Read Online The Goblin King's Lovers by Marie Medina - Free Book Online Page A

its petals as she watched everyone. Lorne came into view,
standing against the opposite wall and watching people dance. He
held a goblet in his hand, and the fingers of his other hand traced
circles around the designs on the side. He drained the drink in one
swig, which was unusual. A servant refilled it, and he downed that
as well.
    Eva bit her lip and found a page. She
sent the boy in to fetch Lorne. Sitting by the pond, she tried to
focus on the water, clasping her hands to keep them
still.
    “ You wanted to see me,
Eva?”
    The soft whisper made her breath catch
in her throat. She turned and looked up at Lorne, who no longer
appeared as detached as usual. He gazed at her expectantly.
Gesturing to her left, she asked him to sit down, and he
did.
    “ Yes, Lorne. I can already
tell I’m ruining this night for Davin. His smiles to the crowd were
fake, and his eyes kept hunting for me.”
    “ Of course they did. He
loves you.”
    She looked into his eyes. “You’re
always blunt, but I can tell you’ve had far more to drink than the
two cups I just saw you down.”
    Lorne looked away, embarrassed
perhaps. “Well, he’s not the only one in pain.”
    “ You’re not doing this
simply to please him? You really love me?”
    Lorne looked back at her. “Yes. I do.”
He pushed a strand of hair off her forehead and kissed her temple.
His lips moved down a few inches to her cheek. She shivered, and he
pulled back. “I adore you, but you’ve every right to be shocked. I
hid it because I had no idea he wanted you too. I didn’t want to
influence him. We’re both fools for never discussing it. We were so
happy with one another it just never came up.”
    “ That’s my concern,” she
said, forcing the words past the constriction in her throat. “Your
love for him is so blatant. How did I ever attract your attention
at all?”
    “ When I saw you in Nika’s
arms, you looked so lost and frightened. It felt like a fist
wrapping around my heart. I couldn’t rest until I knew you were all
right. I made a mess of helping you and watching over you though. I
frightened you.”
    “ You got better. We’ve
discussed that. Settled it long ago,” she said with a slight
smile.
    “ You tugged at my heart
right away. I know there’s no logic to that, which used to bother
me, but I’ve stopped questioning it. I love you. I love him. And I
want to see the two of you happy.”
    “ But he said no. He won’t
let you step aside.”
    He nodded, his hand coming up to
cradle her face. “Do I repulse you?”
    He didn’t. His long dark hair and pale
skin contrasted beautifully, and his well-muscled body was hard to
ignore. She’d noticed how attractive he was many times. “No. You’re
as beautiful as Davin is. But it’s not that simple for—”
    His lips met hers, and she gasped.
Lorne seemed like a completely different man now, and Eva found
that she liked it. She kissed him back, nervous yet excited. She’d
kissed a few boys and a few men, but none of them had been as
skilled as Lorne. He took possession of her mouth and molded her
body to his. When they parted, she noticed him
trembling.
    “ We’ll be gentle and never
do anything you don’t desire. Your pleasure will be our goal, both
in our bed and out of it. You’ll want for nothing, and our children
will be so loved.”
    The declaration took her breath away,
decadent images and new emotions whirling within her. “You can’t be
Lorne. This must be a trick.”
    “ I’ll change. I swear it.
Don’t break our hearts.” His lips crushed hers this time, and she
gave in without hesitation. She’d spent years dreaming of kissing
Davin, yet Lorne was the one seducing her. His words tugged at her
heart. She’d never seen him so emotional, never imagined he had
passions that could fuel anything but anger. She pushed on him
gently, and after a moment he drew back, searching her
eyes.
    “ Let me be clear. I’m not
reluctant because of you. I hesitate because I fear hurting