I bit my lip as I looked into his glowing blue eyes. The touch of his skin against mine made me tingle.
“I can’t wait either,” I admitted softly and for a long moment, we just looked into each other’s eyes.
Then Ass-licks cleared his throat impatiently.
“Please, Baron—they’re waiting for you!” he reminded Vik’tor.
“All right, already,” Vik’tor growled. Reluctantly, he withdrew his hand and straightened up. “Daw’snx!” he called, turning towards the open doorway.
At once the head servant—or the butler, as I was beginning to think of him—appeared just outside the door.
“Yes, my Lord?” he asked, bowing.
“Take Lady Natalie to the room I ordered for her and let her see her new clothes,” Vik’tor told him.
“At once, my Lord.” Daw’snx bowed again. “And may I wish you safe travels on your trip.”
“I’ll be back here as quick as I fucking can,” Vik’tor growled. “Fucking assholes, dragging me all the way out to the fucking back of beyond…”
He was still muttering as he and Ass-licks walked down the hall and Daw’snx turned to me.
“Lady Natalie,” he said formally. “Would you care to follow me?”
“Oh yes—thank you.”
I stood up, making certain the red robe was closed all the way. Thinking of the way I’d let it gape open because I liked the way Vik’tor looked at me made me blush all over again.
I was about to leave when I saw my pile of old clothes, lying there on the floor. I couldn’t just leave them there, it would be messy—also, they had the snacks I had saved for later hidden in their layers. I scooped the clothes up in a bundle and followed Daw’snx down the hallway to my new room.
THIRTEEN
VIK’TOR
Icursed under my breath as I strode down the hallway, headed for the ladder and hatch that would lead out onto the roof where my shuttle was waiting on the roof. My destination was on the other side of O’nagga Nine, but I was determined it wouldn’t take long. Luckily, my shuttle was hypersonic and could go extremely fast.
I swore to myself I’d be back home with Natalie here to greet me in no time.
I had no idea how wrong I was.
FOURTEEN
NATALIE
“Your room, my Lady.” Daw’snx bowed me into the bedroom the Baron had apparently designated as mine and I had to bite back a gasp of delight.
There was a thick furry carpet on the floor and just as promised, there was a fireplace in the room—a huge one with a nice big fire already going in it. And right across from it was a big-ass bed—a plush thick mattress covered by an enormous expanse of fluffy white fur.
And lying on the fur blanket that covered the bed, was a whole pile of new clothes for me to try on.
“Does it meet with your approval, my Lady?” Daw’snx asked, lifting one eyebrow delicately. “I hope the clothing fits—I had one of the chambermaids help me pick it out.”
“Does it meet with my approval? It’swonderful!Thank you, Daw’snx,” I added. I was so grateful I could feel tears stinging my eyes. “This is all sowonderful,” I told him. “I…I’ve been living in hell for the past six months and now I feel like Cinderella or something!”
“I beg your pardon, my Lady, but I do not know who ‘Sin-drella’ is,” the butler said, but I thought I saw just the tiniest hint of a smile on his thin-lipped mouth.
“It’s a fairytale from my home world—from Earth,” I told him. “It’s not important. I just wanted to say thank you—this is all so wonderful.” I swept my arm out, indicating the luxurious bed with its thick mattress and fur bedspread and the beautiful new clothes.
“I was not the one who paid for any of this,” Daw’snx reminded me. “It was Baron Vik’tor.”