He knew she meant it.
Her voice trembled ever so slightly, a rare crack in the armor she wore in front of the world. Only here, only with him, did she let herself be soft and vulnerable. Lucian cherished that.
"Let's go to bed, shall we?" he whispered, pressing another kiss to her cheek before bending to scoop her easily off the floor. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, smiling into his neck as he carried her to his bedroom.
Time was never on their side. Their stolen moments together were always too short but that made them all the more precious. Tonight, they would make every second count.
On the bed, Lucian pulled her close, pressing her against his bare chest. She felt smaller than before.
"I don't want to sleep," Althea mumbled, tracing lazy circles on his skin.
He glanced down at her. "What do you mean? It's midnight."
She kissed his chest, then looked up at him. "I want to talk to you. I don't want to waste our time sleeping."
