Chapter 229- His Minty Breath

Chapter 229: 229- His Minty Breath

Arabella’s POV:

Somehow, Lucien had made himself comfortable on the couch, with me sitting sideways on his lap, my arms around his shoulders. His hands were resting on my waist.

Not that I was complaining.

We’d been kissing for so long that I’d lost track of time. Every time I thought he was finally going to let me get up, he’d pull me closer and find another excuse to devour my lips.

"Lucien, I really do have work to do," I reminded him when he finally gave my lips a break. I could see the files scattered across my desk from where I sat, along with several documents Lilith had brought for me to sign. "I am an Alpha now, remember?"

He brushed a few strands of my hair away from my cheek. "Well! You’re the Alpha now. You can decide where you’d like to sit."

I laughed, but before I could answer, he caught my chin and kissed me again. When he finally pulled away, I gave his chest a little shove. "You’re impossible."

"You’re breaking the rules, Princess."

"What rules?"

He gave me a stern look that might have been convincing if he hadn’t been stroking my thigh. "From now on, every time you want to talk to me, you have to kiss me first. No exceptions."

I burst out laughing. "You can’t be serious!"

"That’s another statement without a kiss." He shook his head in disappointment. "Not a very promising start for the new Alpha of Blackthorn."

"Oh, really?" I slipped my fingers into his hair and leaned closer. "And what happens if I refuse to follow these ridiculous rules, Your Majesty?"

"Well, I suppose I’ll have to collect the kisses myself."

He barely finished speaking before his tongue found my lips, licking them. I chuckled against his mouth, trying to control my erratic breathing. But that didn’t stop me from kissing him. His arms came around me, and for a little while, I forgot all about the paperwork waiting on my desk.

Goddess knew how long we had been kissing before I finally pulled back and rested my forehead against his. "All right, enough. I actually need your advice about something."

Lucien raised an eyebrow and tapped his lips with one finger. I rolled my eyes. "No! You must be joking."

He stayed quiet, narrowing his eyes.

"Fine!" I gave him a quick kiss. "Happy now?"

"Go on."

I settled more comfortably on his lap, playing with the collar button of his shirt. "I know the council has officially recognized me as Alpha, but there’s still so much I don’t know. Chris has been running this pack for years, and Rick handled most of the administrative work. I don’t want to walk into a meeting and have everyone realize I have no idea what I’m doing."

Lucien listened without interrupting, although his fingers kept moving lazily along my back beneath my blouse. "First of all, you don’t have to know everything on your first day," he said. "You have people who can help you. And if you’re worried about the administrative side of things, I can send Bradley here for a few days. He knows more about managing a pack."

I considered that for a moment. "Bradley is your Beta? Won’t you need him at the palace?"

"I can spare him long enough to help you get settled." He paused, then gave me a pointed look. "And you owe me two kisses for those questions."

I gave him an incredulous look. "Lucien! You were actually counting?"

"Three."

"Lucien!"

"Four."

"Urgh!"

I cupped his face and planted several quick kisses on his lips, but before I could pull away, he caught my mouth again, turning my playful little kisses into a long, lingering one. His hand slid up my back, and I found myself leaning into him again, enjoying the warmth of his arms and his chest.

"You’re going to be the death of me," I complained when he finally let me speak.

"That’s a rather serious accusation, Princess. I think it deserves another kiss."

I giggled as I covered his mouth with my palm before he could lean in again. "Please. Let me finish talking, or I’ll never get anything done."

He kissed the inside of my palm instead, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

I shook my head. "Anyway, there’s something else. I want to learn how to fight properly. I know I have Astraea, but I can’t keep relying on her whenever I’m in trouble. She is still busy gaining back her energy. As an Alpha, I should be able to defend myself."

For once, Lucien seemed to take my concern seriously. He shifted slightly, keeping one arm around me as he considered it.

"That’s something we can arrange. Chloe would be perfect for it. She’s an excellent fighter, and she’s trained in several forms of combat. Trust me, Princess, she knows exactly what she’s doing. I could ask her to train you personally."

"Wow! Why didn’t I think of that?" I exclaimed in surprise.

His mouth curved into a small smile. "I should warn you, she won’t go easy on you just because you’re the Alpha."

"And I don’t want her to."

I was already imagining Chloe’s reaction when I remembered something else. "And what about you? Couldn’t you train me sometimes, mister?" I held his collar while asking the question.

Lucien’s eyes dipped to my hand before looking back into my eyes. "Me?"

I leaned forward as though I was going to kiss him, but instead, I gave the tip of his nose a playful bite.

"Ouch!" He pulled back, rubbing his nose. "What was that for?"

I grinned at his offended expression. "Just felt like it." I said with a shrug, "you’re the Lycan King, aren’t you? Surely you know a thing or two about fighting."

He pulled me closer. "Oh, I know plenty, Princess. But I’m not sure we’d get much training done if you kept looking at me the way you’re looking at me now."

"And how exactly am I looking at you?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"Like you want to kiss me again." He grinned and leaned closer. "And for the record, I wouldn’t mind at all."

"Someone’s getting a little too confident," I teased, but before he could come up with another clever reply, I pressed my lips against his.

He didn’t take time to kiss me back, his fingers slipping into my hair as I shifted closer on his lap. I meant to keep it brief, but the moment he parted his lips against mine, his minty breath made me forget all about teasing him.