Chapter 26 #2
The corner of my mouth lifts. She’s never been good at taking compliments. I don’t miss the way her pulse flutters at her throat, and the way she fights the urge to look away. She swallows and I track the movement, catching the way her necklace shimmers in the light.
She clears her throat, shifting under my stare. “I’m up here.”
I chuckle, shaking my head as I step back, giving her a deliberate once-over. “I've admired your body more times than I'll admit, but that wasn’t one of those times, Princess.”
The blush that rushes up her throat is instant. She stares at me, completely at a loss for words, before looking away.
When the song ends, her eyes flutter shut and she exhales. There’s a contentment in simply watching her like this. A rare moment where she isn’t overthinking or second guessing. But the hum of voices around us pulls me back to reality.
I lean in, my voice low. “Can I show you something?”
Her lashes lift and I can see the curiosity flashing across her face. She nods without hesitation.
Good girl.
I take her hand, threading my fingers through hers, and lead her off the dance floor before she has a chance to second-guess herself. Her fingers tighten around mine, and it's the smallest squeeze, but I feel it like a brand.
Her soft giggle echoes in the quiet hallway, and I glance back at her. A quiet smile tugs at her lips.
I lead her down the familiar path, knowing exactly where I want to take her. Right now, sharing that small, hidden part of my world feels like a good place to start with the truth.
“Are we going to the greenhouse?”
I can't hide the smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. “You’ll see.”
As soon as we hit the greenhouse, the rich scent of earth and blooming jasmine clings to the air, mixing with the warm, familiar scent of her perfume.
She lets out a soft laugh as we weave through the plants.
“What?” I ask, catching the grin she’s failing to hide.
“We’re sneaking through a castle during a masquerade,” her reply is light, almost playful. “Doesn’t that feel a little… ironic to you?”
Her laughter is contagious, and though I don’t fully let it show, I can’t deny the humor in the situation. “When you put it that way...”
We’re nearly at the door that leads outside when her hand goes stiff in mine. I stop instantly.
Her entire posture shifts, her body locking up as soon as her eyes lock on something. I follow her gaze and see a shattered clay pot on the floor. The shards are scattered like someone dropped it in a hurry.
Her expression darkens and her brows pull together. Her lips part, but the words never make it past her throat.
“Hey.” I squeeze her hand, bringing her back to the present. “You still with me? We’re almost there.”
She blinks, her eyes snapping back to mine. Whatever held her in place fades, but not entirely. “What does almost there, mean?”
I don't answer because we're here. The moment she sees it, her entire face lights up. “The swing!” She gasps, practically dragging me toward it.
She lets go of my hand and slips onto the swing without hesitation, her dress pooling around her like dark ink against the moonlit grass.
I grab the ropes, giving the swing a gentle push.
Her head tips back and the breeze tugs her hair loose. For a second she forgets to fight the world. That unguarded, reckless smile spreads across her lips and I want to steal it before anyone else sees it.
I watch the way her eyes flutter shut, and the way she breathes like she’s letting something heavy go. This is the most real I’ve seen her. No mask. No sharp edges. Just her.
A chuckle slips out before I can stop it. Her head turns, and she narrows her eyes. “Don’t you dare laugh at me,” she warns, but there’s no bite in it.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Her lips twitch, fighting back a grin, and the shift between us is instant. If I let my mind wander too far into what this is turning into, I’ll start thinking about all the things I should tell her. The things I can’t tell her.
Not yet. Not here.
So I let her have this moment. And maybe, just for a second, I let myself have it too.
The swing slows and the world settles around us. She gets up and walks over to the tree trunk. Her fingers brush over the carving of the two K’s, tracing the letters slowly, as if she’s committing them to memory.
A sharp prickle runs down my spine, coiling tight in my chest. It’s gone in an instant, but the feeling it leaves behind lingers.
I clear my throat, stepping toward her, but when she turns to face me, I stop.
There’s something different in her eyes. A depth that wasn’t there before, curls behind her eyes. It’s still her, but it feels like she’s looking straight through me.
The space between us is nothing but a heartbeat. I feel the rise and fall of her chest, and for a second, I don’t fucking move.
Her lips part, and her voice is barely more than a whisper. “A storm is coming.”
The certainty in her tone roots me to the ground, sending another cold chill down my spine.
“Do you want to go back inside?”
She looks out across the lake and something unreadable flashes across her expression.
“No,” she says after a beat. “But I know we probably should. We’ve been out here for a while.”
“We can always come back out later,” I tell her, even as something in my chest tightens.
She studies me, searching my eyes. “I would like that very much.”
Her eyes look wide and bright under the moonlight. Long, dark lashes brush against her cheeks as she blinks up at me parting her lips.
“Let’s get you back to the castle, then.” I murmur, my voice coming out rougher than I meant it.
“Okay,” she whispers.
Her eyes look down to my mouth and every ounce of patience I have is obliterated.
My hand moves on its own before I can stop it, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. My thumb grazes the smooth curve of her cheek, and she doesn’t pull away like I think she will, instead, she leans in biting her lip.
I grip her jaw, tilting her head up as my mouth crashes onto hers, claiming her with a hunger I’ve been holding back since the moment she walked into the ballroom. She meets me with equal fire, parting her lips for me. Her body presses into mine like she belongs there.
My hand slips up her waist as I pull her closer, desperate to feel her, to take whatever she’ll give me. My control is a thread frayed to the breaking point, and my pulse is a war drum pounding in my ears.
She gasps against my lips when my hand starts to trail up the curve of her back. I feel the way she shivers, how her body reacts to me. How every sharp breath, every shift of her hips, tells me exactly what she wants.
Then she pulls back just so she can smile up at me.
“That’s all you got?” She taunts. Her voice drips with a smugness she has no business wielding right now.
Oh, sweetheart.
Heat tears through me and my hand clamps harder at her waist as I press her into the tree, caging her with my body. My mouth hovers over hers.
“Careful, Princess.” My voice is a quiet warning. “You might not be ready for what happens when I stop holding back.”
Her eyes flash with something reckless, and I can feel her fingers trailing slowly down my chest. Testing me.
And fuck, I let her.
Her fingers pause just above my belt, her touch featherlight, teasing. “That’s funny,” she murmurs, tilting her head just enough to bring our lips a breath apart. “Because from where I’m standing, it seems like you’re all talk.”
This woman.
My lips curve into a slow smile as I tighten my hold. My hand drifts lower, skimming the slit of her dress with my knuckles. I don't give her more. I just leave the touch there, light and deliberate, watching the way her throat betrays her with every frantic pulse.
“Don’t mistake restraint for weakness, pretty girl.” My voice is low, but I can tell she feels the weight behind it. “I could have you begging before you had time to think twice about using that attitude again.”
Her breath hitches.
I lean in, trailing my lips along the curve of her jaw, just close enough that she can feel the heat of my breath. Her pulse is racing now, her hands grip my shirt like she doesn’t trust herself to stay upright.
Good.
Because I’m barely holding myself back from ruining every ounce of self-control she thinks she has left.
“Would you like that?” I murmur against her skin, pressing one slow kiss just beneath her ear. “To be against this tree, breathless and wrecked, with my hands all over you?”
A soft whimper slips past her lips before she bites it back, but I hear it.
I drag my palm up, cupping her breast, kneading slowly, my thumb rolling over the hardened peak. Her back is arched enough to push into my touch. “That’s it,” I rasp, my teeth grazing her jaw. “You want more don’t you?”
Another whimper and my other hand slides lower, skimming over her bare thigh. I hesitate, dragging slow circles over her skin and she’s arching into me again. I dip my fingers beneath the fabric of her dress, and fuck, she isn’t wearing anything.
A groan rumbles from my chest as I drag my fingers through her soaked cunt, circling her clit with just enough pressure to make her tremble.
“You’re already shaking for me,” I growl, pressing my finger deeper, spreading her open just to feel how drenched she is. “So fucking needy.”
She sucks in a breath and shifts her hips, chasing my touch. But I don’t give her what she wants, not yet. I could have her right here, against this tree, wring her out until she’s got nothing left to give me but my name on her tongue.
Instead, I straighten, forcing myself to take a deep breath, knowing that if I don’t stop now, I won't.
Her eyes are dark, hazy with something she won't name. Her body's still pressed against mine. She sways slightly, flexing her fingers against my chest, like she’s considering pulling me back in.
She won’t.
Not because she doesn’t want to, but because I won’t let her.