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A gentle squeeze to my forearm has me shutting my eyes as my skin tingles from her touch.
“Care to share your thoughts, Captain?” she asks, and the use of my title tells me she’s messing with me. “Do your guards often leave you unattended when on outings?” I ask as Hiram rummages through the different paintings, appearing to need a new one.
I look over to Marcus who is at a baked goods table accepting samples from the attractive ladies running the booth. He seems more interested in the women than the food.
“As you know from firsthand experience, I can protect myself. I often travel alone and rarely have any issues,” she answers simply, as if that gives her an excuse to be unguarded.
King Asher allows her to travel by herself? I thought he had her locked away at The Keep. Does she go without his knowledge?
I release her arm from mine and turn to her fully. My body tenses as I remember the moment we met. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises. Her neck was purple from a man trying to hurt her. Anger burns at my core, and I struggle to explain why protecting her is consuming all my thoughts.
“What about the night you were attacked? You may have walked away from that, but not unharmed, Your Highness. What about then? Shouldn’t your guards be there to keep that from happening again?” I ask, trying to dampen my frustration at her blatant disregard for her own safety.
She purses her lips and narrows her eyes at me. “They were getting their asses kicked, too. And remember, I ended that fight. I killed the man who attacked me. Not my guards. Me.” She jabs a finger into my chest as she walks past, heading toward another row of shops.
I take a step to follow her but halt. No one is watching her or me. I look down the alley, debating my options. Looking over at Hiram and Marcus, I confirm they’re still distracted by their shopping. The queen’s curls blow in the wind as she walks away from me.
Time to teach you why you should always keep your guards close.
I slip into a crowd of people, easily blending in as a shopper looking at the various goods set along the tables. I hover around near the edge to keep an eye on the queen. Waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
The queen stops and turns around with a smirk on her face but freezes when she doesn’t see me behind her. Her chest rises and falls quickly as she spins around, looking for me. “Theo,” she calls out, panic shaking her voice.
She turns away from me, and I make my move. I slither through the crowded village to get behind her while she’s distracted looking for me.
“Th—” I cut off her call by slapping a hand over her mouth.
I grab her by the waist, easily lifting her off the ground. I pull her tight into me as I walk backward into an alcove completely obstructed from view.
Her light kicks tell me she knows exactly who has her, but that doesn’t stop me. My whole body hums with her tucked so close to me. Her rose scent swirls around me, and I try to calm my racing heart.
I spin her and push her back into the stone wall, pinning her down with my body.
“Now, you’re going to be a good girl while I teach you a lesson,” I say with my hand still covering her mouth.
She bites her lip and I feel it along my palm. I stare at the back of my hand as if I can see through it, perfectly picturing her nibbling on her lower lip.
A mischievous smile curves across my face, thinking about all the things I could do to her in this alley where no one would find us. I drop my hand from her mouth, and she surprisingly doesn’t make a sound.Such a good girl.
I trail my hands down her arms before lifting them above her head, pinning them to the wall. Her breath hitches, and I drag my eyes to meet hers.
“This is why your guards should always be by your side. You never know when someone could stalk the shadows, waiting to strike. How would you defend yourself now?” I lean in closer, trying to prove my point.
She strains to look up at me, her back arching off the wall. Her breasts push into my chest, and the desire to find out how they feel in my hands is almost too much.
“No one else would get this far, Captain. I have enough blades to halt any man before he got me into this alley,” she answers, challenge lacing her voice.
I drag my eyes down her body, enjoying every dip and curve.
I need to stop. I should stop.
Instead, I switch to looking for weapons, curious about how many she can hide on her body while wearing a dress.
“Let’s see about that,” I say as I slide a hand along her side.
My gaze falls to her breasts, and I can’t stop my tongue from sliding along my bottom lip. Imagining what it would be like to lick every inch of her, enjoying the taste of her skin, has my cock hardening.
I ease off her a little, not wanting her to feel what she’s doing to me. She arches her back off the wall, more in offering than an escape attempt. I clench my teeth, pushing down all the traitorous things I’d like to do to her. If only she wasn’t married to the shadow king. If only she wasn’t my enemy’s queen.
