Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
He added, “You shouldn’t have to just be fine with your family, not over something so important,” in a moment turning the mirror back on me and making me reflect on my own pain and hurt.
“It’s nice having someone to be fine with,” I confessed.
He turned in his seat in the gondola and looked at me as he continued holding my hand.
It felt as though he was really looking at me—not like most people do, but seeing me.
And I saw him.
Neither of us spoke, just let the gondola carry us downstream, through the city lights. Yet beautiful as the scenery was, it was most beautiful reflected in his eyes.
“Thank you, Keegan. For sharing that, and for being here for me.”
He tucked his head low, saying, “Well, you are paying me, so…”
“No, obviously, I wasn’t talking about the little PR scheme. I meant for being a good person. For being you and letting me be me.”
He smirked just as the crack of fireworks filled the air, and we turned at the same time. It was almost a shame they’d started up and interrupted our moment.
Keegan pulled his gaze from me and turned to see the display over the palace.
Blue, purple, red, and white flashed in a fireworks spectacle befitting Parlaisa royalty.
“The palace puts on this show from the Grand Courtyard every Saturday night, but this is the best view.”
“Wow,” he murmured, taking in its magnificence. He pointed to an alley and said, “Hey, isn’t it over there where I got tased by the royal guard?”
I laughed. “You have a good memory.”
“Yeah, I do. That’s why I did such a good job in that interview. Give me some credit. Memorization is something that’s made me very good in school, plays, and crossword puzzles.”
“Oh, really? Crossword puzzles, huh? Well, there’s something we should have found out during our initial Q and A period. It’s funny, we go through all this red tape, all this attempt at playing the getting-to-know-you game, and there’s still so much we don’t cover.”
I wasn’t talking about that silly fact, though, but about the far more meaningful discussion we’d shared with one another.
“At least you only have to catch up on nineteen years. I have to catch up on thirty-two!”
“No reason to make me feel like an old man. But if you’d like to start calling me daddy…”
“Only if you think it’s hot.” That classic, all-American Keegan Kruse smile appeared once again—desire in his eyes, this pent-up sexual energy I could tell was lurking in there, waiting to be unleashed.
He batted his eyes and turned back to the fireworks, then glanced around at the scenery—the palace and the surrounding buildings.
“Parlaisa is so beautiful. It’s so different from anything I’m used to. I’ve never been much of anywhere outside of Fever Falls. I really want to see more of the world, but you know, going to school and all, being responsible.”
“If you could go anywhere in the world right now—if we could drop everything and go there, without questions about travel, or how long it would take, or what you’d have to set aside in your life—where would you go?”
“Hmm… Let me think about that. A lot of good places out there to go, so many interesting things to do. I’d like to see the pyramids at some point. Machu Picchu intrigues me. Istanbul looks gorgeous in photos. But I think I got a place in mind I’m really curious about.”
“Which is?”
“Your bedroom.” As innocent and playful as Keegan’s comment was, the moment his eyes made contact with mine again, I could see his wicked intentions. Once again, there was that confidence he didn’t always show. It was as though he knew just how beautiful he was and was using it against me.
“I don’t believe that’s what you want to see.”
“I think I made the right choice,” he teased. “See, I think I have a bit of an emergency.”
I couldn’t even laugh at that, as playful and silly as he was being. It stirred this deep desire within me, this hunger that hadn’t really been awakened until I met him.
“I’m really pissed at how long it’s going to take us to get off this boat,” I said, which got Keegan laughing again.
“Gives me time to eat another burger.”
And damn, my emergency was already hurting in my pants.
19
Keegan
It had been such a beautiful evening with Owen.
Not just because of the river walk, gondola, and freaking fireworks.
More than all that, when he’d shared that story about his past, it was like watching him strip right in front of me, out of all those walls he put up for the rest of the world. I guessed that was what made me want to share my story with him.
So many things I enjoyed sharing only with him.
“So this is the heinous room they put the Prince of Parlaisa up in,” Owen said as he guided me into the spacious, two-story room, which reminded me of some of the penthouses Jace got to stay in when he was touring for that apparel company. I’d expected the sort of traditional furnishings that decorated most of the palace, but O’s room was trendier, with modern artwork along the walls and a few impressionistic paintings. His tastes reminded me of Dax’s.