Chapter 56 #3
“It doesn’t bother me, as long as you two treat each other with respect.
I’m starting to understand what happened, and I don’t feel bad at all about your feelings toward him.
Like you said, Serguei is a different person now.
If he was really that bad before, I believe he’s fighting to be better.
He’s still a bit exhausting, dramatic, invasive...
” I remembered the first time I saw him and the “test” he’d put me through. “Abusive, crazy, extreme, reckless...”
I noticed Zion’s smile widening as I ticked off on my fingers everything I thought of Serguei.
“I get it, Kay. Gods, only I know how Serguei is all that and then some.” He smiled and kissed my cheek, making me snuggle even closer to his chest. “But enough about Serguei. Do you have any more questions?”
“Yes. Where are we going after the test?”
He gave a restrained smile and intertwined our fingers, relaxing against the chair.
“Thinking about the honeymoon?” His left eyebrow rose playfully.
“I’m always thinking about the honeymoon.”
He laughed, and the sound danced over my skin, warming my body in a way only he could.
“We’re going to a special place I really like.”
“We’re not staying home?”
“No, you deserve something better, and I want to do this. I’m preparing everything so we won’t have any setbacks.
” I swung my feet, which didn’t reach the floor.
Every time he kept me in suspense, I got even more anxious.
I noticed Kiara looking at my colorful sock with interest. Then she looked at Zion, and the two seemed to be conversing mentally.
“What is it?” I asked, intrigued, and he grew a bit serious as he looked back at me.
“Kiara says you smell different, and it’s keeping her awake at night. I think she’s referring to the stress from the test. I feel it through the bond too.”
Kiara huffed, getting our attention, and he laughed.
“Tell me,” I said, looking from one to the other. His eyes sparkled when he answered:
“She says you should do that exercise with the paws, the one you usually do when you send her to sleep in the next room.” I frowned, trying to understand what the paws meant. “She says you relax after the exercise.”
Kiara huffed in agreement, her eyes shining with concern.
I thought for a moment longer, trying to remember what she was talking about, while Zion held back a smile, watching my every expression.
My jaw dropped when I finally understood, and I felt the blush rising to my face. He laughed openly this time.
“You’re the biggest gossip on Jupiter,” I grumbled at her, swinging my feet and poking her ear. She bit my sock, clearly amused by the whole situation.
“If it helps, do it. I can give you privacy, if you want,” he purred in my ear, and I shivered at the husky tone of his voice. I shifted in his lap, trying to maintain my composure.
“I’d rather save it for after the test.” I stared at him, and his eyes burned with desire. He pulled me against his chest, nuzzling my ear with his nose.
“I like you naughty and uninhibited like this.” His voice made my toes curl as something hot spread through my lower belly.
Kiara raised her head, sniffing the air, and stared at us once again in disapproval.
“But enough flirting, before Serguei breaks down the door again,” Zion announced, still conversing mentally with her.
“Let’s go to my room—that’s where your gift is. ”
He stood up with me in his arms, and I clung to his shoulders.
“You’re not going to transport us?” I asked, amused, as he climbed the first step of the stairs.
“And miss the chance to feel you in my arms?” His smile was triumphant. “No way. I get so little time with you—I’m not giving up a single moment.”
I smiled at him and he smiled back. Simple as that.
Simple and magical, just as love promised to be.
I studied that perfect face: the straight, strong nose, the slightly slanted eyes with dark, full lashes, his thick eyebrow cut by a scar, and finally, that wide, soft mouth that stirred all my impure thoughts.
“What is it?” he asked, pushing the door open with his foot. I must have looked like a maniac, devouring him with my eyes.
“Nothing.” I relaxed in his arms.
“Nothing of what kind?” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Nothing of the ‘I like what I see’ kind,” I murmured in his ear. He smiled at me and then laid me on the bed, lying down beside me.
“Even the dark, scarred side?” he asked, opening his arms for me to nestle into. His eyes shone like the ocean reflecting sunlight.
“Every side, from every angle. I like everything I see, no exceptions.” I snuggled even closer to him, then remembered what we’d come here to do. “Hey! What about my present?”
He kissed my temple and removed the wet towel from my hair, leaving it on the nightstand beside the bed.
“I promise I’ll give it to you soon. Let me hold you just a little longer.” He squeezed me tighter, pulling me close. I buried my nose in his shirt, breathed him in, and closed my eyes.
“Just a little longer.”
We knew it was a lie.