Her nose scrunched, the freckles across her cheeks crinkling at the motion.
“Youliedto me,” she emphasized. “You let me believe you were a member of the Royal Solis Guard for nearly two entire weeks. I put my sister in danger because I associated with you . . .a spy.”
“I had to,” I stated, tracing alongside her wrist, right where Iknewthe starbound mark would emerge on her skin, as soon as she was able to let her markings fully break through. “It comes with my job, you know? But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I put you in that position. I would never willingly do anything to endanger you or those you love.”
She shifted above me, and I bit the inside of my lip to stifle the groan of desire building in me at her movement.
“Ah, yes,” her voice sassed as she stared at me. “Thejobyou have . . . as an elite spy for the Aurelian Guild.” Her hazel eyes glimmered with amusement. “The job you’re just so good at, that you got caught doing?”
My eyes narrowed at her words. “We did not getcaught.”
“No?” she questioned. “So, I guess itwasn’tthe footage of the two of us dancing at Brumalis that caught the king’s attention?”
I stifled a groan. “That stars-damned dance is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.”
“On that, you’re right.” She grinned as she replied. “Not to mention, Isavedyou by hiding you inmyapartment.”
“Once again,” I emphasized, “we would have been fine had I not been distracted while on the mission.”
“Distracted?” she inquired, eyes narrowing at me.
“Mmhmm.” I nodded as I tugged a strand of her hair, letting the loose curls wrap around my finger as I looked at her. “Distracted.” The word was a murmur from my lips as I took in the female before me, her eyes at half-mast, unruly waves fanning across her shoulder, and my T-shirt sliding off her shoulder as she leaned closer to me.
“By what?” she prompted as she looked down at me, toying with her lip.
“You,” I admitted the word into the night, the three letters lingering in the space between us. Sitting there.
“I’m still mad at you,” she protested as I wrapped my hands more firmly around her waist.
“That’s okay,” I replied slowly. “We can work on that.” I shot her a slight smile as she leaned even closer, the scent of jasmine wrapping around me at her proximity.
I didn’t move, didn’t dare breathe as I held her gaze.
For a heartbeat, she hesitated, her sea-glass hazel eyes flicking down to my lips, then back to my eyes, then back down again as she fixated on them.
I couldn’t move as her entire attention focused on me, her fingers tracing the lines of my tattoos in slow movements.
Then she stopped, her face leaning toward mine as I sucked a sharp breath of air. Her head dropped, our lips inches apart, then she rested her forehead against mine, light and deliberate.
We sat there, our breaths entwining in the minuscule amount of space between our bodies, and it took everything inme not to move, not to close the distance and press my lips to hers in a bruising claim of a kiss.
But I wouldn’t do it. Iwouldn’tclaim her before she learned of the starbound mark, before she had the choice towillinglyaccept me . . . accept a future together.
I pulled my head back, breaking the connection first as her gaze flitted up to me, a mixture of longing, desire, and remorse across her features.
“Don’t mistake this,” she whispered, as she pushed her hands against my chest and stood up, “for forgiveness. I might be beginning to trust you, but there’s still far too much at stake right now, for both of us.”
And stars-damn me if the restraint we both had over the starbound bond didn’t undo me far more than a kiss ever could.
28
RAELYNA
“We shouldn’t be gettingclose like this,” I finally whispered into the silence, the words nearly lost to the night air as I fully stood, placing a few steps between us.
“And why exactly is that, starlight?” he asked.
“I mean . . . this is crazy. You’re a literal spy . . . for the Aurelian Guild. And I’m—” My eyes caught on the black markings on my left forearm, a reminder of where my future lay, no matter how much I dreamed otherwise. In that moment, all my thoughts dropped back toward my reality in a crushing breath. “We just—weshouldn’t—” My fingers dropped to my forearm.
