His mouth hovered above hers, his thumb between them pressing down on the pillow of her bottom lip like he was holding his place in a book, a promise of what was to come.
And Goddess did she want him to turn that page.
“Please,” she whispered against the pad of his thumb, too weak on the thought of his lips to care that he had her actuallypleading. “Please, just kiss me.”
And finally, finally, he did. Softly, so softly, his fingers light at her jaw. She had never been kissed so sweetly before, not even by Ger. It was wonderful and infuriating. Each brush of his lips tightened her chest further, held her breath just out of reach, dizzied her. Kai slipped beneath the borrowed cloak, one broad, strong hand tight on her waist, seeping heat through her dress. The air swept back into Adeline’s lungs in one breathy gasp, and the sound seemed to stir him something in him. His dazed, reverent kisses deepened. He pressed her backwards, urgently, bracing his free hand above her head as they fell against the tree. He tasted of sweet apples and warm spices, and his tongue swept into her mouth, a little frantic, a little less gentle.
The very air had changed around them, no longer still and silent but heavy and crackling. Everything moved a little faster. Adeline slid her hand under Kai’s loosened shirt collar and spread her fingers against his bare chest, drawing a deep groan from the back of his throat that made her ache. It was a lit match to the empty, wanting hollow of her stomach, heat soaring through her like the lick of flames. His hands were in her hair, digging into her thigh, hitching her leg over his hip. She gasped freely into his mouth as he pinned her hips with his own, and didn’t trouble to quiet her stuttering breath when his lips left hers to brush along the curve of her jaw, the hollow beneath her ear, down her throat. His teeth grazed the skin of her shoulder and she crushed herself to him, arching her back against the rough bark and lifting her hips to drive him closer,closerto that building, needy ache between her thighs.
His hand scrabbled impatiently at the hem of her dress, shoving it up over her knees to further part her thighs for him, and when she ground against him, he loosed a low, muffled groan into her shoulder. His hips bucked in response to her, just enough that she felt him, thick and hard against the heat of her core – and then her feet hit the forest floor and his warmth was ripped from her.
She gulped down a breath, head swimming.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he managed, raggedly, breathing hard. He’d stepped back several paces, eyes wide and dark. One hand raked through his hair while the other fumbled at the buttons of his shirt, trying to do it up.
Adeline was so disoriented she almost didn’t notice she’d heard him swear for the first time ever. Would have ignored it completely if it didn’t send a strange thrill spiralling through her, all those pretty manners chafed away by his frantic desire. Desire forher.
“Sorry forwhat?”
“I got carried away. Far,faraway –”
“Not far enough.”
He stilled at that, his hand dropping from his hair as he looked up at her warily.
“You’re not leading me astray with a few drunken kisses in the forest, Kai.”
He arched a brow.
“That was a little more than a drunken kiss. You’re a Princess of Eisalaan, and I should know better. You asked me to kiss you, not fucking ravage you. We both know I would have had you right there against that tree if we’d kept going.”
Obviously she had known where they might end up, but to hear him say it like that, like it was inevitable… She had to bite down on the inside of her lip and let the wave of heat pass before she could speak again.
“I told you, you’re not responsible for my virtue. And I wanted you to – I wantyou.”
Her breath was still coming fast, and she didn’t miss the way his eyes caught on the rise and fall of her chest with his cloak still askew around her throat.
“Oh,” was all he said.
Somehow she found it in her to rouse a coy smile as the tension finally melted from his shoulders. He stopped trying to do up his shirt.
“Good, I prefer it open. Feel free to lose a few more buttons too, if you like. Since you’re so accustomed to the cold.”
“Adeline,” he shook his head, but a slow grin dawned on his lips, and he stepped closer, moving slowly until he was crowding her once more. “Feel free to do it yourself.”
Oh, she definitely liked cocky Kai. She reached up and fisted her hand in his shirt, dragging his mouth down to hers, and they both stumbled against the tree again. But she had barely brushed her tongue against his when voices sounded from further down the path.
Singing.
It was several people, stumbling up the path, Ger’s off-key crooning among them. Adeline dropped her head against Kai’s chest and growled her frustration. She felt a low chuckle rumble through him.
“Come on. I promised to walk you home, and I’m doing a terrible job.”
“Depends who you ask,” she mumbled, but she let him take her hand and drag her away.
???
Kai walked her all the way to her rooms, where the Gard standing sentry in her hallway tactfully excused himself to refill his waterskin. The King watched him go with a scowl.
