Page 45 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

I took a shallow breath and smiled. “Thank you. Though it sounds like you simply needed an excuse to interrupt Christian and me.”

He chuckled. “You saw right through that, did you? I didn’t like you talking to him.”

“How territorial of you,” I teased, my voice a bit unsteady.

Adrian’s gaze was fastened on mine as he teased back, “It is. Do you have any objections?” The words hung between us, and much like earlier, the rest of the world faded away. It was only the two of us in this moment, staring at each other as if unable to look away.

Not at all, I wanted to say. I wanted him to be territorial about me. I wanted him to finally claim me as his own because it felt like this unspoken thing between us could blossom into something deep and meaningful if only we gave it a chance.

When I opened my mouth to tell him that, no words came out as my gaze darted behind him. The moment I had been dreading had arrived. Gideon looked the same as the day I had met him two years ago. He was tall and handsome in a rough-hewn kind of way, but I knew better than to be fooled by his appearance. He might not look different, but he was different. Or, perhaps, he had always been the same, and I had been too blind to see it. I hoped that I was different now—wiser not to make the same mistake, to guard my heart, only giving it to someone truly worthy. My gaze shifted back to Adrian as doubt mixed with fear flared in my chest.

Without saying a word, I brushed past him and rushed toward the terrace, unable to be confined inside the crowded ballroom with my conflicting emotions. I quickly waded my way through the throng of people and dashed through the wide-open doors, relieved to find the terrace empty. The cold air washed over me, and I took a few deep breaths, willing my mind to quiet and my racing heart to slow.

I was certain that my heart held no love for Gideon, yet seeing him still reopened the wound that had only just begun to heal. Gripping the stone ledge of the balustrade, I stared into the night before me, wishing that I could become one with the darkness and escape this place and my volatile feelings. I didn’t notice Adrian step onto the balcony until he carefully draped his coat over my shoulders.

“What happened?” he asked softly from behind me.

“I saw him. My former fiancé.” I swallowed hard.

He gently clasped my shoulders and turned me around to face him. “What he did says everything about him and nothing about you.”

My cheeks heated with embarrassment. “Doesn’t it, though? I couldn’t make him happy, so he sought out another.” I regretted the words the second they left my mouth. They made me appear weak, and I didn’t want to be weak in Adrian’s eyes. What I had said also made it sound like I wasn’t good enough, but that wasn’t what I believed. Tears threatened at the thought that Adrian was seeing me like this—weak and insecure.

When he noticed the glistening in my eyes, his brows knitted. “He was a fool!” he said vehemently.

Releasing a long breath, I lifted my gaze to the night sky to stop myself from crying. “I don’t want you to look at me differently now.”

When I slowly lowered my gaze to Adrian’s, what I saw in his eyes crashed into the wall of my doubts like a tidal wave, erasing it from existence. I wasn’t scared of the powerful force. I wanted to be swept by its healing waters, losing myself in the current.

“Nothing and no one has the power to change the way I look at you,” he uttered the words like a vow. “The way I see you.”

“How do you see me?”

“To me, you are the brightest star, more luminous than the entire stellar sea above us. You are magnificent, inside and out, with a gentle heart that bleeds for your people. There is a light inside you that you don’t realize you possess, capable of guiding me out of the shadows even in the darkest hour. I want to be the guardian of that light, your fierce protector and more.” A trembling exhale left me as I stared at him, utterly speechless. “Making you cry was not my intention.” He frowned, reaching up to swipe the tear that had escaped.

“These are tears of joy. I…” I swallowed. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me for speaking the truth. Will you dance with me?” A radiant smile appeared on his face.

I smiled back and nodded, gazing up at him from beneath my lashes when he stepped closer. With his coat still draped over me, I used one hand to hold the lapels together as I placed my other hand in Adrian’s. He rested our joined hands over his heart as his other arm slid around my waist to pull me closer. Closing my eyes, I lay my head on his hard chest as we began swaying to the soft music drifting onto the terrace from the ballroom through the open doors. We danced in silence for a few minutes as I reveled in being so close to him, as close as we had been in my dream. I wanted to be even closer.

Slowly, I lifted my head from his chest, bringing my mouth level with his jaw. Adrian lowered his head, his lips hovering close to mine. We shared a breath, and a heartbeat later, he kissed me, or maybe I kissed him first. All I knew was that our lips touched, eliciting a wave of tingles all over my body. His lips were softer than I had expected as they moved over mine painstakingly slowly. He took his time exploring the curve of my mouth, etching the memory of our first kiss into the canvas of my mind. The arm around my waist tightened, and he brought me even closer to him as he released my hand to thread his fingers through my hair.

When a soft gasp left me at the contact, he deepened the kiss, his tongue stroking mine in ways I had never been kissed before. My hands fisted in his waistcoat, wrinkling the crisp material as I kissed him back, hungry and demanding. If I had any remaining doubts about us, they melted away as all my attention zeroed in on what I was feeling in that moment. I focused on the warmth in my chest and the pleasant sensation that flared to life and settled low between my thighs. I hadn’t realized how much I had wanted this until now. How much I had wanted him.

“Adrian?” Lady May’s voice barely registered as I was losing myself in the feel of Adrian’s mouth on mine until he abruptly broke the kiss, snapping me back to reality.

He gently tugged on my wrists to force me to let go of his waistcoat before he stepped away from me, putting some distance between us. My brows pinched in a frown as I stared at him, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. He stared at the Sorceress, who had walked onto the terrace.

“Lady May?” Adrian said, his chest rising and falling shallowly. He was breathless, like I was, his lips as swollen as mine.

“I need to speak with you,” the Sorceress said sternly from behind me.

My frown deepening, I turned around and found her glaring at Adrian, with a look of utter disbelief on her wrinkly face. Confused, I turned back to the lord, but his expression was unreadable. It was as if he had slipped on a mask even I couldn’t penetrate through. Nothing could be gained from his stern features. My eyes boring into him, I waited for what he would do next. To my shock and disappointment, he walked over to the Sorceress and followed her inside the ballroom.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Lady May seethed once they were on the other side of the door.

“Not here,” came Adrian’s low reply.