Chapter 6
Six
Lizette
I snort a laugh as I follow behind him. The initial shock of seeing a quaint picnic waiting for us is wearing off, and curiosity has raced to the forefront of my mind.
Did he really do this all for me? Because he wanted to spend alone time with me out of the castle?
Butterflies run rampant in my stomach as I watch him get settled on the blanket, leaning back to prop himself on his elbows. He looks so casual, so relaxed. He reaches for the fruit basket and tosses a grape into his mouth.
Meanwhile, I’m about to vibrate apart from nerves.
I sit next to him, careful to leave a few feet between us. Somehow, this feels way more intimate than the privacy of the library, and my eyes fall to the basket of fruit set perfectly between us.
“Now, this is peaceful, don’t you think?” he asks, tossing me a sideways glance as I reach for a grape. I pop it into my mouth, and the tart flavor explodes over my tongue as my teeth sink into it.
One thing I’ll never get tired of about Ulleh is the food—everything feels richer, tastes better, than the food back home.
“Absolutely. Much better than slaving away in the kitchen all day.”
I take the liberty of kicking off my worn shoes and wiggling my toes, thankful for the relief. If only I could take off the permanent maroon wristbands that come with being a servant, or change into something a little more suited for the woods.
Still, I’m not complaining. This is the most exciting thing I’ve done since arriving here.
Not to mention, I’m glad to be with Oryx again, even though we’d likely be punished if someone discovered what we were doing.
The way this would look to anyone who happened upon us is…
suspect. It looks like we’re on a romantic picnic date in the forest, desperate to get away from prying eyes, but really it’s just—
My thoughts slam to a halt as reality sets in.
No.
This can’t be a… date.
I look at Oryx as heat explodes in my cheeks, creeping down my neck, sinking through my body. Every day we spent together in the library, I assumed I was the only one feeling the way I do. The only one secretly pining for someone I couldn’t have, something forbidden for a servant like me.
But this? A private picnic far away from anyone who could judge us or tell us otherwise…
It’s suddenly hard to breathe.
“Lizette?” Oryx says, but I barely hear the word. I’m too busy battling the pulse pounding in my ears and my breaths that are becoming more and more erratic.
What the hell is wrong with me? And why can’t I think straight?
The next thing I know, Oryx is there, crouched beside me. He places two heavy hands on my shoulders to ground me, and I snap to my senses at his touch. My eyes jump to his dark brown ones, hovering a foot from my face, and I’m instantly aware of how close we are.
My mouth opens, but no words come out.
“If this is too much, we can leave,” he says, his deep timbre rolling over my skin and leaving goosebumps in its wake.
The corners of my eyes begin to prickle as wave after wave of crushing emotion slams into me, twisting my thoughts, tugging at my insides.
It’s not that I want to leave.
No, quite the opposite.
I’d stay here forever with Oryx if I could, but a tiny voice in my head reminds me that it isn’t possible. No matter what we do, no matter where we go, there is still a barrier between us.
He’s a prince and I’m a servant.
“I…” My voice trails off and I squeeze my eyes shut.
What am I doing? What have I done?
I’ve clearly gotten us into a mess, and I know we can’t keep going like this. He or I or both will be punished in one way or another if it’s discovered what we’re doing.
“Lizette.” His voice is more demanding this time, slicing straight through the commotion in my head. My eyes fly open and lock with his again. “Tell me what you’re thinking. Please, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t,” I assure him. “This is amazing, thank you. It just kind of hit me… how silly I’ve been.”
His eyes narrow, his head canting to the side. “Silly? About what?”
Fuck, he’s going to make me say it. But how else can I get myself out of this mess?
“I thought for a moment that this might be… something more than a picnic, but that’s absurd.
And I’ve been slowly tricking myself into believing that you have some kind of feelings for me.
” I shake my head, knowing I sound ridiculous.
I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
“But you’re obviously just being nice. You could never actually have feelings for a servant, a nobody, when you could have anyone you want in your kingdom. ”
I take a deep breath that shakes on the way out.
“I’m so sorry if I’ve ruined all this,” I manage, keeping my voice mostly level.
He doesn’t say anything at first, just staring at me like he’s trying to process my words. I’m so embarrassed all I want to do is hide my face. Of course, I was stupid for having a crush on a prince.
What was I thinking?
But the words that come out of his mouth shock me to my core. “Who said it wasn’t?”
I try to respond, but my response dies on my tongue. I open my mouth, close it again, and slowly shake my head.
“Well… no one,” I finally answer. “But it doesn’t make sense. Why would you want to go on a date with me?”
He chuckles and removes his hands, sitting back on his heels without moving from the spot next to me. “Clearly, I haven’t been obvious enough with my flirting if you’re surprised by this at all.”
Flirting? Obvious?
My mind is spinning.
“Lizette, I am absolutely captivated by you,” he says, and I might melt to the ground at any moment.
“I spend every second of every day thinking about the next time I’ll get to see you, our next rendezvous in the library, but it’s never enough.
I brought you here because I planned to tell you, but I didn’t think it would go like this. ”
He reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, and heat pools between my thighs.
“H-how did you expect it to go?” I ask.
He smirks. “Well there were two possibilities. The first, you graciously declined my advances and we waded through the creek before heading back to the castle.”
I cock an eyebrow at him. “And the second?”
He leans in close enough for his snout to brush against my jaw, his warm breath rolling over my skin and making me shudder. My libido skyrockets, my clit throbbing needily as I fight to remember how to think.
“That one, I’d have to show you.”