The Mercenary: A Sequel to Hwarang: The Saga of the Sooks Book #2

Chapter 30: Another Kingdom

Jin Heung settled in next to his new wife. They had just spent a blissful hour together. But now he wanted more of her story.

"My dear, you have not regaled me with a tale in many days."

"That's because you were too busy to see me," she responded dryly.

His face fell. "I do beg your pardon. I am most sorry that the affairs of the kingdom have dragged me away from you for so long."

"I'm just glad that you could find the time to marry me," she mumbled.

"Sookie! You know I love you," he gasped.

Her lips quirked upward in a reluctant smile. "I sure hope so. You did marry me after all." She narrowed her eyes. "Or did you do it just to gain a lasting peace with my brother?"

His eyes flew wide. "You know that is not the reason!"

Her face broke into a wide grin now. "I do. I'm just teasing you."

He grumbled.

"Hey, you left me hanging for days on end. Don't I have the right to be a tiny bit disgruntled?" she asked as she held the pad of her index finger a mere centimeter away from the pad of her thumb.

He reached for that hand and used it to drag her up close to him again. He bent his head and ravished her lips until she was sighing with satisfaction.

"I swear I'll make it up to you," he murmured tenderly.

And she giggled. "You promise, Jijin?"

"Absolutely," he growled.

After another delightful interlude in each other's arms, he pillowed his head against her chest. "Tell me my story, Sookie."

She chuckled. "Actually, Jijin, it's not your story anymore."

He glanced up at her in surprise. "It's not?"

She shook her head. "No, no. Then it would be quite boring because you would know how it ends."

"Would I?" He reached for her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "Because I'm pretty sure that I don't know how our story ends."

"Sure, you do. You marry the princess. And live happily ever after."

"Oh, right. Silly me. How could I forget something as important as that?"

"I do not know," she uttered with humor lacing her tone.

"Tell me your story then," he whispered, his breath teasing her skin and making her remember several delicious moments in his embrace.

Smiling, she picked up the thread of her story where she had left off. Many days ago.

"'Your father was a king!' Yong Joon gasped. 'What king?'

"Did she truly trust him? Because if she did, she was about to put her entire life into his hands.

"She wished that she could see his eyes.

"Just then, a commotion reached their ears. Some drunken men were stumbling down the street, appearing over the rise in a distant hill. Alarmed, Yong Joon reached for her hand.

"'Where can we go?' he wondered aloud.

"'Come!' she tugged him down the street. In the opposite direction.

"When they were alone again, she turned towards him. 'Where do you live?'

"'What?'

"'When you're not with the hwarang, where do you live?'