Too far.
And yet, he had no desire to stop. Kai drew on every threadbare scrap of restraint in his possession. All ten fingers wrapped around the railing on either side of her, hanging on for dear life so he wouldn’t do something he couldn’t take back, like trace the shape of her spine or let his hands wander for the backs of herthighs. It did not help that she was tugging on that same fraying restraint. Tearing it in the opposite direction every time she made that soft, mewling sound in the back of her throat, every time her back arched and sent her hips pressing into his, until there could be no hiding how badly he wanted her.
Her hands moved slowly down his chest, both of them, tentative at first and then firmer as they passed over his stomach and felt how he tensed and gasped beneath her touch. Her fingers traced the length of his belt, lower, and he knew he should stop her, but he didn’t. He caught her lip in his teeth instead, held it captive just so he could hear her whimper for him when the flat of her palm—
A throat cleared behind them, and Adeline tore away, eyes wide and panicked on his for a split second before she peered around him.
“Oh,” she said, her voice oddly strangled, whether from the crying, or the shock, or the slow unravelling of their kiss, Kai could not say. He also could not turn—not until he was less obviously aroused, a fact Adelinemusthave picked up on, given the little space between their bodies. She shot him a wild glance, and he knew it was entirely for his benefit when she aimed a frazzled smile at the doorway and said, “Oswalt. Hello.”
Mother end it all.
“Princess,” said Os behind him.
Kai hadn’t heard anyone step onto the balcony.
This.
Thiswas why doors were important.
“Your Majesty,” said Oswalt.
Kai released his grip on the railing with difficulty, hands stiffened into claws from the considerable tension he’d pressed into them. He shook them out as he turned to Os, then folded them behind his back and nodded in what he hoped was a somewhat dignified manner.
“Os.”
“Apologies for the interruption.”
His cousin spoke flatly, and Kai knew from experience that Os was saying the thing he knew heshouldsay. Whether he meant it was anyone’s guess. His face, as usual, was entirely and deliberately blank.
“That’s alright,” said Adeline. Though still notably breathless, her voice was considerably warmer than his cousin’s—and just a touch too bright. “I’ve been out here a long while. I should probably step inside. I’ll leave you to it.”
She paused for the space of a heartbeat, just long enough for Kai to meet her eye. That one look conveyed so much; too much. He couldn’t begin to decipher the way she looked at him in the split second before she hitched her bright smile back in place and excused herself with a nod to them both.
Os watched her go, then turned wordlessly back to face him. Kai shifted under the scrutiny, and little though he wanted to hear it, his cousin’s words floated forth from the recesses of his mind.
I’m nervous.
You walk chest-first through life, without a scrap of armour.
Kai had responded by insisting Adeline was not Avette, and she wasn’t—but which of them had been proven right, when it really came down to it? Avette had broken his trust, and Adeline hadbroken—something. Even if he didn’t,couldn’t, blame her for it, the fracture and the ache it left in his chest was unmistakable.
Os still hadn’t said a word, but the memoryof their tense exchange, so many weeks ago now, left such a sour taste in his mouth that Kai could not help but clench his teeth against it.
“Did you need something?”
His cousin’s brow twitched up at the bitter tone, and Kai felt the cold sweep of regret wash through him in an instant. Os glanced away with a disbelieving huff, head shaking.
“Believe it or not, Kai, it is not my mission in life to keep you apart from your princess.Yes, I came out here for a reason.”
Kai unfolded his arms, holding his hands up in deference.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and meant it. “Go on.”
Os sighed through his nose, then drew his shoulders back.
“The Empress is asking for you. She’d like to discuss your meeting with the Merrow Chief.”
She wanted to discuss itnow? He felt his brows pull together. Alun had told him it was considered distasteful to conduct matters of business or politics after the sun had set—matters of the heart and stomach, in his words, were fair game. Kai had assumed they’d discuss their plans tomorrow morning, and he had certainly expected some time to debrief with his own court first.
