Page 92 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
I swallowed, doing my best to maintain my composure against this sudden flirting of his. “Speak for yourself. You figured out exactly what I was thinking, Kalon.”
He chuckled, and it was as though I was being bathed in sunlight for the first time in months. “Careful. You so rarely say my name that when you do it and you’re this close to me, it gives me ideas.”
“Ideas?”
“Mm. Ideas.” He released my hand and cupped my chin, touching the tip of his thumb to my lower lip.
Our eyes met and just like at the ball, I was trapped in his consuming gaze, completely powerless to look away from the purple sea of intensity.
“You should respond to the viscountess,” he said in a low voice. “But tell her that your fiancé is an extremely jealous man, so she may host it here instead.”
“I can’t tell her that,” I replied in an equally soft voice. “People might talk.”
“What? About how the Grand Duke is so obsessed with his future wife that he had to be involved in her welcome ball at all costs?” His lips pulled into the dirtiest of smirks. “I don’t see how that’s a bad thing.”
“It’s hardly true.”
He brought his face so close to mine that my heart almost jumped right out of my chest. “Isn’t it?”
I blinked at him.
What?
Kalon dropped his hand and stepped back, putting some much-needed distance between our bodies. “We’ll return from the hunting competition on the twenty-fifth. You should have Elena arrange it for one week or so after that. I’ll work through dinner, so make time for me tomorrow so we can discuss appointing your aide and knight.”
“I—” I stopped when he kissed my hand and turned. “Yes, of course.”
He threw me the tiniest of smiles over his shoulder before he disappeared past the bushes, but that was all it took.
A blush flooded my neck and face, and I dropped back onto the bench, pressing my cheeks to my hands. My letter floated to my feet, and I merely stayed here, staring after the ghost of him walking away.
What the hell was allthat?
Chapter Twenty-One
The Grand Duke’s Dark Side
“Please make sure these are sent out today,” I said to Lydia, handing her my small stack of letters.
Not only did I have my reply to Viscountess Evsea in the pile, I’d also written to Marquess Talwick thanking him for his support, plus the other three nobles who were considering the policy. And, while I was at it, I’d written to all my friends back in the capital to assure them I was doing fine and would see them soon at the hunting competition.
And yes, my hand hurt. If they weren’t so personal, I’d have had Bella assist me.
“Yes, my lady,” Lydia said, taking the bundle of envelopes from me. “I’ll do it immediately.”
“Thank you.” I beamed at her, then turned to Bella. “What’s that in your hand?”
“Ah, Sir Hayes caught me on my way over here.” She put the envelope in front of me. “Apparently, this is the shortlist he drew up for your chief aide for your consideration.”
“Oh, right. His Highness did mention that to me in the garden yesterday.”
Her eyes twinkled at my words. “Oho, did he?”
“Bella, if you’d like to daydream, go and read a romance novel.”
I wasnotgoing to talk about whatever the hell that was in the garden yesterday. I couldn’t make sense of it, so I was opting to ignore it instead. I was sure he was only messing with me.
There was no way that man was obsessed with me, right?
