Ella
The sudden warmth of Alexander’s arms around me made me let out an involuntary squeak of surprise. I hadn’t expected him to hug me; he’d maintained his usual polite distance since last night.
Once we had returned from the banquet, I’d slipped away to check on Lilith—who was resting in her room, sleeping when I arrived—and he had gone to his office to handle the onslaught of paperwork he’d received after the coronation.
And now he was hugging me like his life depended on it.
But then I began to relax into him, and the fabric swatches slipped from my fingers.
Goddess, he smelled good. Too good—like coming home to a place that you should have left long ago. I pressed my face against his chest and breathed him in like the fool I was, and for a moment, I could have sw
