13. Like an Addiction – Elias #3
She stopped abruptly, and for a moment, I thought she was going to chastise my use of princess.
Instead, she whipped around to face me so fast that her hair braids nearly slapped me as she turned toward me.
An anger burned behind her gaze as her brow furrowed, causing a cute, fierce wrinkle to form between them.
"How could you say that? Briar is my responsibility, my family.
I would do anything, give anything, to see her free again. That is my happiness."
I held my palms up in a placating gesture, my heart twisting in pain at the obvious agony held within her tone as she berated me.
"My apologies, Rosemary. I meant no offense. I only meant that I hate to see you shouldering this burden alone. It seems to me that you’ve already sacrificed so much.
I hope you’ll allow me to help with the weight now, if only for the short while that we’ll be journeying together. "
She breathed deeply then stubbornly shook her head, her jaw set. "I can't. I won't. Not until Briar is safe and our kingd…” she trailed off, shaking her head before simply saying, “not until she is free."
She turned from me, and worry oozed from her very pores. She didn't know who I was or what I knew, and I got the feeling she feared she had just revealed too much about herself.
My hand rose before I realized what I was doing, until my fingertips brushed lightly against the skin of her chin.
With the lightest pressure, I pulled her chin toward me until we stared into each other's eyes, unable to look away.
Her skin so smooth beneath my touch. Even in the deepening shadows wrapping around us, her face was perfection.
"Run away with me, Rosemary," I murmured, my voice a husky rasp. I watched her reaction carefully, noting the way her breath caught, how her pulse fluttered at her throat. The way I affected her was intoxicating. "Forget all of this and live. What we’re doing isn’t without risk.
The days that follow this one will be dangerous to us both.
I want you to choose life. Do not risk yourself like this. "
I inhaled her essence like a drug I couldn't quit.
My warm breath brushed her neck as we stood close.
The scents of vanilla and sunshine almost broke me, reviving memories from before we felt my mother's capricious cruelty.
My words walked a fine line. Part of me meant them and always would, but another part knew that future was gone.
Yet, she needed to believe me. Fate had been harsh, and though I longed for us to escape and forget kingdoms, destinies, and prophecies, I knew it was impossible.
All I could do was ensure her future would shine, even if the only way to save us both was to become everything she would despise.
She didn't move from my grasp. Her long lashes brushed the tops of her rosy cheeks as she blinked up at me. "What about you? Your brother? Did you say what you said about him only as a means to get me alone in these woods so that you could seduce me?"
I dropped my hand but remained within a breath of her, our chests so close to touching as we breathed each other in. "I wouldn’t need to drag you into these dangerous woods, chancing injury or death, simply to seduce you.”
The word hung between us, heavy with implication.
I watched heat bloom in her cheeks, saw the way her breathing quickened.
I couldn't tell if it was embarrassment, anger, or something else entirely, but the hope that she might be thinking about me that way, about my hands on her skin, my mouth on hers, made my blood sing.
“I’d do that where we could enjoy comforts such as pillows, wine, and delectable delights like chocolate or frothed sugared milk.
Regular opportunities to bathe would also be preferable for that goal.
" I smirked, and her lips twitched into a smile of her own.
"What I said about my brother is true, but what I've learned of your heart these past few days, and the burden you’ve shouldered alone all this time has me more concerned about your well-being than anything else.
There could be other options for my brother.
I don't want you risking yourself if there's another way. "
We stood inches apart, yet it wasn't close enough.
A warmth drew me to her, and her sweet scent teased my senses.
Her fingers twitched against my shoulders, and I wondered if she wanted to touch my skin as I had cupped her chin before.
I leaned closer, and when she didn't retreat, I brushed her neck with my nose and inhaled her essence.
My lips neared her ear, and I grazed the soft lobe.
She tensed beneath me as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves in a melody just for us.
"I can’t be selfish with you, Rosemary. I don’t want to risk you. Not for anything."