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It took some doing,but Ber managed to settle Speran into his crib without waking him. At least not fully. The babe shifted a little before drifting back to sleep, his little arms stretched above his head. Ber smiled down at his son. He could have stared at him for hours, if only he had time.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he had to hurry back to Tes’s room to prepare for dinner. Or their room, he supposed, though it didn’t quite feellike it. Nor did his long-abandoned chamber one floor down. Llyalia had always been that way—home and yet not. He had a place here, but it didn’t pull at his heart the way their room in the Centoi palace did.

A telling thought.

Shaking his head at himself, he strode through the bedchamber and straight into the dressing room. Only to draw to an immediate halt at the sight of Tes standing naked beside a rack of clothes. Her hands were in her hair, her upraised arms highlighting the air-chilled points of her nipples. His mouth watered, but with her current sensitivity, she would kill him if he played with them the way he wished.

Tes opened her eyes and smiled. “If you hope to bathe, you’d better hurry. These court clothes take a while to don.”

Bathe? Oh, no. No, he would far rather get dirty.

He stalked toward her, and her eyes widened. She licked her lips. “Ber. We don’t have long until—”

“They can wait,” he nearly snarled. “Even my brother. I don’t care.”

“But I just—”

His mouth claimed hers, cutting off her words, and he gripped her hips to draw her against him. Though he was clothed, it was impossible for her to miss how hard he was for her. Her groan filled his mouth, and suddenly, her arms were around his neck. She wrapped one long leg around his waist and wiggled closer.

“If we’re quick,” she gasped.

He didn’t need more permission than that. He slid his hands to her ass and boosted her higher against him before hurrying to the first promising surface in sight. The dressing table. With a sweep of his hand, he cleared it, the bottles and brushes relocating to the floor with a terrible clatter. The decorativebottles had too many enchantments to break, but he would have stood on glass to have her if he’d had to.

Ber set her on the narrow table as he kicked off his pants, and Tes tugged his shirt over his head. As her hands slid down his chest, he closed his eyes for a moment to savor the feel of her touch. But only a moment—she didn’t want to linger, after all. He claimed her gaze as he hooked his arms beneath her knees and spread her legs wide. Then after a sweep of his fingers proved her readiness, he plunged deep.

“Oh, gods,” she cried, her knees pressing against his hold.

He curled his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her higher. Wider. Then he let himself take her, his thrusts almost brutal.

Just as she wanted when it was fast.

Her nails dug into his back, and her moans turned to incoherent screams as she moved frantically against him. With him. He pried his eyelids open so he could stare down at her, beautiful in her pleasure. Flushed face. Red lips. Head thrown back. In the mirror behind the table, their reflections crashed together, the sight searing through his blood.

The most perfect picture he’d ever seen.

His own pleasure nearly overtook him, though she’d yet to scream her pleasure. He tilted his hips slightly, making sure he hit just the spot she liked. Her breath caught, and he grinned in satisfaction. Oh, yes, he knew her. Better than he knew himself.

Sure enough, a few more ragged moans slipped from her lips before her back bowed, her body going taut as she screamed.

Only then did he finally let himself go, his thrusts as frantic as her cries. As his vision went white and he exploded within her, Ber tucked her hips tight against his. She would have all of him. She would keep all of him.

Together, they were home.

Chapter 37

The Offer

There would be absolutely no doubt as to why dinner was delayed, and Tes couldn’t gather a single speck of caring. She held her head high as she walked past the courtiers and into the dining room, although she was almost certain the ties on the back of her gown were uneven. She’d braided her hair herself, so the design was less elaborate than it should have been. And she knew her lips were still swollen and her face a little flushed.

A surprising number of envious looks were cast her way from nobles who’d claimed to hate Ber. Was it the draw of the forbidden or the capricious whims of bored courtiers? Either way, Tes could feel more than one gaze boring into her back as she and Ber followed Toren, Mehl, and Ria to the High Table.

From her place between the kings, Ria gave Tes a more amused backward glance. No one had said a word about Tes and Ber arriving late to their meeting spot, but their expressions had made their feelings clear enough. There’d been humor, yes, but also a surprising amount of relief, especially from Toren. Apparently, they’d all been hoping the reconciliation would stick and had been happy to see evidence that was the case.

Hah. The whole court has to realize that now.

With Tes’s true identity revealed, the seating had been entirely rearranged. Mehl and then Ria sat to Toren’s right, and Ber and Tes took the chairs to Toren’s left. It was clear that she was the queen’s companion no more, and despite centuries of sitting at royal tables, Tes found herself wanting to squirm at the attention she was now receiving. It had taken her ages to grow accustomed to a lesser place. Now she had to adjust again.