Chapter 240

Emmeline’s infectious laughter ringing out in a crystalline peal each time Zavian grumbled out a token protest. She raised a pleading finger when her ankle finally started to protest about the uncomfortable stretches.

“Just one more, I promise,” she cajoled.

Zavian’s responding sigh was drawn out and longsuffering, but the glint of amusement sparking in his gaze belied his tone. “One final photo, then,” he acquiesced with a curt nod.

Emmeline beamed, rising up on her tiptoes to press her lips to the stubbled curve of his jaw in a quick, impulsive kiss before angling the phone to snap one last shot.

As she pulled back to study the image, she couldn’t quite muffle the soft, wistful sound that slipped past her lips. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” she murmured, her thumb tracing the outline of their figures frozen in an intimate clinch. “To be able to take romantic couple photos with you without fear of being caught or having to hide.”

Her eyes drift