Free AslansDesire-ARE-epub by JenniferKacey Page A

pulse point at her throat.
    “Your heart’s beating so fast. Like the wings of a butterfly.” Closing his fist around her throat, he didn’t clamp his fingers down, didn’t tighten his grip at all. He simply reminded her of his strength. Their fledgling dynamic. “I wonder what has you so preoccupied?” Tipping up her chin, he gave her a chaste kiss on the mouth.
    Before it had even begun, it was over and Aslan wanted to sigh and scream at the same time.
    Swallowing both, she stepped around her desk, giving him her back, and opened one of the drawers on her main filing cabinet. “I’ll meet you up there in a second. I need to grab something first.”
    His chuckle danced along her rear and she closed her eyes, remembering the last time her flesh had worn his delicious handprint. “Trying to get rid of me, wife? To get your composure back? Interesting. It’s rare that you’d keep something from me. And I know this fantasy is important. Very important, from the looks of it.”
    Opening her eyes as he turned to go, she tried to focus on the files she haphazardly rifled through.
    But he spoke again, capturing her complete attention. “Don’t expect to sleep tonight until I know what’s bothering you. It’s gone on long enough.” He paused at the door and she held her breath. “We don’t keep things from each other, do we?”
    Taking a fortifying breath, she pivoted around and faced him. “No, we don’t. I’m just worried that…”
    He waited but she lost her voice. “Worried that what?”
    Worried you don’t find me as attractive as you did when we got married. Worried that you’ll find someone else. Worried that I’m not getting any younger.
    Yes, she was only in her thirties but—
    But.
    She wanted to tell him more than anything, but worrying about his answer had kept her silent for years.
    Saying the words in her head had happened countless times before.
    Am I still beautiful to you?
    But it was her turn to pick another fantasy. Her chance to ask for something, anything. Nothing was a no between them and yet she just couldn’t seem to get the words out of her mouth.
    “Worried that what?” Zeke prompted again.
    Aslan blinked again, realizing she’d zoned out again. “Tonight,” she promised him as well as herself. “I don’t want to talk about it here. Don’t want to be interrupted. Sure as hell don’t want to risk the chance of getting emotional in front of any of the employees.”
    He smiled and thankfully his features relaxed a tad. “As if getting emotional were a cardinal sin.”
    She stuck her tongue out and rounded off the physical gesture with a roll of her eyes. ’Cause that’s exactly what she thought about getting emotional, even with Zeke. “Might as well be. It’s awful.”
    “Only for you, my love. Contrary to popular belief, we actually do all realize you’re a woman and human. I know, I know.” He held his arms up. “Shocking. But it is common knowledge.”
    Feeling the ease in which they’d always existed together settle along her flesh, she turned back and was finally able to pull the right lighting folder from the open drawer. She closed the drawer and grabbed a pen off her desk before walking up to her husband. Up on her tip-toes, she lifted her chin to get a kiss, which he immediately provided.
    Damn his lips felt good.
    “Not trying to ditch me now?”
    “Nope. I pulled on my big girl panties and remembered we have a job to do.”
    As they walked along a corridor he inconspicuously brushed across her ass. “Big girl panties? I was pretty certain you were going commando today.”
    Aslan smiled and brushed against his crotch as he held the door open for her. “Just a figure of speech, I assure you.”
    “Might just have to find out for myself after our little meeting on Galileo.”
    She smiled and clutched the folder tighter to her chest. If only you would , she thought to herself as they walked past several more employees finishing the deck enclosure on