had to hire a door attendant who can let in the VIPs, and cycle people in when others leave. It’s become a nightmare. And I know, I just know, because free booze makes beings deranged, I’m going to run out of champagne. I put an emergency order into food supply, but they’re backed up, and estimated delivery time is between three and four hours from now. The doors open in twenty minutes, so I don’t have three hours. I’m sunk! This is a disaster!”
“Laura?” Sirk called from the other room.
Dang it!
I limped, one sandal on, one sandal off, toward my bedroom door, assuring Catla, “Sirk and I’ll stop by an off-license on the way there. What do you need? A case? Two?”
“Oh my gods, I’d love you forever. Two. Can you make sure it’s chilled?”
I hit the door saying, “We’ll do what we—”
I looked toward the entry and saw Sirk standing inside, looking fabulous in a brown suit, light-blue shirt and burgundy tie.
And standing with him, holding Nova to his chest, giving her a neck rub, was my mate.
Therefore, I shrieked, “Aleksei!” hobble-ran like an idiot across my loft, and he had to quickly drop Nova, because I threw myself in his arms.
He lifted me up his chest and tucked his face in my neck.
“You made it,” I whispered into his ear.
“Indeed,” he whispered against my skin.
I shivered.
He set me on my mismatched feet and pulled his face out of my neck, but as he did, he ran the edge of his teeth along it.
Oh…
My.
My nipples beaded and my head tipped back.
“I don’t wish to mess up your lip stain,” he explained the sultry scrape.
I couldn’t care less about my lip stain.
“Or devour you in front of Sirk,” he went on.
Okay, that would be awkward.
I smiled at him, pressed my hands into his chest and then frowned at said chest.
“You have Nova fluff all over you.”
And he did, her fur marring the miraculousness of his royal-blue three-piece suit, which he’d coupled with a crisp white shirt, a navy blue-and-white diagonally striped tie and matching pocket square.
He looked confident, stylish and good enough to eat (even with the fluff).
“Not the end of the world, especially when my female’s a celebrated costume designer. I suspect you can help me with that.”
He suspected correctly.
I beamed at him, got up on tiptoe, kissed the underside of his jaw and turned to Sirk.
I shambled to him, gave and received a big hug.
“Hello! Hello!” I heard Cat’s voice. “I’m delighted the prince has arrived, but I need champagne!”
I lifted the Palm I’d forgotten I held as Sirk asked, “What’s this?”
I gave her my face even if I was answering Sirk. “Cat, my friend and the director of the gallery we’re going to tonight, is having a champagne supply problem.”
With no warning, he plucked the Palm out of my hand and peered at the display.
“You need champagne?” he asked.
“Oh my gods, you’re fucking gorgeous,” I heard Cat breathe.
When she did, I took in Sirk and realized she was right.
Sure, Sirk was so handsome, I didn’t miss this, but it only registered in my mind in a vague way, considering Aleksei’s looks were god-like, thus he outshone every male around him.
Now it was registering in a not-vague way.
Aleksei still looked like a god.
I glanced over my shoulder to smile at my mate.
He wasn’t paying attention to the conversation.
He was staring at my behind, and the expression on his face put goosebumps on my flesh.
I didn’t know if he would make it, but I was me, thus, I would have worn something like what I had on regardless.