“Megalomaniac,” she breathes, making me laugh. I eat her like I've been deprived for months, like a starving man who's found a banquet, my fingers digging into the curves of her body. Soft mewls echo off the ivy-covered limestone around us, her nails gripping my arms.
“Fuck.” Her breathing picks up, starting to tighten around my fingers. “Don't stop,” she begs, blazing orange eyes on me.
Gods above, I am so gone for this woman, it's almost laughable. She's the highlight of my day, every day.I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.
So I tell her so, not using words but using my mouth, until she's screaming my name into a hand that's clamped over her lips and coming all over my fingers. Gods, thetasteof her. It’s all I need to survive.
I run the warm towel up her inner thigh, glistening in her arousal. “That was quick.”
“Oh, don’t look so smug, I got myself halfway there in the bath.”
“Did you?”
She laughs, her cheeks red. “No, I didn’t. The only reason I'm marrying you is so I can knock you and your rotund ego down a peg."
"And then divorce me and take me for all I'm worth?" I ask, enjoying that her dry humour is resurfacing.
"Absolutely. I'm taking the library with me."
I gasp and thwack a hand over my chest in faux shock, and the giggle that erupts from her throat makes me feel ten feet tall. I toss a blanket over her legs. "Right. I'm leaving you here with a book and a cup of mint tea, and I'm going to see your brother."
"And thanks to you, I need an ice pack for my pu—“
"Don't even say it." I shove the blanket over her head to shut her up and leave.
Chapter42
Poppy (Renna)
"Ren," Onyx whispers, his voice gruff as a guard shows me into his room. The crisp morning breeze from the window tousles my hair, the sun kissing my face. It is serene in here, and I’m grateful and privileged that Onyx has this room to heal in when so many are in the makeshift tents on the riverbank.
"O," I barely make the word out through the emotion in my chest. He's alive, and he's talking. His sun-kissed brown curls are messy, a little longer than usual. A short beard lines his usually-shaven jaw. I head over and take his battered hand in mine. He hasn't moved since I last saw him. "I've really missed you."
"I've missed you too."
"You didn't let me in yesterday," I complain, not meaning to. I don't want him to feel guilty for any of his decisions, but I can't keep the hurt out of my voice.
"Because I don't want to see you looking at me like that," he tells me, every word sounding like he's in agony.
"Onyx, I'm not feeling sorry for you. If it looks like that, it's not that. I promise I'm not looking at you with pity."
"I know it isn't pity, and I didn't say it was pity. It'sguilt. It's written over every inch of your face. You come in here and I see that you blame yourself for this, and I fucking hate that. I didn't let you in here because I don't want to see you tearing yourself up over this."
Suddenly I'm fighting tears, because he's completely right. I sit down and bring his knuckles to my lips. "I do blame myself, a little bit."
"I know, and I don't want that."
I glance down at his leg, but it's completely covered, so I don't know how it's coming along. "How is it feeling?"
"It's fine. I'll be fine. I want to know how you are. Is he looking after you? How many guards do you have? Is Anna okay? Are you sleeping? Have you eaten? He said his son is alive? That's good."
He says he's fine, but his voice is hoarse from screaming. I can see he doesn't want to talk about it, so I don't press further. "I slepttoomuch last night. Yes, Siddie is alive and well, and he seems very nice too. I've eaten, thanks to strict orders from Rex. Annaliya is... heartbroken, but she'll be alright. I'm going to go and spend two hours speaking to the army straight after this. Do you want visitors?"
"No."
"Have you been able to sit up?"
"No."
