Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
🌸 A N E E L A 🌸
Their third day in Novyi Zem started slow. It was a quiet one without appointments and everybody could sleep in. Aneela was usually not somebody who stayed in bed for long, but she kept reminiscing about what had happened last night with her fiancé. She could still feel his hands on her body, his lips on hers and she replayed the words he said so many times, she had to shake her head at herself and force herself out of bed – because the golden-haired daydream was surely already sitting at the breakfast table.
With a pounding heart, she quickly got ready and rushed down the stairs. But the dining room was empty, nothing was decked and when Aneela turned confused to the butler, he gestured to the glass door and explained that His Highness had requested to eat outside.
A warm breeze rattled through her open hair when she stepped onto the terrace where Nikolai had already started to eat. Looking beautiful as ever. "Good morning."
"Good morning, my love."
Aneela had no idea how she managed the four steps without her legs giving in because of the way he smiled at her. It took everything in Aneela to not just grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him towards her, kissing him deeply and never ever letting go of him. She clasped her hands around the backrest of the chair on the head of the table next to him and pulled it back to sit.
"How did you sleep?"
Aneela tried to act casual and not grin about the words she was going to say and tried to mask her attempt on biting a grin back in laying a piece of toast onto her plate. "Considering that the bed was too big and too cold, quite well, actually."
Nikolai raised his eyebrows, amused. "Oh, is that so?"
She shrugged and grabbed the delicious avocado dip she had missed every morning during courting season. "Yes, a shame, really."
The prince winked at her and plugged a grape from the fruit platter in front of him. "Don't worry, it won't be long until the bed doesn't feel so big anymore and it will be very warm and cozy for you to have the best night sleep in after some special treatments."
Her hand froze in the air as she had reached for the tray of sliced tomatoes and she looked over to him, not being able to hold her grin back anymore. "I'll hold you to that."
His eyes grew big in anticipation and the smile on his face was as cheeky as it was inviting as he leaned back in his chair, chewing the grape slowly. "Oh, please do."
Aneela swallowed hard and had to look away when she noticed herself getting flustered at his response. Nikolai bit away a knowing grin. "Is anything planned later today?"
Her heart stopped in shock when he turned his head to reach for the plate she had forgotten about. A very obvious dark marking showed on the side of his neck. Oh no.
