Page 47

47

MAX

J asmine beamed with happiness. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning. If you need me, you know where to find me." She pointed at her house.

"I'll call first." Kyra pulled her daughter into a fierce hug. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Jasmine said with a slight tremor in her voice. "Nothing could make me happier than to have you here, living across the street from me, and my aunts and cousins a few houses down. For me, this is paradise."

"For me, too." Kyra kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, sweetheart. And say goodnight to Ell-rom from me."

Max hadn't even noticed that the guy had ducked out of sight, and it must have happened a while ago. Perhaps he'd gotten tired, or maybe the reunion had made him overly emotional. Despite his deadly abilities, the prince was a gentle soul .

"I will." Jasmine shifted her gaze to Max. "Treat my mother right, or I will put a hex on you."

He pretended to shiver in fright. "Your mother is my warrior queen, and I her humble servant."

Jasmine snorted. "Humble my ass. You don't have a humble bone in your body." She leaned over, kissed his cheek, and then leaned away. "Having you as my stepdad will be so weird."

He grimaced. "Ooh, yeah. You as my stepdaughter." He shook his head. "Let's just not go there."

Jasmine laughed, gave them a finger wave, and walked over to her house.

"What was that all about?" Kyra asked.

"You know the story. Amanda tried to play matchmaker and get Jasmine and me together. It was an automatic no-go because she reminded me of Fenella. I guess I owe Fenella a thank you for that. And before you ask, Jasmine didn't like me either."

"I don't know if I should be glad or sad about that. I want you two to like each other."

"We do. We made our peace when we investigated your disappearance."

Kyra let out a breath. "Good."

"Shall we?" He motioned at the house.

"Yes. Of course."

"Then let's do it properly." He swung her into his arms and walked over to the front door.

Kyra wrapped her arms around his neck. "Carrying the bride over the threshold? "

"Indeed." He opened the door with his foot and stepped inside. "Welcome home, Kyra."

"Welcome home, Max." She lifted her head and kissed his cheek. "Can you let me down now?"

"Yes, of course." He gently put her down and then laid their two duffle bags on the floor by the front door.

Kyra walked toward the kitchen, trailing her fingers over the granite countertops, the smooth surfaces of the polished appliances, even the gooseneck faucet, and then turned around.

"It's even nicer than the penthouse."

It wasn't, but it was theirs, and even though it was not much different than the house he'd been sharing with Thomas, it was the first time he was sharing a house with someone who truly mattered to him. That made it home.

"I love the open concept living area and the large windows that capture the golden evening light," she said.

"The automatic shutters are going to come down any moment now. The village is under a strict no-light rule at night to protect its location." Max frowned. "In fact, maybe we should alert your sisters before the shutters go down, as they may misinterpret what's going on."

"I'm on it," Kyra nodded as she texted Jasmine to split the sisters between them. A moment later, Jasmine replied, and Kyra smiled. "It's all good. Jasmine has already given my sisters the heads-up." She started opening kitchen cabinets and drawers, finding them fully stocked with dishes, cookware, and utensils. "I can't believe they did all this."

Max watched her explorations with a warmth spreading through his chest. "Let's check out the rest," he suggested, taking her hand.

They checked out the guest bedroom next and then moved on to the master bedroom with its king-sized bed, seating area, generously sized bathroom, and walk-in closet. It was already filled with their clothing, with Kyra's meager wardrobe on one side and his own clothes on the other.

"Jasmine even had my things brought over from my house. I'm impressed."

Kyra laughed. "Presumptuous of her, wasn't it?"

"Perceptive," Max corrected with a grin. "Though I doubt she anticipated how quickly things would develop between us."

A folded piece of paper rested on top of a neat stack of T-shirts, and as Max picked it up and read it, his smile widened.

"What is it?" Kyra asked.

"A note from my roommate." He handed it to her.

Kyra took the paper and read it aloud: "Congratulations on finding your truelove mate. May your forever be filled with happiness. —Thomas." She looked up at Max with amusement dancing in her eyes. "That was nice of him."

"It was," he agreed, pulling out his phone. "I should text him to say thanks and to apologize for the short notice. He wasn't expecting me to leave him quite so suddenly."

His fingers flew over the screen, composing a message: Thanks for the note and for helping Jasmine with my things. Sorry about the abrupt move. Drinks on me next time we are at the Hobbit .

The response came almost immediately, No worries. Happy for you. Any chance you could introduce me to one of your girlfriend's sisters? I hear there are four of them, and they are all single .

Max laughed, drawing a curious look from Kyra, who had moved to inspect the bathroom.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Thomas," Max said, showing her the message. "I should have warned you that gossip runs at the speed of light through the village. The hounds have heard about four new ladies in the village, so your sisters are going to become very popular very fast."

Kyra rolled her eyes. "My sisters need time to adjust first. I should talk to them about where they stand on faith and relationships. I have a feeling they're not particularly religious and would prefer a secular life, but I need to check with them to confirm." She smiled. "When I know their feelings on the matter, point me in the direction of the biggest gossip so I can have their wishes known."

"I know just the guy."

Max set the phone aside and pulled her into his arms, relishing the way she fit against him. "But all of that can wait until tomorrow," he murmured, brushing his lips against her temple. "Right now, I believe you have a promise to deliver on."

Her amber eyes darkened with acknowledgement. "I do, don't I?"

"Mmm," he confirmed, his hands sliding down to her waist. "That's all I have been thinking of since you announced your plans for me."

"Me too," she admitted. "Well, it wasn't all I've been thinking about, but it did occupy a large chunk of my cognition."

"Perhaps we should start with a joint shower? It has been a long twenty-four hours."

"More like thirty-six," she whispered, her fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. "After so many days of travel and combat, I could use a thorough cleansing."

Max felt his body responding to her teasing tone, to the promise in her eyes. "Allow me," he said, reaching for the buttons of her shirt with deliberate slowness. Each one revealed another inch of skin that he wanted to worship, to memorize with his fingertips and lips.

Kyra stood perfectly still, only the quickening of her breath betraying her anticipation as he worked his way down. When the last button gave way, he pushed the fabric from her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. She stood in front of him in her sports bra, lean and yet round in all the right places .

"Your turn," she whispered, tugging at his shirt until he raised his arms, allowing her to pull it over his head.

She placed her palms on his chest, her fingers tracing every ridge and valley. "You are like a golden god," she whispered.

He chuckled. "I'm a descendant of gods, so I guess the compliment's fitting."

Kyra laughed. "I love how modest you are."

"Modesty is overrated." He pulled her cargo pants down, and when all that covered her body was a bra and a pair of modest underwear, he took a moment to marvel at her strong, lithe warrior's body.

"You're gorgeous," he murmured.

Her eyes were glowing with inner light as she gave him another thorough once-over. "So are you. Now, lose the pants."

"So bossy." He did as she commanded, standing before her in his boxer shorts.

The stretchy cotton couldn't hide the massive erection he was sporting, and as her gaze lingered there a little longer than other parts of his body, he felt a stupid surge of male pride.

"Like what you see?"

"Very much so." Her voice was husky with desire. "Shouldn't you turn the water on?"

"Yeah, I should." Max didn't move, mesmerized by her body and wondering how to best divest her of what was still covering her.

He hadn't forgotten what Kyra had told him about abstaining from physical pleasure for over two decades. The only times she'd been touched sexually hadn't been consensual, and it certainly hadn't been pleasurable.

Max forced the thought out of his mind because it had no place in this beautiful moment between them. Instead, he reached into the shower to turn the faucet on, adjusting the temperature until steam began to rise. Then he took her hand and guided her inside into the warm cascade that enveloped them both.

Water sluiced over them, dampening Kyra's hair and making the fabric of her bra and panties see-through.

It was doing the same to his boxer shorts.

"Can I peel this off you?" He pulled one strap down her shoulder.

She nodded, swallowing nervously.

Max took his time, pulling the other strap and tugging the garment down until her breasts popped free.

"Fates, Kyra." He knelt in front of her, reverently kissing each turgid peak while pulling the bra all the way down her toned legs.

When she stepped out of it, he tossed it aside, and it plopped down with a wet splash. Kissing down her flat belly, he pushed his thumbs into the elastic of her panties and pulled them down slowly, kissing every inch of tanned skin he exposed. When he discarded them, he was tempted to cup her bottom and sink his face in her mound, but he reminded himself that Kyra didn't remember ever being with a man before, and her reintroduction to the world of carnal pleasures should be slow.