“How did they meet?” Eleanor twisted in my embrace, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me. “Do they have a story like ours? A kidnapping turned fairy-tale? Or perhaps an arranged marriage turned into love? Or even a forbidden romance where they had to overcome so many things?”
I smirked, kissing her back. I’d never asked Jethro point-blank about the rumours I’d read online. After all, I had my own fair share of gossip and slander painting me as a murderer and ruthless bastard. And where rumours existed, truth was never far away.
Therefore, the whispers surrounding the firstborn Hawk son had a grain of honesty.
“They say that Jethro was given Nila as a present on his birthday.”
Eleanor wrinkled her nose. “She’s a person, not a gift.”
“Oh, it wasn’t a gift. More like a test.” I let Eleanor go and strode toward the garment bags waiting to be unzipped on the back of the couch. “If she’s wearing a diamond collar tonight, I’m guessing there’s more truth to the tale than I thought.”
“What tale? What collar?” Eleanor came up beside me, staying close as I unzipped the largest of the bags.
“Tale of debts, diamonds, and death.” Pushing aside the black covering, I revealed a ball gown. And not just any ball gown...a dress fit for the most regal of queens.
“Oh, my God.” Eleanor reached out to touch the exquisite creation. “Where on earth did this come from? I’ve never seen anything so...gorgeous.”
“Jethro’s wife is a seamstress.” I held up the hanger, slipping off the rest of the garment bag.
I grew hard the longer I stared.
My lust ignited just imagining Eleanor in this dress. She wouldn’t just be irresistible to me; she’d be the most stunning creature at the masquerade.
And she’s mine.
Plucking a matching mask from the bag, she murmured, “She isn’t just a seamstress; she’s a magician.”
“She’s made it impossible for me to keep my hands to myself tonight.” I swallowed back a growl full of possession and need. “If any other man looks at you, I can’t promise I won’t drag you into the nearest closet and tear that thing off you.”
She fluttered her eyelashes. “I doubt there are closets in this place, my love. More like dungeons.”
“A dungeon will do.”
“You’ve got that look in your eyes again.”
“What look?”
“The one that says you own me and want to show me in every explicit detail how much.”
I licked my lips. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No problem.” She laughed. “In fact, I’ll keep a lookout for a dungeon, just so you can have your wicked way with me.”
I grinned. “And that is why I love you, Eleanor Jinx Sinclair. You’re as obsessed as I am.”
“Forever obsessed.” She raked her hands through my hair, pulling me down for a vicious kiss.
Grabbing her around the waist, I dragged her toward the bathroom. I needed her naked. Now. “Guess we better get ready for the ball, wife. After all, the sooner we mingle, the sooner we can be alone.”Chapter Five
THE HEAVY WEIGHT OF my ball gown swished and clung to me.
Every layer and detail gave me power and mystery, ensuring I became unrecognisable. My mask hid my forehead and eyes, the cut so perfect it looked as if it was a part of me and not a disguise.
To be honest, I felt freer than I’d ever been and also terribly lost. I liked the sensation of wearing a dress designed for a princess, but I also scrambled to remember the simple girl within me. The girl who could spend an entire week wearing different coloured gemstone bikinis and nothing else. The girl who drank coconut water straight from the nut and frequently had dirt under her fingernails from helping in the vegetable gardens on Lebah.
As much as Sully’s wealth allowed us to live a life of utmost luxury, we were simple in our tastes. The money we spent was on animal welfare, medicine, and rehoming.
As long as we were safe on our island together, that was all we ever needed.
And this? This gown made me look as if I’d stepped from one Eden into another. One full of decadence and danger.
Sully strode beside me, his arm looped with mine, his back straight beneath the smoky grey tux that shimmered silver in lamplight and unforgiving metallic in the darkness. I studied him out of the corner of my eye. His mask covered his entire head, leaving only his nose and jaw exposed. His blue eyes glowed behind the grey disguise, harsh and delicious.
White beads decorated where his eyebrows would be, twining in a complex design up and over his skull, leading to two horns that were ridged like a goat’s.
He could be a devil or a demigod...or both.
He was the most magnificent man I’d ever seen, and...he’s mine.
As we glided past the windows, opaque and reflecting like mirrors now that night-time had fallen, I caught glimpses of myself. I saw a delectable woman on his arm that was every bit as impressive and imposing as he.