Page 45 of Lost Heir
“Nothing,” Marcellus and I answered at the same time.
Our father laughed. “Derinda, leave them be. It’s good to see them bonding.”
Our mother huffed but didn’t say a word. Marcellus andI shared another mischievous look as if we were in on some secret.
“All right, I think I’ve eaten enough. Are you ready, Derinda?” my father asked as he tossed his napkin onto the table and pushed his chair back, standing.
My mother sighed. “I suppose.” She gently patted the corners of her mouth and set her napkin aside before standing.
Without another word, our parents left the dining hall, leaving me alone with Marcellus and Caelan.
“I hope you’ll give me a chance, Lyanna,” Caelan murmured, leaning forward. “All I want is a chance.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “It’s not like I have a choice.”
“Ronan can’t give you what I can,” he insisted. “If what you said is true, then being with him is even more dangerous. You can’t risk—”
“I’ll make my own decisions,” I said quickly as I threw my napkin on the table. I’d had more than enough of this conversation already. Pushing my chair back, I stood. “I said I’d give you a chance because my father agreed to it. But don’t expect me to like it.”
I hurried out of the dining hall with Marcellus calling after me. I didn’t want to ignore him, but I also didn’t want to keep repeating the same old song and dance with Caelan. No matter how many times I said no, he still didn’t understand.
Viktor and Tessa were waiting for me outside the dining hall. We quickly departed the Central palace and headed back to the Eastern palace.
When I entered my chambers,I should have been surprised to see Ronan lying on my bed, but of course I wasn’t. His boots were lined up in front of the footboard, his ankles crossed and his hands tucked behind his head. A smirk splayed across his face the instant I stepped through the door. It was absolutely irresistible and brightened my mood considerably.
I chuckled. “What are you doing here?”
His grin widened. “I thought we could explore beyond the palace grounds today. Maybe take a stroll in the capital and get some of those mooncakes you love so much.”
It was as if he read my mind. “I was just thinking about a mooncake! I was going to tell Tessa to ask the kitchen to make some.”
Ronan sat up and gave a devastating grin. “Why ask, when we can venture to the capital where they’ve already been made? Come on, Leila. Let’s explore Valoria. I’m sure things aren’t the same as when you were eleven.”
I walked toward him and perched at the edge of my bed. “I’ll have to ask permission to leave the palace,” I groaned. “And after the breakfast I just had, I doubt my mother would allow it.”
He frowned. “Everything okay?”
I shook my head. “Caelan keeps insisting on the marriage alliance, and my mother is all for it. Luckily Marcellus and my father are not, but Caelan requested an opportunity to court me in the hopes he can change my mind.”
Ronan rolled his eyes and muttered, “Well, he’s persistent, I’ll give him that much.”
I attempted to ease his worries. “I won’t change my mind, no matter what he does.”
He nodded. “Still, his persistence is worrisome. I don’t know why, but I sense he has something up his sleeve.”
“Possibly, but I don’t want to think about him now,” I said. “Is there anything else we could do besides leaving the palace grounds?”
Ronan raised a mischievous brow. “Well Leila, I’m sure we can think ofsomething.” He slid closer, then grabbed my waist and flipped me onto my back until he hovered over me. “Why don’t we …?” he trailed off as his fingers glided down to the buttons that ran down the front of my dress.
“Ronan…” I moaned as he began to unbutton my dress. “We can’t keep doing this, or we’ll eventually get caught.”
He brought his lips to mine, effectively shutting me up. Our mouths melded into one another and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His hard body pressed against mine and I couldn’t resist roaming my hands over his skin. He was utter perfection, his beauty unmatched.
“I wish we could stay in bed all day long,” Ronan murmured, trailing a fiery path of kisses down my neck to my chest. He unbuttoned the top of my dress and exposed my breasts, kissing them gently before taking my nipple into his mouth.
I worried others outside my room would hear the moan of ecstasy that erupted from me. My hands dug into Ronan’s hair, needing to take ahold of something as his tongue licked, swirled, and sucked on my breasts.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head. “I want you, Ronan. Desperately.”
