Instead, she leans forward and kisses me.
Soft at first. Testing. Then she presses deeper, her fingers tangling in my hair, pulling me in. Her mouth opens against mine, and gods, I sink into her like I’ve been starving. Like she’s sunlight and honey and everything I never thought I’d be allowed to touch again.
When we break apart, breathless, I don’t move far. I press my forehead to hers.
Dayton lets out a low, amused hum. “You’re going to make Farron jealous.”
I look below me. There’s Autumn’s golden prince, flushed and biting his lip like he wants to say something but isn’t sure he should.
My heart skips. Because I want him too.
I turn to Dayton and Rosalina. “May I kiss your mate?”
Rosie doesn’t even blink. “Yes.”
Dayton’s smile is lazy, but there’s a fire in his stare. “If he’ll allow it.”
I shift again, crawling back until I’m facing Farron. He sits up, breath shallow, his gaze darting from my mouth to my hands to my eyes.
“You sure?” I ask.
“I’m sure,” he says, barely above a whisper.
I hold his face, warm and familiar. He’s shaved his beard and looks much more like the prince I first met all those years ago. The one I always thought had such an adorable charm.
So I kiss him.
It’s different from kissing Rosie. Where she melts, Farron meets me. He pushes back, lips parting, hand sliding to my waist. It’s warmth and hunger and a flicker of something wild. His fingers knot in my hair, and he groans against my mouth, tugging me in like he’s waited a long time for this.
And maybe he has.
The kiss deepens, slow and scorching. It’s his own heat, not that of the Baron, and damn if that isn’t a powerful thing.
When we part, I drag my tongue along his jaw. “You’re delicious, like cinnamon and pumpkins.”
Farron gives a breathless laugh, pulling me in until we’re nose-to-nose. “And that’s just my lips.”
Rosie sighs and Dayton murmurs something profane. Ezryn shifts closer. The bed moves behind me, a low growl vibrating against my spine.
A second later, I’m dragged backward by the waist, a strong arm yanking me flush against a very familiar chest.
“Mine,” Kel mutters, voice rough with sleep and something else entirely. His hand sprawls across my stomach, fingers digging in like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he lets go.
I smirk, not turning around yet. “Jealous?”
“You’re crawling all over the bed kissing everyone but me,” he grits out. “Of course I’m jealous.”
His hand trails lower, sliding over my bare skin with maddening slowness. Mapping every inch of me he missed in the months we were apart.
And fuck, I let him. I crave his touch.
“Thought you were too tired,” I murmur, tilting my head back enough to feel his breath on my neck. My long hair sprawls over his shoulder.
His lips find my throat, kissing the skin right beneath my ear. “I’ll never be too tired for you.”
His hand drags up my chest, splaying wide across my heart before slipping down again. The other arm tightens around my waist, pulling me flush to his hips. And gods, he’s already hard.
“You kissed Rosie like you worship her,” he whispers. “You kissed Farron like you’ve dreamed of it for years.”
