The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0263

Nicholas’s mouth was hot on mine. His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me closely. I clutched at his shoulders, early accepting his kisses, until the need for air forced us apart.

He rested his forehead against mine. “You have to change.”

“Nick,” I said. He was being ridiculous. “This dress is not revealing.”

“You look so sexy in it. I can’t stand the thought of Terry seeing you like this.”

I smiled a little. This dress was not flattering on me. I knew that. I looked okay, but out of fashion. I’d worn more revealing clothes before.

I imagined a big part of Nicholas’s trouble was that he was attracted to me in anything. “You’d probably be jealous even if I wore a potato sack.”

He didn’t argue. “I don’t like the way Terry looks at you.” His arms squeezed me closer. “Why don’t you stay here, after all. Stay with Elva. Julian and I can snoop around Terry’s mansion. You don’t need to endanger yourself.”

I shook my head. “You know I can’t do that. Even if I wanted to. I had such a poor showing in the last event, that I can’t risk botching another. I need attend and do the best I can.”

“Terry won’t make it easy on you.‘

“I know that,” I said. “But I don’t have any other choice.”

Nicholas frowned deeply but he made no further remarks. Instead, he stepped back from me and turned on the lights to the garage. Taking my hand, he led me through the various fancy cars until we reached a black sedan with tinted windows.

He opened the passenger door and helped me inside. Then he went around to the driver’s side. The seats were soft leather, the console black and impeccably clean. When Nicholas turned the key, the car started with a confident purr.

and carefully navigated out of the

pulled out onto the street, my nerves began to prickle again.

my tense posture and the way I couldn’t sit still.

was on the road at all. The other cars were long gone and no one else seemed to use this road this time of night. The sun had set,

yellow line, trying to collect my thoughts. Yes, I was a lamb headed into the lion’s den. But Nicholas and Julian would be there. And Susie and the other girls. If Terry wanted to isolate me, he’d

like the type that would be all that bothered what others thought of him or his actions. He had the ear of the Luna and the King.

were reaching the mansion. I could tell from the way Nicholas’s hands choked

side of us. Nicholas lifted his foot off the gas. Slowly, he pulled onto the side of the road, where a dirt road seemed to lead to nowhere. He put the car into park.

“Nicholas?”

what it was because I felt it too, all the way down into the deepest parts of

said, and I complied at once, leaning toward him.

bit awkward, with the center console jutting unwelcomed into the space between us. But our need to hold each other overcame any obstacle. Nicholas

him so close that I wouldn’t be able to tell where he ended and

finally feel

to separate us tonight. I knew that to be true. Somehow, I would have to be strong, depend on my physical training from Nicholas, and my mental lessons from Julian. I didn’t feel ready.

was frightened. I held Nicholas tighter.

our mouths found each other’s. He licked his way past the seam of my

hands holding each other closer, I could almost forget about what was going to happen tonight. I could find solace in this man, in his closeness, in his strength

so soft–hearted for. Nicholas and I couldn’t be together long term, but for now, like this, nothing mattered but he and I and the pursuit of

breathed against my lips, my

want him to say my name like that, like he was frightened too, or concerned, or jealous, or all three. So I pressed my lips back to his and worked on muddling his