CHAPTER 7
My heart stuttered to a halt; breath caught in my chest as his gaze pinned me in place.
I could not look away, even though my mind was screaming at me to run.
His hand explored her chest, while he kissed her neck, eyes not leaving mine.
His other hand lowered to her thigh and delicately bunched up her dress, the fabric tangling between his fingers.
The hand that was preoccupied with her chest moved down her stomach until it disappeared under the scrunched-up fabric.
Jane let out a loud moan, and her head fell forward on his shoulder, but his gaze was still holding mine; neither of us could look away, held there by some unknown force.
The corners of his mouth curled up into a wicked smile, and I could feel the heat radiating between my thighs as the night became darker.
Max had never touched me like this, ever.
We had only ever kissed, sneaking them here and there in between lessons and guard rotations.
Jane’s breathing quickened and became uneven as his hand made quick work of whatever it was that he was doing under her dress.
I tugged on my bottom lip with my teeth; his eyes narrowed at the motion.
The burning fire of desire behind them raged as the storm tried to extinguish the flames.
Jane let out a high-pitched, guttural moan, followed by a small yelp, and slumped over, resting her body on his.
I never wanted to hear that fucking sound again.
Her moan grabbed his attention back to her, and he looked away from me, untying the invisible rope that pulled us towards one another.
“We'd better get back before the sun rises.” That was all he said to her, clearly leaving her wanting more, but not giving in to her desires. He walked away first, letting her linger behind before she scurried after him, confused about what had just happened.
When she caught up to him, she tried to reach for his hand, but he shoved his hands into his pockets before she could snatch it.
I waited a good half-hour before climbing down and making my way back to the manor; my heart was still racing from what I had witnessed.
He must be smooth with the ladies around here to get what he wanted, call them cute nicknames to butter them up, and then discard them when he was done with them, a true ladies’ man.
I was lost in thought, replaying what I had just seen, of course, eliminating the memory and sounds that Jane had made.
My mother had never taught me about anything like that, just about love and how you know when you've found your person.
But this, this was something new. Something I was curious about. Something I wanted to explore.
The sensation that had built between my legs while I was up in the tree was finally starting to subside.
I turned the corner towards the servant’s entrance when my feet forgot how to walk.
Prince Zendryk was leaning against the wall by the door, one leg propped up, with his arms crossed over his chest. I didn’t know whether to turn and run or keep going.
I chose the latter, willing myself to remember how to walk, one step after another; there was no turning back now.
“Did you enjoy the show?” He asked me, not even looking in my direction, but somehow knew that I was there.
“I am sorry, sir, I was just trying to get some fresh air, and I lost track of time, and...”
“I asked you a question.” He cut me off mid-sentence.
I was stumbling for words, “I don’t know what I saw, sir.”
He ran a hand through his hair, and it fell just right, grazing his forehead right above his eyebrows. “Did you want me to show you?” His calm and stern demeanor faded into a devilish grin.
I was at a loss for words; I didn’t know what protocol to use.
Madam never taught us anything about this, or about situations that even came close to it.
Heat stirred deep within me once more as his gaze looked me up and down, burning so intensely that I had to shift my legs to try and smother the feeling growing between them.
My bottom lip found its way back between my teeth again, a nervous habit of mine, as I contemplated how to go about answering him properly.
I didn’t want to offend him, but I also didn't want to accept his invitation… Or did I? No, I didn’t.
“If you keep biting your lip, I might not wait for your answer.” His gaze focused on my mouth, which I instantly released from the hold my teeth had on it. “What’s your name, Sweetheart?”
Shit. There was that nickname again. I almost scoffed out loud and wondered how many girls that name had worked on; my panic was slowly twisted into annoyance. He pushed off the wall, walked over to me, and leaned closer.
He was so close I could feel his breath against my ear, “I asked you a question, Sweetheart.”
I couldn’t speak, the words were stuck somewhere between the nauseous feeling in my stomach and the air trapped at the back of my throat.
He slowly pulled away from me, lifting his hand to reveal the ribbon that I had dropped from the tree earlier, entwined between the same two fingers as earlier.
I reached out and grabbed it from his hands, the hands that just ravaged Jane under the willow tree.
He winked at me, “Fine, Sweetheart, keep your secrets.”
Jackass. He walked down the stone path towards the manor's main entrance, disappearing into the darkness, leaving me standing there in a puddle of emotions and unfamiliar feelings. I was angry I didn’t call him out on his behavior, annoyed he kept calling me Sweetheart, and, most of all, curious about what those hands would feel like on me.
Something rustled in the bushes by the tree line, jolting me back to the present, so I hurried back to my room and collapsed on my bed.
So tired from the long day, but also wide awake from what had just happened.
I was lost in my thoughts as I drifted off into a restless sleep.
The next morning was rough; I hardly slept, and I was stuck on cleaning duty with Jane for the day.
Every time I looked at her or she talked to me, the images of the night before replayed in my head, and I had to look away.
It felt wrong knowing about their secret; I battled a squeamish feeling in my gut, the type that only went away after vomiting.
“Are you even listening to me?” she asked, tapping her foot on the marble floor. Little does she know I had listened to her more than I wanted to lately.
“Yes, I am. I had a horrible sleep last night.” I responded while cleaning up an unknown spill on the ballroom floor, hoping it wasn’t vomit from a guest, hoping I wouldn’t add more to it with the contents of my own stomach.
She scoffed at me, “I would have too, if I made a fool of myself like you did last night.”
Fuuucckk. My chest tightened. She saw me in the tree. Shit. Panic started to set in, and I rambled on, trying to think of any excuse. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just…”
“If you ever let your hair fall out of place during service again, you won’t have any hair left to fall. It is a good thing the Queen didn’t see you. She would have chopped it all off right then and there, or worse.” She continued gathering the empty bottles off the tables.
A sigh of relief shuddered through my body. My hair, I had almost forgotten. She must have seen that. I was safe, except for the fact that the Prince had cornered me outside.
“Just keep cleaning, and DO NOT let it happen again. I would be more than happy to chop off that mess myself. I’m sure we need some new mop heads.” She said, with a disgusted look on her face, which seemed to be how she always looked.
Jane walked away towards the kitchen, empty bottles in hand.
The day dragged on, with little to no sleep, and I was happy once dinner service was over, so my bed and I could be reacquainted.
I closed my eyes, and I replayed the last twenty-four hours.
Every time my eyes closed, his stare and muscled body entered my mind.
My heartbeat picked up, and the thrumming between my legs reignited.
Imagining his hands on her chest, I let my own mimic the memory.
His gaze was powerful; the memory of it alone set me on fire.
A noise beyond my door broke my daydream, and my room came back into focus.
Instantly releasing my hand from my chest, I did not realize that my breathing had become ragged.
I had to stop thinking about him; he used all the servant girls like this, I was certain of that.
I was just the shiny new thing, and I didn’t want to be another conquest for him.
With that, I made a silent promise to myself that from this moment on, I would put as much distance between myself and the Prince as possible.
I wouldn’t let him intimidate me. I wouldn’t let him sweet-talk me.
I would not be another girl who fell at his feet.