All in the Chemistry [The Royal Wolves 4] (Siren Publishing Allure) by Honor James Read Free Book Online

want to be seen with me?” It made sense. He had asked her to keep her mask on and he had them hidden in the darkest corner of the terrace, but why?
    “I’d like to go, too,” he said with a shrug as he touched her cheek. Pausing at her question though he frowned. “Of course I want to be seen with you,” he said shaking his head and then the light apparently dawned. “Because of where we are right now,” he smiled slightly. “I just wanted a little privacy to have you to myself. I thought if everyone knew it was you for sure, or knew it was me we’d be under siege. I’m not sorry for stealing a few minutes alone with you, my mate,” he threw out there, obviously wanting her to get used to the idea. “But I say we toss the masks and walk boldly through the no man’s land in there and thumb our noses at the hoity-toity.”
    She smiled and nodded. “I’m with you.” Her mask was off and in her hand before she finished speaking and looked up at him with a big smile on her face. “You do know that we will be on the cover of every magazine and newspaper come morning, right?” Simply because of who they were, rivals in their fields and now lovers, or so she hoped. With his name being in the papers, often with a picture that wasn’t always flattering, hair askew and a glower in place, he’d be very recognized. And after the raking over the coals she’d taken, thanks to her Board she now knew, the reporters were always on the lookout for something she might do they could turn to scandal. The two of them together, at a huge event like this, reporters galore…They would definitely end up in a paper of some sort, somewhere, with something cheesy and gag worthy as the title.
    “I don’t personally give a damn and I’ll even sign autographs,” he said, pulling his off and tossing it toward a small table. “You are my mate, Courtney, I am not ashamed to be seen with you, ever. We are meant to be together and the world will just have to accept it all.” Of course, it would also mean that his findings about her work were now null and void, but he knew his Board would just pass it to another department head and Kris knew that her work would stand fast.
    “I agree.” She laughed as she tossed her mask atop his. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.” They had danced through the night and now, now she was going home with her mate. “I can’t believe that I have a wolf as a mate, and I’ve been hiding from him for nine years.” She had been hiding, she nearly marched over to him nine years ago when that article came out but something had stopped her. “We have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
    “Don’t,” he said shaking his head. “It wasn’t our time to meet then or any time until right this moment. We are where we need to be in the now,” he told her gently stroking her cheek again. He just couldn’t seem to get enough of stroking and touching her skin, taking every opportunity there was to touch her. “We weren’t ready to meet, but now we’re at the right place in time.”
    “I agree, this is where we were destined to meet, Kristof,” she leaned into his touch, she loved his touch and hoped he would never stop. “That is why we dreamed of a masked ball, we have been hidden from each other for too long.” And they had. “Take me home?” she whispered, leaving it to him to choose where ‘home’ would be for them.
    Smiling he tucked her hand in his arm and headed for the doors. Pushing through, he closed them behind her before leading her around the dance floor and toward the doors. Spotting the cameras coming up he shook his head. “Smile for the cameras, darling,” he murmured as he put his remote but slightly amused look on as they moved closer to the main doors and finally outside.
    Her smile was already in place, a smile that was so filled with love and adoration that several people could be heard commenting in surprise. She couldn’t hide her feelings, never had been able to