Page 63 of Devotion

“Baby, listen to me.” He gently tucks some of my loose hair behind my ear. “I have people asking me to trade their partners for you all the time.”

“Wh-what?”

“All the time. It’s ridiculous and honestly offensive that they think I’d be willing to simply give you away, but they do. They see how beautiful and clever and generous you are. How much warmth you radiate. How in sync you are with people all over the palace. How confident you are in your role here and how genuinely devoted you are to me. With other partners, it sometimes feels like an act, but never with you. They see me hurrying to get back to you. They see the credits I give you and the times I’ve called in favors to make things better for you and your family. They might sense how much… how much I value you. So they’ve rightfully concluded that you’re special, and they want you for themselves.”

I lick my dry lips. Swipe away a stray tear. “I didn’t… I didn’t know that.”

“I know you didn’t. I was afraid it might make you uncomfortable if I told you, and honestly, I didn’t want you to get any ideas about moving on to someone else. But people are always trying to poach you, so I have to be incredibly careful about how I handle it.”

“You do?”

“I do. So far no one has asked for you who’s higher in the administration than I am, but it’s a real possibility. What happens if one of the chief administrators or Vincent himself decides they want you as a partner and won’t take no for an answer? Then it would be a dangerous, diplomatic mess because of course I’d never agree to a trade. So I have to make it sound like you’renotspecial to me and that I don’t have a lot invested in it. I have to handle it very carefully.”

All of this is entirely new to me, and it’s knitting my heart back together. Making it fly. Soar.

“I have to be incredibly careful, Jess, or they’ll take you away from me.” His blue eyes are soft and so serious. He’s telling me the truth.

I swallow down a whimper. “I didn’t… I didn’t know.”

“I can see that. I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want you to feel in any way insecure. But I’ve been living with this for a while. I can’t let anyone see how much you mean to me, or they might want even more to poach you.” He cups my face again and then slides a hand down to hold the side of my neck possessively. “I’m not going to let them take you from me.”

“Please don’t let them,” I whisper.

He leans forward, and for a moment I swear he’s going to kiss me. I want it so much. But he stops himself. Appears briefly awkward—like he’s not sure what to do—before he asks, “Are you okay now?”

“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t say something before. I shouldn’t have lied to you. But I was… I was really hurt. By what you said. By what I thought you meant.”

“Don’t keep something like that to yourself again.”

“I won’t.”

“I mean it. You bring to me anything that upsets you. Even if it’s me. That should always be the first thing you do. I may not always be able to fix it, but sometimes I can. And even if I can’t, I still need to know.”

I’m being washed with warm waves of affection and security and bone-deep emotional pleasure. I drop my eyes so that he won’t read such naked vulnerability in my expression. “Okay,” I mumble. “I will. From now on I will.”

“Good.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I’m not sure what happens to me then. It’s like all the energy is zapped out of me with a lightning strike. I fall back onto the bed without volition, and then I’m embarrassed, so I giggle up at him.

He smiles at whatever he sees in my face. “You feel better now.” It’s not entirely clear whether it’s a statement or a question.

“Yes. I do.”

He stretches out beside me, rolling onto his side and propping his head up on one folded arm. “Is it really your period or was that another lie?”

I swallow hard. “It is going to start in another day or two, but it hasn’t started yet. We never finished the massage, and I didn’t make you come, but I can do that now if you want.”

“Maybe.” He’s looking down at me with a warm entitlement that thrills me. One of his hands moves back to my face, tracing the line of my cheekbone and jaw with the tips of his fingers.“Can I touch you?” he murmurs, his eyes lowering to my bare breasts.

“Yes, you can touch me. You can do anything you want.”

He’s already had his hands all over on my face, my neck, my bottom, and my pussy. Multiple times. I’m not entirely sure why he’s asking now.

His hand slides down lower until he’s gently feeling one of my nipples. The light touch generates tingles of pleasure that go right to my pussy. His eyes are soft and hot. They seem to devour me, moving hungrily from my breasts to my face and back again.

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