Chapter 17 #3
‘Come on. I don’t have to read the thing to know the faerie king’s quivering member’s mentioned more than once.’ I hold the book above my head, away from her grabby hands. ‘Is that what you’re always reading, Luce? Always so engrossed in these books. You’re a perv.’
I lower the book enough so that she can snatch it from my hands. She pulls it close to her chest, like it’s a child. ‘I am not a perv. There are only a handful of sex scenes and no quivering members.’
‘Velvet-wrapped steel, then?’
‘How do you even know those terms? Is all this bluster because you’re a secret romance reader? Don’t tell me you get off from books about hot men and their masculine girth?’
My brain vacates. Like a backing track with no lyrics. A hint of penis talk from her prim and proper mouth has killed me off. I gawp at her. Nope. Still processing.
‘You do,’ she teases when I can’t reply to her. ‘Rhys! I had no idea. I’ll lend you this one when I’m done with it. Shouldn’t take me long. They’ve made it to the tavern and things are about to get real good.’
I clear my throat. ‘I read books about gun fights and wars and cars and spies, I’ll have you know.
’ I puff out my chest, trying to look like the manliest man who ever lived.
It’s all a joke. I don’t read at all. Would for Luce, though.
Especially something smutty to kick off a night together. Or an entire encyclopaedia about her.
‘Sure. You should be a little less judgey, Rhys Pritchett.’ Her smile gives away that she’s not mad at me.
‘Is it dangerous going out with you? Or am I safe because I’m not a faerie king?’
‘You’ll be fine because if you carry on, you’ll be eating alone.’ She hoists her bag onto her shoulder.
‘All right, I’ll drop it.’ I follow her through the room, waiting until we reach the door before dropping my head low to whisper in her ear, ‘If we do find ourselves in a tavern with only one bed, I’m not sure I’ll be responsible for my actions.’
She stops with her hand on the knob, her grip tightening until her knuckles turn white. The tiniest of sighs escapes, igniting a flurry of ideas of how else I can draw that noise from her. I’m fucking done for.
She recovers quicker than me. When she tosses her hair over her shoulders, it hits me in the face, bringing me to the present in a cloud of caramel and vanilla. Why are we going out? I can get to know her just as well in her room.
‘Stop it. Final warning.’
I hold my hands up in surrender. ‘Okay, fine.’
There’s a pause while she waits for another comment.
A hundred more things sit at the tip of my tongue – that she’s the only girl who could make my member quiver, or that I could easily make her feel like she’s flying through the sky – but I keep them locked in.
A boundary’s been set, and I won’t cross it.
Her wrath will be fast and painful if I do.
Why does that excite me so much?
Satisfied I’ve dropped the teasing, she huffs and yanks open the door, catching herself in the face.
She’s fucking flustered, and I love it. She fumbles with her bag, hustling to the stairs, her strides long and purposeful as if she’s keen to put some distance between us.
Oh, I’ve touched a nerve. She’s as worked up as me.
I pocket that little snippet about her for later.
This is how to distract her. Perfect.
I take my time following her. She waits until we’re at the bottom of the stairs before asking, ‘So where are you taking me?’
Back to your room. Into mine. Hell, I’ll take one of the sofas in the posh drawing room.
All our flirting’s distracted me from the fact I don’t have a plan.
What I do know is we should get far away from this house before I get too tempted by her.
Far away from the few privileged crew staying here.
Away from Beth and Cai and Gethin so they don’t decide to come out with us. I want Luce to myself.
Bryn pulls into the drive in our hired black Mercedes as we step out the front door, and inspiration strikes. He gets out of the car, two boxes of pizza balanced in one arm, and I hold a hand out for the key.
‘You going for food?’ he asks as he tosses it to me, almost toppling the boxes.
‘Yeah, but you’ve got my number if you need anything, yeah? Won’t go too far.’
‘Tidy. See you later.’
I drop Cai and Gethin a quick text to let them know I’m heading out for a couple of hours while Lucy fusses over something with Bryn.
I don’t tell them she’s with me. It’s her business to update them if she’s going out, not mine.
I could remind her, but I don’t want them putting two and two together and coming up with five.
I’d never hear the fucking end of it. Bethan’s snooping’s already the worst.
Once Luce’s finished gassing – probably giving poor Bryn a million and one instructions – and he fucks off inside, I open the passenger side door for her.
‘M’lady,’ I say, bowing low.
‘My faerie king.’ What a fucking tease.
She pulls at the side of her jeans in a fake curtsy before sliding in. With her door shut, I hurry around the car, not wanting there to be more than five seconds without her by my side.