And that morning I woke up, and I’m still in his arms—
It’s a moment I know I’ll always remember, even if it proves to be the last one.
“Princess...”
Arkane rolls me to my back, and he looms over me, his dark hair falling forward, the morning light coming in pale through the heavy bedroom curtains and catching the edges of him, and—
“You’re awake.”
My beautiful and noble prince...
“Good morning, love.”
Oh, the way my cheeks burn the moment I realize what I just said—
Dark eyes gleam down at me. “I like that.”
But my embarrassment doesn’t last, with Arkane already sweeping me up into his arms, and all I can do is gasp and hold on to him as he carries me across the room—
“Where are we—” The words die in my throat. I already know where he’s taking me because we’re here. The en-suite that’s as modern and fancy as the rest of his fancy bachelor townhouse in Foxtown’s fanciest neighborhood for eligible noblemen—
My heart is pounding so, so hard as he gently lets me slide down to my feet on the cool marble floor. He turns the shower on without taking his eyes off mine, and jets of water stream down on our bodies, our clothes turning translucent under the water, and oh...
This moment of our lips meeting as he pulls me close...
This moment of his fingers following the lines of my body, and my own hands pressing against the solid expanse of his chest.
It’s one of those moments I’ll keep in my heart even if it turns out to be the last.
Arkane’s gaze never leaves mine, not even after we shower, and I change into a beautiful Regency gown that’s just magically appeared in the bedroom when we step out of the en-suite. Pale blue silk, ivory lace at the sleeves, a sash the same turquoise as my earrings from the night before. Foxtown, of course. Someone has been paid to make sure I have the right thing to wear at the right hour, and the dress was waiting on the bed, draped just so, when we came back from the en-suite.
I can feel his eyes following me even when I sit down on the edge of the bed to put on the stockings that come with the dress, and a self-conscious laugh finally slips past my lips.
“What’s wrong?”
He kneels down in front of me. “Nothing.”
Arkane insists on helping me tie the ribbons of my silk slippers, one at a time, his head bent over the work, and my eyes start to sting at how gentle he is. His hands at my ankles. The careful loop and tuck of each ribbon. He has never been clumsy with anything that has to do with my body, and apparently that is also true of slippers.
I suspect this is just one of the many, many moments that I was meant to cry—
And when he lifts his head, and he sees the tears I’m hastily trying to wipe away.
“It seems I should be the one who’s asking,” he says quietly. “What’s wrong, Tiara?”
“N-Nothing.” I’m shaking my head vehemently, it matters so much to me that he knows I mean what I’m saying. “Nothing’s wrong.” And I guess that’s what scares me the most. Because a part of me...that pesky 1% of my heart that always insists on arguing with the remaining 99%, that part is convinced—
No, Ti. Don’t even say it out loud. Just don’t.
And so I don’t.
And eventually, the moment fades. Not completely that it’s stopped existing, but as Arkane takes my hand in his, and we walk out of the room together, the warmth of his touch is a barrier, and the moment eventually sinks into my subconscious.
The women of his family are now joined by Lucius when we join them for breakfast in the morning room. Foxtown is just so massive that those willing to pay are able to purchase their own property within the park, and that’s exactly what this is—a Regency-themed replica of their family ranch back in San Antonio. The sun comes through tall sash windows. A long sideboard along one wall holds covered silver dishes that the staff have laid out and discreetly disappeared from. Joy is at one end of the table in a dove-grey morning dress, Tassy at her right, Icelle across from them, and the chair at Joy’s left has been kept empty for Arkane.
Lucius rises when we come in.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Tiara.” Love has completely changed Lucius. Even though six years have passed since we last saw each other, he actually looks younger and more relaxed, and if the way his wife Tassy looks at him is anything to go by, he’s probably grown all the more handsome, too.