Page 61 of Crave Me

She shook her head. “No, she bent over laughing. Then I suggested we come up here to wash off.”

“In my pool,” I said, stopping beside where she sat in the water. “You realize that’ll be hell on my filter, right?”

She shook her head again. “No, the magic dissolves and returns to the air.” She lifted her arm to show me her glittering skin, then rinsed it again before pulling the stardust back to her being in the next moment. “See?”

I knelt on the side of the pool, my gaze running over every tantalizing inch of her, the water doing nothing to disguise my view. “Yes, Nyx. Isee.”

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

VESPERUS

Maybe it was my exhaustion.

Maybe it was the lingering impact of the fated-mate bond.

Maybe it was justNyx.

But I didn’t want to fight this connection or ignore the magic flourishing between us.

Which made being alone with her very dangerous.

I’d just spent several hours fielding messages and calls regarding her powerful existence, being told by nearly every monarch that Nyx was a problem that needed to be removed.

Taking her as my queen was going to create conflict. It could hurt my House. It might lead to war. I knew all that, and yet for once in my life, I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to do something forme—without thought of anyone else.

And for that reason alone, I pulled away.

Because I couldn’t allow this intoxicating need to derail everything I’d built. There were too many lives under my control—under myprotection—to give in to a selfish notion.

But that didn’t mean I was ready to give up on a future with Nyx.

There had to be a way to make this work.

I stood and slowly unfastened my shirt while Nyx observed, her alluring eyes tracking over my movements in a predatory manner.

When I reached the bottom, I folded the fabric and set it on a nearby bench, then tugged my undershirt off over my head.

“I see you, too,” Nyx murmured, causing my lips to curl as I bent to pull off my dress shoes and socks. “Mm-hmm.”

Her forward approach was different from so many other women of my past, her appraisal one of truth and conviction, and not at all laced with malevolence. Or not any I could sense, anyway.

Of course, I still wasn’t clear on the full extent of her powers. She could be similar to Cara—a black widow hidden in plain sight.

However, somehow, I doubted that.

All of Nyx’s actions had suggested genuine intrigue, each choice almost innocent in nature. She could have severely hurt my people today, but rather than fight them, she’d created a magical barrier.

Perhaps it was all a ruse, a way to tempt me into bed and fuck up my carefully controlled world.

I could play the what-if game all damn night.

But what I really wanted to do was talk to Nyx, read her, and see if we couldn’t come up with a solution to this issue—together.

This female could be my future queen. Why not treat her like one?

“You are not disappointing my imagination,” she told me as I lost my pants. “Does this mean I get to lick you now?”

I faced her in nothing but my boxers. “No. We need to talk first.” Which was why I left the last shred of my clothing on—we clearly needed a barrier here—before diving into the water.