Aurora's POV
I stared at Oliver, my heart hammering so hard against my ribs I was sure he could hear it. He sat there, his chest bare and his eyes filled with a heat that made my skin tingle. He wasn't acting like the cold, distant King the world knew. He was looking at me like I was the only person who mattered.
"I... I've never really let myself think about it," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I spent so long just trying to survive. I thought that part of me was dead."
I took a shaky breath and looked into his deep blue eyes. If I was going to do this, I wanted to be brave. I wanted to leave the shadows of my past behind—the memory of my parents' deaths and the way Raymond had treated me.
"I don't want a thousand candles or a fancy mountain top," I said, finally finding my voice. " I want it to be quiet… just us, somewhere no one can find us. No guards, no duties, no phones."
