WARHAVEN

Thirth-Eight

"Nargue and Marcellus are my family. I consider them my siblings, as they fill that roll very much." His face fell slightly, his thick brows furrowing, "When my family passed away, I was just a young child. I became King. Nargue and Marcellus have been in my life since birth, as their parents were very close to mine. Our families were very tight-knit for generations. Their parents moved in here, as well as Nargue and Marcel. They lived alongside me and gave me the guidance I needed to thrive into the man I am today. I consider Nargue and Marcel's parents, Athena and Theo, to be my parents as well. They could never take the place of my own, but they serve that purpose in my life to this day."

"It sounds like you are very lucky to have them." My voice had become a whisper. I tried to push away the sadness and selfishness I felt at my own plight, the fact that I never knew my parents and probably never would.

The waiter approached with our main course, lamb chops and garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes. There was a side of broccolini. Augustus had a large steak with similar sides. My mouth nearly watered at the sight.

"Thank you, I mumbled." I was so excited to dig in. I lifted my fork and knife, trying a bit of everything. I sat back in my chair.

"What's wrong?" August looked concerned.

"Absolutely nothing. This is just so delicious. At the orphanage, we were always very low on food, seasonings were the very last priority. There were many meals I had to give up to make sure the children didn't go hungry. It's just such a privilege to be able to have such a delicious, well-rounded meal." I sat back up and smiled, continuing to eat my meal. I tried it with some wine and nearly moaned at the mixture of flavors.

He laughed once more, "I am glad that you are enjoying it. Just wait till dessert." He gave me a quick wink, causing my cheeks to heat. Goodness, he was delicious. Everything about him exuded excellence. He removed his suit jacket and hung it on a hook by the booth, moving back to his spot.

I bit my bottom lip, giggling in response. Although it was out of nervousness. I was very aware of the fact that we were attracted to one another. I had learned to suppress the urge to jump his bones every time I saw him, but having his undivided attention made it a little more difficult. As well as seeing how perfectly that button up was sculpted to his large frame, I nearly lost all sense.

I squeezed my thighs together and took a deep breath. Hoping I was subtle enough, I continued in on my meal.

The tune changed all of a sudden and it was a slow, passionate song. Something about it almost felt familiar, although I was sure I had never heard such beauty in my life. I had a sudden boldness in me.

"August." His eyes shot to mine. They were low and the desire in them almost depleted my confidence. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. "Would you...do you want to dance with me?"

I watched the breath catch in him. I had caught him completely off guard, a light pink spread across his cheeks. I smirked in response and stood, adjusting my dress. I held out my hand for him to stand.

He finished his bite, wiping his face and hands and stood, grabbing my outstretched hand. His felt so large in mine. He didn't let mine go as he led us to the middle of the tavern, on top of the petals. The sulty tune continued as he placed his left hand around my waist. He pulled me closer to him, leaving our two hands clasped in the air to the left of me.

I almost regretted asking him, this was very intimate. Probably more intimate than it should be, I mean strangers danced together all the time. There was no way they wanted to climb one another on the spot.

My heart was racing in my chest and my whole body felt hot. He held me so firmly to him. Our bodies were separated by only an inch. He then danced with me. He kept up with the tune so perfectly. He was obviously a very good dancer. I moved my right hand from his left arm and slid it slowly up to his shoulder, secretly savoring the feeling of his skin underneath his thin button up.

"Careful, miss. You're playing with fire." I met his eyes once again and smirked.

"I like the heat, Sir." He pulled me to him then, pressing our bodies firmly against one another. My breath caught and heat spread through my body once again. The stars were back, everywhere we touched felt like pure euphoria.

He lowered his lips to my ear, gently rubbing his lips along the skin there and whispered, "Me too."

He spun me around, lifting me off of the ground and slowly letting me back down, the friction of our bodies on one another nearly ended me. I had never had a man handle me like I was a precious flower.

The eye contact was intense and the look in his eyes mirrored mine. Pure desire.

He lowered his face once again and as carefully and slowly as he could manage, he pressed his lips to mine.