Free Consort (Beyond Ontariese 6) by Cyndi Friberg Page B

state isn’t likely to change even if I did choose another
consort. I need to explore other options.” He was glad she wasn’t
looking at him. His voice sounded far more composed than he
felt.
    “ I won’t be your mistress
if you decide to take a wife.” Their gazes locked and their
surroundings dimmed. Had she just agreed to be his mistress? Desire
washed over him with slow consuming heat. He fought it back,
sensing that she had more to say. “My past is complicated, so I see
the benefits of keeping this casual. Still, I won’t share you. I’m
not wired that way.”
    Her boldness made him smile. Most
women would accept whatever role he chose for them and feel honored
to share his bed for even one night. Not Cinarra. She calmly stated
her conditions as if this were a negotiation, not the start of a
romance. “When and if I choose to take a consort, you’ll be the
first to know.”
    She accepted the statement with a
stiff nod, obviously not understanding his inference. She was the
only woman he had any interest in as mistress, consort or
queen.
    “ All right.” Her gaze
lowered again and she asked, “How does this work? Will you come to
me or will I…”
    Unable to resist touching her a moment
longer, he reached over and took her hand. She didn’t pull away
this time, but he was troubled by the tension in her fingers.
“Cinarra, look at me.” He waited until she raised her face before
he went on. “You’re here because of what happened this afternoon.
I’m no longer willing to pretend I don’t want you, but I have no
intention of ordering you to my bed.”
    “ I’m not really Bilarrian,
so I wouldn’t obey you even if you did.” She didn’t return his
smile, but she began to relax. “I’ve known you for nine years and
yet I don’t really know you. You’ve always been so courteous, so
respectful.”
    He chuckled and slid his hand up her
arm. “Would you prefer I be less respectful?” Curving his fingers
around the back of her neck, he leaned in and brushed her lips with
his. He started to deepen the kiss, but she shifted away, glancing
off into the distance.
    “ You can have any woman you
want. Why me?”
    “ Because you’re brave and
intelligent and you laugh at my jokes even though I know I’m not
funny.”
    She did smile then and looked back at
him. “But you try so hard. I’ve always thought effort should be
rewarded.”
    A different sort of tension pulsed
between them now, warm and electric. His smile faded and he
whispered, “You’re so damn beautiful. I ache just looking at
you.”
    Her gaze clouded and an expressionless
mask fell over her features. “I should check on Betaul.” She stood
and made a beeline for the nearest exit.
    Rushing after her, he managed to catch
her wrist before she escaped, but she didn’t turn around. “What did
I say? Why are you upset?”
    “ I’m not upset. I’m
exhausted.” She threw a halfhearted smile over her shoulder and
pulled her wrist out of his grasp. “I’ll see you
tomorrow.”
    Indric shook his head as she walked
away. She hadn’t seemed uncomfortable with his desire until he
mentioned her beauty. Did she not realize how attractive she was?
She had been basically cloistered ever since she arrived on
Bilarri. Was it possible she hadn’t had a lover in all that time?
She had a son, so she couldn’t be a virgin unless the pregnancy had
resulted from a medical procedure.
    Frustrated beyond rational thought, he
returned to the bench and sent out a seeker pulse for
Drakkin.
    Rather than flash into the courtyard,
Drakkin sent his image to Indric’s mind. “You’re not in bed with
Cinarra, so I’ll presume things didn’t go well.”
    “ I’ve never felt clumsy
with a woman before, but she is as prickly as a Narilian quill
cat.”
    Drakkin smiled. “You’ve never had to
work for it before. Every woman you’ve ever touched has known you
as royalty. They probably didn’t realize denying you was an
option.”
    “ Cinarra has