Joanne’s POV
The Grand Hall was buzzing as the beauty, Eloise, was presented to the King as if she were nothing more than a bargaining chip. King Francis hadn’t turned her away; instead, he had a room near his quarters prepared for her.
Alexander stood beside him, his jaw locked and his eyes following Eloise as she exited the hall with guards trailing behind her. He kept his hand on the small of my back, steady, warm, and possessive without being cruel, though I could feel it tightening as he flexed his fingers.
To anyone else, he might have looked bored. But I was beginning to understand his shift in mood; the way his eyes darkened, and the tension weighing down his shoulders. The way his breathing began to grow heavier and the rapid beating of his heart that I could hear so clearly
