Chapter 340

Nicholas kept his arms wrapped tightly around me as I slowly returned back to myself. It took a good long while for my heartrate to return to normal, and even longer for my breathing.

I was sore from having lost my virginity, but pleasantly so. It wasn’t overly painful. It felt more like an… awareness. As if I could feel Nicholas’s dick – or the phantom of it – stretching inside of me. I knew the feeling would not last, so I didn’t mind it while it stayed.

I wanted the reminder of what we’d done. I never wanted to forget the tenderness of our lovemaking. Nicholas had been so soft and caring, as well as wild and passionate, that I genuinely doubted I would ever feel like this again.

Nicholas felt like my perfect match mind, body, and soul. Despite Julian’s encouragement, I knew we were doomed to be apart. And it hurt so much that my heart ached much more than my body did.

We stayed, wound together, as long as we could. Yet as the sun continued to cross over the sky, I knew very well what we were doing was hiding. And we couldn’t really do that all day.

As much as I wanted to.

“We have to leave soon,” Nicholas said, though he did not loosen his hold on me even a miniscule amount.

I burrowed closer against his chest. “Are you sure?”

He kissed the top of my head. “As much as I’d love to say differently, we’ll be noticed if we stay longer. And we’d be in worse shape if someone comes looking for us.”

I groaned. He was right, and I knew it. But I had evolved into a goo form and I wasn’t keen on becoming a solid again.

Nicholas rubbed his hands down my back and across my arms. With his gentle coaxing, I finally released my octopus-like grip from around him.

I grumbled as he rolled me away, back onto the cushion of his discarded clothing. He stood without me and went searching for the articles of my clothes that had gotten cast aside. My bra had somehow gotten caught on one of the palms of the tree.

When he wrangled together all of my clothes, he brought them back to me. He deposited them on the ground beside me. Then he pressed a hand to my cheek, tilted my head toward his, and kissed me.

“You’ll earn another kiss once you’re dressed,” he said with his lips still pressing to mine.

I smiled against them. Then I darted forward, trying to steal a second kiss. He was quicker though, and leaned back and away before I could.

I groaned in displeasure. He pointed at my clothes.

Rolling my eyes, I started to obey and slowly pulled my clothes back on. When I was dressed, he grabbed my hands and yanked me up to my feet. As soon as I was upright, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

My arms wrapped around him. It was a fun change of pace, me being fully clothed while he was fully naked. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have time to pursue anything further than kissing. Someday, I hoped, we could rectify this by giving this specific scenario another try.

The thought startled me. Next time?

Only a handful of hours ago, I had thought that my time with Nicholas had been drawing to a close. I was so certain that I would be eliminated at the next elimination ceremony, despite the reassurances of both Julian and Nicholas.

But now, my hope was overwhelming, like it had a stranglehold on me and wasn’t about to let go. Part of it was surely my wolf, who was so happy inside of me that she was practically purring.

Nicholas and I had shared something today that felt life-changing. Earth-moving.

Nothing had truly changed, yet everything felt different.

“I have to get dressed now,” Nicholas said and kissed me again. I wrapped my arms around his neck, hoping to hold onto him for just a few more minutes yet. He indulged me, seemingly as love-sick as I was.

Eventually, though, we both gave in to our more mature impulses and separated so Nicholas could get dressed. He slipped on his shorts, and then held up the shirt that had been our blanket.

It was almost certainly ruined: wrinkled and covered in sand, with a few mystery wet spots here and there. He rolled it up into a tight ball and held it in his hand.

I lifted a brow at him.

“I think I’d only generate more questions by wearing this as it is,” he said.

Yeah, he was probably right.

Back home, the two of us returning from somewhere with him being shirtless would have people wondering, but here, we were surrounded by beach and ocean. Sunbathing could be a perfectly logical explanation for his state of dress – or rather, undress.

No one should really think better of it.

Julian would, of course, because he’d already suspected what was going to happen. Bridget might as well, especially now that she knew the truth of Nicholas’s and my intimacy. But frankly, at this particular moment, I couldn’t be asked to care about what she thought.

I didn’t want to bother thinking about her at all.

Nicholas kissed me again, then he pulled back with a sigh. “Let’s get going or I’ll keep you here forever.”

That threat was tempting, but… Well, at the very least, I needed to check in with Elva, make sure she was okay.

I nodded, and we pulled apart. Side by side, we walked out of the alcove and around the beach. We went the opposite way from the deck where most likely everyone else had gathered. Near the front of the house, we passed the runway. There was a plane on it.

Nicholas reached out and touching my arm, stopped me.

The front door of the house opened. Selma appeared, with Charlotte behind her. Three more servants, larger men, walked around Charlotte: one at either side of her and then one behind.

“Charlotte!” I called. I pulled my arm from Nicholas’s hold – which wasn’t overly difficult. He must have let me go. Then I rushed forward.

Charlotte turned her head to look at me, even as the other servants kept her ever moving forward.

Selma also noticed my approach. She barked orders to the others to keep going, then hurried to intercept me.

“Remember the quarantine!” Selma said. She held out her arms, blocking my path. She was slighter than me, I could have likely overtaken her. But that didn’t seem appropriate. Even if I did, even if I fought all of them, Charlotte wouldn’t be allowed to stay. In that case, we’d both have to leave.

But it hurt, losing one of the few allies I had here, especially when I had no idea what the King had planned for me next.

Nicholas quickly moved to my side. He didn’t touch me again, but he stood silently beside me in solidarity. I was thankful for his presence.

Charlotte looked at me until she was loaded onto the plane and physically couldn’t see me anymore. With the plane loaded up, the closed the door, and then, a little while later, the plane took off and eventually disappeared.

I stayed there, watching, for as long as I could. Nicholas kept guard beside me.

Selma watched also, standing on my other side now. She was the first to leave.

After a time, Nicholas and I started walking toward the house again. As soon as we went inside, we were approached by Nathan.

“There you are,” he said. I worried he might ask where we’d been, but he didn’t say a word about that. “Come out to the deck. We’re having a meeting.”

“About what?” Nicholas asked. I was glad he did. If I had asked, I would not have received an answer.

Nathan looked between us both. “We’re holding one more event before we leave the island.”