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With three days to go before the Kronig, Elle found herself sweaty, panting, and flat on her back underneath Doys—at least the kind of fun she iht when she was alone in that s The man was lethal to her self-control

“Explain tothis?” she asked between heavy breaths as she remained pinned between the thick workout mat and Dom’s hard body

He stood up, planting his feet on each side of her as he reached down to help her up “Because I won’t always be with you”

“And because of that, I have to go to princess pu academy?” She took his hand, the now fa her down to her toes, and he yanked her up into a standing position

He gave her a crooked grin and winked “Exactly”

Once again, they faced off, circling each other on the red mat Muscles she didn’t even know she had ached from the daily afternoon workouts, and her brain was so full of the latest political gossip about Elskov’s most powerful and influential people that it was about to leak out her ears And when she wasn’t getting beaten up, learning how inadequate the self-defense class she’d taken in Harbor City was, or watching yet another PowerPoint presentation about the realities of ruling a country, she was fantasizing about picking up where they’d left off in the library her first night here Not that he’d made a move in that direction Oh, he’d flirted as easily as he breathed, but that was it

She should be glad

She wasn’t

“This sucks,” she muttered as she landed a solid punch to his rock-hard midsection

He laughed off her effort “Not as bad as dying”

True story Death was not part of her plan to get out of here, ditch the throne, and disappear again before the Fjende had a chance to know she was in the wind “You’re sed without flinching

“I guess thatall the time” He rested his hands on his narrow hips, his thu his hips that o dry

Judging by the way his gaze kept flickering between her eyes and her hands, he expected another punch or jab Taking advantage of thehis out from underneath him He landed with a solid thump on his ass

Triumph soothed her aches “Not so full of yourself now, are you?”

Too late, she felt his fingers close around her ankle The ground flip-flopped with the ceiling, and she landed on her back Before she could force the air back in her lungs, Dom straddled her with his knees on either side of her hips He clasped her wrists and pushed the her beneath his perfect body covered only by a loose pair of workout shorts Sweat glistened on his defined pecs, and his biceps bulged Above her, his blue eyes darkened as his gaze dipped to her mouth