Page 178 of Taken By Shadows

I let him lead me by the hand through the Alabaster Palace’s quiet hallways. Our footsteps sounded like echoes in a cave as we broke the silence of the early morning.

“What are you doing?” I halted, but Kaed pulled me past my door and down the hall towards his.

“Don’t worry, peach. I won’t tie you to my bed. This time. That’s a punishment for another night. But I’m not letting you out of my sight after tonight.”

The sun was streaming onto my face from the balcony. I hadn’t made a fuss last night about being in his bed. I was too tired.

Careful not to wake him, I turned to face Kaed. He’d replaced the sheets after I’d stolen the previous ones. Today they were the darkest forest green, and they were gathered around his waist. His chest was bare. I didn’t remember that detail from last night. I was certain he’d been dressed in his tunic as I’d fallen asleep on his chest.

It had been the most natural thing.

Kaed lay down on the bed on top of the sheets. He lifted a corner for me, and I slid in beside him with only the thinnest of barriers between us.

Before I’d even found the words to tell him I should be in my own bed, not his, I’d drifted. My head fell heavily to rest on his heart, and a dreamless sleep took me.

Staring at his body, the rise and fall of his breath was hypnotic. He really was beautiful. I’d imagined the plane of his abdomen, the slope of his obliques. But seeing the dimpled muscles of his torso rippling before me was … a lot.

And I suddenly found my thighs rubbing off one another at the sight of him. And only then I realised I’d discarded my beaded dress sometime in the night.

I clutched the sheets close to me at that.

Frantically, I twisted in the bed, looking for my clothes. Save for some lacy undergarments, I had nothing on.

“Peach.” Kaed’s voice was husky from sleep. His eyes stayed closed. “If you’re going to bounce around on my bed, we are going to have a very fun but unproductive morning.”

I flushed at his words, and I was glad his eyes were still shut.

How did I get out of here without either ripping the bedclothes from him or skipping across the room nearly naked?

I pushed my mussed hair from my face, and I was cursing some god or other when Kaed turned to me, his head propped on his hand.

And not for the first time, I thought he looked like a godstatue, only this time he was like something from a house of art, barely covered in sensual fabrics and tempting the mortals to touch his form.

I pulled the dark sheets up around my chest. “I’m looking for my clothes.”

“I can’t help you there. Well, rather, I could. But I don’t want to.”

I lobbed a pillow at his beautiful face. “Close your eyes,” I demanded as I shimmied to the side of the bed.

“I’d much rather not.” I could hear the smile that curled around his words.

Fine. I didn’t want to suddenly end up with his fingers under my chin and tracing my lips with his. I wouldn’t think straight if he kissed me like he did last night. And now he was only half clothed. Or possibly not at all. The thought sent a shiver all the way to my sensitive centre, and I suppressed a moan.

I gathered the sheets, and instead of leaving the bed, I turned and brought myself right up to him.

Shock at the sudden contact stilled him.

With a gentle hand to his bare chest, I pushed him back to lie on his pillow. “Now,” I said in a hushed tone as I knelt up and allowed my hair to drape over my shoulder. “You”—I pushed again, a little harder—“are going to close your eyes for me. You are going to keep them closed. Until,” I bit out and allowed my finger to trace up from his clavicle to his jaw, “I say so.”

It was a bluff, but I knew it had paid off when Kaed let out a strangled sound.

“Can you do that for me?” I said, leaning in until my breath kissed along his scar. I pulled away and waited.

Kaed closed his eyes and set his jaw like it might break from the effort.

“Good,” I breathed before climbing away. But not before I saw his chest rise and fall like he was struggling from the effort of keeping his eyes closed.

I had a feeling I’d pay for this in some way later. And that thought thrilled through me, igniting something addictive in my blood.