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.

into drive and carefully navigated out of the garage

my nerves began to prickle again. I worried

at me, likely seeing my tense posture and the way I couldn’t

of night. The sun had set, and the road was dark. Nicholas clicked on the high beams. The light sliced through the

double yellow line, trying to collect my thoughts. Yes, I was a lamb headed into the lion’s den. But Nicholas and Julian

feel all that better. Terry was bold. He didn’t seem 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. Why should the opinions

way Nicholas’s hands choked the steering wheel,

lifted his foot off the gas. Slowly, he pulled onto the side of the road, where a dirt road

“Nicholas?”

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

here,” he said, and I complied at once, leaning toward him. He leaned too,

space between us. But our need to hold each other overcame any obstacle. Nicholas buried his fingers into my hair.

able to tell where he ended and I began. That way, maybe

finally feel

to be strong, depend on my physical training from Nicholas, and my mental lessons from Julian. I didn’t feel ready.

frightened. I held Nicholas

face turned toward mine, and our mouths found each other’s. He licked his way past the seam of my lips. I opened willingly for his

lips pressed together and our hands holding each other closer, I could almost forget about what was going to happen tonight. I could find solace in this man,

Nicholas and I couldn’t be together long term, but for now, like this, nothing mattered but he and

against my lips, my

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 thoughts for