Chapter 61: Chapter 61

LENORE

I gritted my teeth before reaching out to hold Killian’s hand which was resting on the table, and his smile turned into a fully blown one.

“I like it when you’re worried about me,” he said, and I heaved a sigh.

“I don’t like having to worry about you.”

“I know. I suck.”

The corner of my mouth twitched and he raised my hand to kiss the back of my palm. Then, in order to lighten the mood once more, he proceeded to tell me the story of how Fabien convinced him to attend university with him. He hadn’t been thrilled with sitting through hours of lectures.

When the waiter came over with the dessert menu, I made him choose for both of us since I chose the appetizer and entree, and he picked the tiramisu and hazelnut eclair. The dessert came out only a few minutes later.

“You haven’t told me what you do,” I said as he drank from his wineglass while the waiter walked away from the table.

“A little bit of this and that.”

I shot him a look. “What kind of answer is that?” I replied and a nose that was a mixture of amusement and laughter escaped him.

“I own a couple of businesses.” Then he raised a brow and asked, “Will your dear father approve of that?”

“Depends. Are you rich rich?”

He furrowed his brows slightly. “I’m a vampire prince, Lenore. You should be deeply worried if I’m not.”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of me and my hand which had been bringing a spoon of tiramisu to my mouth shook in the process, leading to the dessert plopping down on my chest. “Oh,” I blurted out while it slid down, but I managed to catch it before it hit my thigh. “Shit.” I dropped the cream I’d caught on the edge of my plate and wiped my hand with my napkin before glancing at the streak it had left down my chest.

“Want me to lick it off?”

I stiffened, my cheeks flushing, before lifting my gaze to his. He had a deadpan expression on his face, so I couldn’t tell if he’d said that just to make me flustered, and when I didn’t respond, he raised a brow like he was waiting for one.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I hadn’t built a defense to his words, but what I could do was tease him back—that was what went through my mind when I said that, but then Killian got to his feet.

I sucked in a breath as he walked around the table and came to a stop right next to my chair. I didn’t actually expect him to do anything. We were the only diners in the restaurant, but this was still a public place—

He jerked my chair to face him and a startled noise escaped me before he got down on one knee. To any one watching, it would seem like he wanted to propose, and not—

He leaned forward, caging me between his arms and keeping his gaze fixed on mine as he dragged his tongue from the top of my belly button to the swell of my breast.Tingles rapidly spread in every direction from the point of contact while an embarrassing noise escaped me.

He didn’t stop there, He made sure to lick all of the cream on my skin before gently nipping at the swell of my breast, and I shivered, glad I’d worn this dress.

Fuck.

I had no idea if anyone had watched that, and I couldn’t bring myself to look away from those blue eyes to see if anyone was gaping at us. As he slowly pulled back, his gaze hooded, I swallowed and said, “You’re crazy.”

“Do you want to head back now?” he asked, his voice rough, and I nodded, grabbing my purse.

“Yeah.”

The drive to the restaurant had been short, but it seemed like the guard who was driving had decided to take the scenic route on our way back to the palace. He hadn’t of course—I recognized the street we were on from earlier this evening—but the atmosphere in the car was so heavy that it felt like the time was moving impossibly slow. And Killian’s hand resting on my thigh, his thumb caressing my skin, didn’t help.

The guard was probably wondering what the fuck was going on.

Then the fact that he’d also been in the restaurant—standing by the elevator—and had definitely seen what Killian did just before we left made my face grow warm.

The sound of a phone vibrating filled the car and Killian pulled his hand away from my thigh as I realized it was coming from his pocket. He pulled the phone out and the moment he took a look at the screen, his expression twisted with frustration. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath before answering the call. “Evening, uncle… Yes… No, no, I didn’t forget…” His head lolled back and he looked like he was trying not to groan. “I’m on my way.”

Huh? I drew my brows together.

He turned to face me after ending the call, then let out a harsh breath and said to the guard, “Stop the car.”

“Where are you going?” I said in a rush, but before embarrassment could set in at how disappointed I was with the interruption, he responded.

“I’m so sorry. I have to go meet my uncle.”

A small frown crept onto my face and he pressed his lips together before glancing at his watch while the car came to a stop.

“I’ll be back in thirty minutes—might be even less. I promise,” he added, shooting me an apologetic look, and I stared at him for several seconds before nodding.

“Okay.”

Leaning closer, he pressed a quick kiss to the corner of my mouth before getting out of the car. “Thirty minutes,” he repeated before telling the driver, “Back to the palace.” Then he shut the door and waited until the car was moving again before he dashed off.