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THE NEXT TWO WEEKS went by quickly. It was a mix of preparing for the war that everyone knew was coming and getting ready for his brother’s wedding. The day had been a long time in coming, and sitting at a table while the grooms looked lovingly at one another, Solan had never been happier for his brother. But he was ready for the party to be over. His Match sat beside him, smile beaming and looking delectable in a tightfitting green dress. He’d finally worked up the nerve to give her the necklace and now she wore it proudly around her neck.
He liked seeing the jewelry on her. And he had an appointment with the jeweler in Osais to select more pieces. There were two sides to his Match, the woman he could drape in jewels and try and pamper to his heart’s content, and the tough soldier who resisted pampering but was his equal in every way.
His sister had come up to them earlier and had been friendly enough. She and Lena weren’t close; two weeks wasn’t enough to make up for the mean things she had said over the phone. But it was better than the frosty greeting that had passed between Lena and his mother.
Lunch the day after they met had been a battle. Solan’s mother had been head of the family for so long that she wasn’t used to being challenged. And Lena didn’t back down. When Solan took his Match’s side over his mother’s, things went from tense to pained. Would things ever improve? He hoped so. He loved his mother, even if she could be difficult. But he wouldn’t stand for anyone, especially his family, treating Lena poorly.
They had met some members of other aristocratic families and things had gone well. Solan’s fears about how they would react to his human Match had so far been unfounded. Of course, they hadn’t met everyone.
The celebratory meal was coming to a close, and soon the rest of the party would start with singing and dancing and a night full of revelry. But there was only one person that he wanted to revel with.
He twined his fingers with Lena’s and leaned in close. “Come with me.” He knew of a few secret nooks and crannies in the building and he had just the spot in mind to steal a quick moment with Lena.
She grinned conspiratorially and squeezed his fingers, getting up from her seat and walking beside him. Just out the door to the main room where the wedding was taking place, Crowze, Grace, and Zac were huddled together and speaking in harsh whispers. Grace put a hand on Crowze’s arm and Zac let out an affronted sound. He stepped in close, but Solan didn’t see what happened next. He and Lena were already turning another corner. And, frankly, he didn’t care that much.
One hallway led to another, past the restrooms and beyond the kitchen. No one was going to come this way, not unless they wanted to get into a bit of trouble. There were a few storage rooms and a small dining room for private parties.
“Have you lured me here to have your wicked way with me, sir?” Lena asked with a teasing smile, stepping close to him and running her finger up and down his chest.
“I would never take advantage of someone innocent,” he said with false sincerity.
“Good thing I’m not innocent.” She leaned in close and kissed him, backing him up against the wall, not caring that they were still in the hallway. Anyone could walk in on them.
He heard a door open and then a feminine voice said, “Oh!”
Lena broke away from him and looked around. Solan glanced over her shoulder and saw Oz and Emily standing in the doorway of one of those little storage rooms, both of them with mussed hair, wrinkled clothes, and cheeks pink from exertion. They all stared at each other for several seconds before bursting out laughing.
Emily collapsed against Oz , hiding her face against his shoulder as she was overcome with even harder laughter. She and Oz shuffled away without saying a word.
“Come on,” Solan said, leading Lena towards the newly vacant closet.
Lena paused. “Is this the only option in this hallway?” she asked.
“No, I think we have some options a little further down.” He had studied the layout to make sure his brother could have a secure event. Now he was thankful for entirely different reasons.
Lena kissed him again. “Let’s try that, then. I don’t want to think about Emily and Oz while you’re inside of me.”
Fire lit in his blood, and he could feel her spark coursing through his veins. His cock thickened, and it took a good deal of self-control to keep from pressing her against the wall and taking her right there. “If I’m doing my job, you won’t be able to think about anything.” He tugged her arm further down the hall and they snuck into the small dining room. The dining table wasn’t a bed, but it would do for the moment. Lena hopped up and summoned him toward her with the crook of her finger, a wicked smile on her face.
He closed the distance between them and covered her mouth. He was exactly where he was supposed to be, and he couldn’t wait to live the rest of his life at her side.
