Page 45 of The Desert Prince's Jewel
Still naked, might I add. I need him to hurry up and stop being such a tease.
“Uh-huh,” I say, not paying attention to anything else other than the way he tugs his slacks up over his perky ass.
Snapping too close to my ears alerts me to Mateo’s presence. He hoves above me with a smirk, tilting his head, his chest still exposed and ready to be teased, pampered, and adored. Every inch of him, until my Mateo’s voice is hoarse.
“Enough gawking at my ass, and get the hell up!Anddressed. We need to match,” he declares, and I roll my eyes, picking up his bad habit.
“Yes, boss,” I drawl as I rise on my tail and slowly transform into a man, bolting inside the bathroom to get ready so we can go.
Once I’m washed up and dried off, subjecting Mateo to the same naked torture he subjected me to, I stand in the mirror trying on outfits until I settle on white Indian formal wear and a matching white mask. I reach for my mate’s hand and squeeze it tight in my human form as he comes up beside me in inverted colors, all black, but the same peacock-esque mask.
Close enough,I think, as I admire Kunal’s handiwork, who found our outfits and Rohan’s.
I wish I had all four arms to hoist him up and open the door, but I settle on holding Mateo to my side with one arm as I fumble with the lock with my free hand.
But he forces me to stop, gazing up at me with adoration that catches me off guard. Despite everything we’ve gone through and the months we’ve been holed up in this hotel, I find Mateo still has layers to him I’ve yet to peel back. And right now, I think I’m seeing yet another side of my mate.
“What is it?” I ask.
He swallows hard, “You look so fucking handsome right now, Ranbir. Like, stunningly handsome! Like–”
I chuckle, nuzzling his forehead to shut him up before he starts rambling as he’s prone to do, “Yes, and you do too. So let’s–”
He cuts me off, trembling slightly as he squeezes my side.
“Yeah, but, um, before we leave, I want to say I-I-I love you, Ranbir! So let’s have a fucking fantastic night and come back to this hotel room and not come out for a few days minimum. I’ll order the takeout and we’ll just… stay in the bed,” I stiffen as he whispers those words so softly I’ve been dying to hear for months, that I almost missed them. Those words I’ve longed for came out so casually, as if he were saying good morning, have a great day, and I’ll see you soon, babe.
What the hell!?
“Just like that?” I ask, stunned that he would detonate a bomb of that magnitude before we even get a drink in our systems.
“I was too chicken shit to say it before,” Mateo’s voice grows stronger as he looks up at me, eyes filled with yearning and fear, “But I love you too. And I don’t know how things work in Thar, but I know you said this is around the time you have to go back, to re-inherit the throne, right? And I know what I’m asking is probably ridiculous, seeing as I’m a barista, and you’re a crown prince, but I want you to sta—”
“Sssssh,” I silence him with another kiss, this one hungry, needing to pour all my love and desire into it.
After wanting only those three simple words for three whole months, I don’t want him to ruin this perfect moment withhis delusional fear that I would ever leave him, my mate, and the other half of my soul. So I shut him up forcibly this time, enjoying the sensual yet sweet bliss the kiss elicits in my spirit. I pull away, sucking on his bottom lip. Then I cup his cheeks and force him to hold my gaze and not look anywhere but at me. All of me. Real and raw. Unfiltered. Unguarded. My heart lay bare as Mateo’s mate, and not the crown prince of Thar.
“I don’t know what the future will bring. Father is elated, but torn. An exiled crown prince has never returned to the throne. Regardless, that’s tomorrow’s battle. And I’ve already won the war, my little thief. You’re mine now. I will never leave you behind. And you never have to worry about something as ridiculous as me abandoning you.”
He bristles, then chuckles, Mateo’s eyes twinkling with delight. “Oh? What war? And I’m still a thief to you?”
“The war for your heart after you stole mine,” I say softly, “And yes, you are, thief of my heart now and forever.”
“Oh, brother, quit the romantics! I’m going to be sick! This is why I didn’t want to say it, you know? You’ve been way too lovely, dovey as is. Now I’ll never get my grumpy prince back, will I?” he moans.
“Never. I’m going to spoil you fucking rotten now, Mateo. Just you wait,” I purr, not even attempting to lie to him.
Mateo can say whatever he wants, but my mate positively preens when I praise and pamper him and make it known that I adore him. Like I am right now.
“Don’t worry about tomorrow. Be in the moment with me today, and stay with me. Pretend we’re not ourselves, if that helps,” I offer, trying not to clutch Mateo’s ass and grind against him. For once, my larger head wins around him.
“We’re attending a masquerade ball,” Mateo singsongs, adjusting my mask. “I get it. We’re not a prince and barista, we’re… boy… friends.”
“We’re much more than that,” I began, but I see him melting down in real time, so I hold back the second half of my confession.
Besides, I don’t want Rohan or Kunal to be witnesses at a court wedding. I have to figure out what I need to sell and which connections I need to work on to fly us back to India for a proper wedding someday soon. But, like I just instructed Mateo, I’ll stay present in the moment for now.
“Look, Ranbir, I can only take so much in one night. If you don’t shut up, my heart will give out on me,” Mateo drags my hands from his cheeks to his chest, and I resist the urge to squeeze as his heart thuds against my palms. “I know I started this, but I’m sorry, alright. Truce?”
