Page 63 of Destined Dawn

“Uh huh,” she says, admiring her work a final time.

I take my opportunity, grabbing the hand she has holding my jaw with and dragging it lower to my neck, forcing her to wrap her fingers around my throat. Then I kiss her, and while I do I encourage her to wrap her fingers more tightly. She takes the hint, squeezing, digging her fingers into the newly smooth skin, so I’m gasping for breath as I kiss her, light-headed and giddy.

However, just as it’s getting fucking interesting, she pulls away, that mischief, that darkness sparking in her eyes.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she says.

“But I want you to, little rabbit,” I growl.

She lays one palm on my chest.

“You’re really special to me, you know that,” she says,before stroking the other palm down my cheek. “And you look even more handsome now.”

My heart stops beating. I feel like I died all over again as she smiles up at me and walks out of the bathroom, leaving me alone there in the misty room like some kind of startled ghost.

24

Tristan

Knuckles rap woodsoftly and then a voice from behind the door tells us the feast is about to begin and we are expected. Are we ready?

Us men are. All five of us lined up looking like penguins in our matching suits and white shirts.

Well, when I say lined up, that’s not quite true. Spencer’s pacing the room and Barone’s sprawled over a chair again, muttering to himself with a big grin on his face. We’re all waiting on Rhi, who disappeared into one of the bedrooms several minutes ago with her arms full of dresses.

Azlan steps towards that bedroom now and raps his own knuckles on the door.

“Rhianna,” he says, “are you ready?”

“Nearly,” she calls back, “give me a minute.” Azlanstomps back towards the suite door and informs the person on the other side we’ll be one minute.

I whistle under my breath. “You really don’t know a lot about women,” I say to him.

“And you do?” he says gruffly, giving me the evil eye.

“I know enough about them to understand that when they say they’ll be one minute, they won’t. We’re looking at half an hour at least.”

Azlan scoffs, but Stone, fiddling with his bowtie, nods. “He’s right.”

Azlan looks at us both, clearly debating whether we’re pulling his chain or not. Then stomps back over to the bedroom.

“Is there anything we can do to help, Rhi? The feast is about to start.”

I rub at my chin, smothering a smile with my hand. Azlan has never enjoyed being late. He’s regimental to the point and always on time. No wonder he never had a girl.

I hear Rhi murmur something the other side of the door and then Azlan disappears inside the bedroom.

“Are we likely to see either of them again this evening?” Spencer asks with a hint of bitterness in his tone. I can’t blame him. He still hasn’t gotten his hands on Rhi and I know exactly what that feels like.

“No,” I say, “Az likes being on time far more than he likes sex.”

Stone snorts. “I wouldn’t count on that.”

My eyes shoot to the door, immediately imagining him throwing Piglet down on the bed and …

The door creaks open and Rhi steps out.

And fuck, it’s like all the oxygen is sucked out of the room. We’re all catching our breaths. She looks beautiful. Like she did that night of the Victory Ball – only better. Amillion times better. Gut-wrenchingly beautiful. So much so my bond is dancing in my stomach.