she wanted to learn anything, she’d have to ask Titus himself.
When they entered the chambers, they found Titus bent over his papers and maps, much like last night. Varro cleared his throat. The emperor whirled around. His eyes met hers, and he smiled. “You were faster than I expected.”
“The lady was ready and waiting for your invitation, Emperor Sergius.”
A warm glow sparked in Titus’ eyes that caused the pit of her stomach to clench, but she couldn’t tell if her reaction was from desire or fear. She lowered her gaze.
“I’ll have a slave bring you your dinner in a few minutes.”
She bit her lip. That meant she couldn’t kill Titus until after dinner was served. Her shoulders tightened. The sooner she completed her job, the better. She already felt the knots coiling up in her gut.
As soon as Varro left, Titus approached her. A look of confusion crossed his face. “Is something wrong, Azurha?”
“Why do you keep asking that?”
“Because you seem ready to bolt for the door.” He laughed as he said it, but she silently cursed. She didn’t need to reveal her already guilty conscience before she actually carried out the deed. He removed her veil. “Do you not wish to keep me company this evening?”
Her eyes locked on his lips, and warmth pooled between her legs. By the gods, she needed to continue this game of seduction, no matter how much it tested her. She licked her lips and leaned toward him.
He took her invitation and kissed her as if he hadn’t seen her in months instead of the few hours that passed between this morning and now. His arms wrapped around her, and the growing ridge of his erection under his tunic ground against her stomach, eagerly searching for the slick recess of her sex.
When he pulled away, they both gasped for air. “We better stop before we get caught naked by the servants.”
She nodded and dragged her nail lightly across his chest. Keep his mind on sex and he won’t notice anything else. “But after they bring us dinner…”
“By the gods, Azurha, you know how to drive a man to madness.”
And death , she thought grimly. She’d probably killed more men in the last year than he had in his entire life.
He took her hand and led her to the chair by his desk. “You don’t mind if I take a few minutes to finish making some decisions?”
“You’re the emperor, Titus. I’m merely here to bring you pleasure.”
His eyes closed, and the expression on his face revealed his struggle to stay in control rather than taking her right then and there.
A flush crept over her body, and she crossed her legs to soothe the ache there. No, she should be staying focused on the job, not wondering what would happen if she’d let him finish what he started last night. Why was dinner taking so long to be served?
He opened his eyes and stared at the map before he spoke. “I was in the middle of trying to decide where I should build my new aqueduct. I was thinking in Lucrilia.”
He focused on where his finger pointed on the map, much to her relief. Anything to keep her mind off removing their clothes and dragging him back to the bedroom. She studied the map and shook her head. “Have you considered placing it in Volsina?”
“But Lucrilia is closer. At the way the city is growing, we won’t have enough water in two to three years.”
“Yes, but the Volsini plains experience severe flooding every spring due to the melting snow in the Dagiolo Mountains. Dozens of people die each year because of it. Building an aqueduct here will solve two problems. You can divert some of the flooding, and you can still bring water to the city.”
He rubbed his chin as his eye flickered back and forth between the two possible locations. “The mountain elevations would provide enough momentum to provide a steady flow as the aqueduct descended into the city.”
The corner of her mouth rose. “You’re an engineer as well as a philosopher.”
He grinned. “I don’t claim to be
When they entered the chambers, they found Titus bent over his papers and maps, much like last night. Varro cleared his throat. The emperor whirled around. His eyes met hers, and he smiled. “You were faster than I expected.”
“The lady was ready and waiting for your invitation, Emperor Sergius.”
A warm glow sparked in Titus’ eyes that caused the pit of her stomach to clench, but she couldn’t tell if her reaction was from desire or fear. She lowered her gaze.
“I’ll have a slave bring you your dinner in a few minutes.”
She bit her lip. That meant she couldn’t kill Titus until after dinner was served. Her shoulders tightened. The sooner she completed her job, the better. She already felt the knots coiling up in her gut.
As soon as Varro left, Titus approached her. A look of confusion crossed his face. “Is something wrong, Azurha?”
“Why do you keep asking that?”
“Because you seem ready to bolt for the door.” He laughed as he said it, but she silently cursed. She didn’t need to reveal her already guilty conscience before she actually carried out the deed. He removed her veil. “Do you not wish to keep me company this evening?”
Her eyes locked on his lips, and warmth pooled between her legs. By the gods, she needed to continue this game of seduction, no matter how much it tested her. She licked her lips and leaned toward him.
He took her invitation and kissed her as if he hadn’t seen her in months instead of the few hours that passed between this morning and now. His arms wrapped around her, and the growing ridge of his erection under his tunic ground against her stomach, eagerly searching for the slick recess of her sex.
When he pulled away, they both gasped for air. “We better stop before we get caught naked by the servants.”
She nodded and dragged her nail lightly across his chest. Keep his mind on sex and he won’t notice anything else. “But after they bring us dinner…”
“By the gods, Azurha, you know how to drive a man to madness.”
And death , she thought grimly. She’d probably killed more men in the last year than he had in his entire life.
He took her hand and led her to the chair by his desk. “You don’t mind if I take a few minutes to finish making some decisions?”
“You’re the emperor, Titus. I’m merely here to bring you pleasure.”
His eyes closed, and the expression on his face revealed his struggle to stay in control rather than taking her right then and there.
A flush crept over her body, and she crossed her legs to soothe the ache there. No, she should be staying focused on the job, not wondering what would happen if she’d let him finish what he started last night. Why was dinner taking so long to be served?
He opened his eyes and stared at the map before he spoke. “I was in the middle of trying to decide where I should build my new aqueduct. I was thinking in Lucrilia.”
He focused on where his finger pointed on the map, much to her relief. Anything to keep her mind off removing their clothes and dragging him back to the bedroom. She studied the map and shook her head. “Have you considered placing it in Volsina?”
“But Lucrilia is closer. At the way the city is growing, we won’t have enough water in two to three years.”
“Yes, but the Volsini plains experience severe flooding every spring due to the melting snow in the Dagiolo Mountains. Dozens of people die each year because of it. Building an aqueduct here will solve two problems. You can divert some of the flooding, and you can still bring water to the city.”
He rubbed his chin as his eye flickered back and forth between the two possible locations. “The mountain elevations would provide enough momentum to provide a steady flow as the aqueduct descended into the city.”
The corner of her mouth rose. “You’re an engineer as well as a philosopher.”
He grinned. “I don’t claim to be
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