Page 44 of Between Two Kings

His movements were smooth—no trace whatsoever of the avalanche of anxiety Tem herself was feeling. He took Evelyn’s hand in his, shaking it once before dropping it. Evelyn flinched as he did so. At the sight, a wave of satisfaction replaced Tem’s anxiety. Of course Evelyn was scared of Caspen. She should be scared of him. Caspen was probably the first basilisk she’d ever seen in person, much less actually touched. And if Evelyn feared Caspen, it meant she feared Tem too. The thought gave her courage.

When Caspen dropped Evelyn’s hand, Tem stepped forward. She inserted herself directly into Evelyn’s space, looking her straight in the eye as she extended her own hand. Evelyn had the good grace to control her expression as she raised her hand and shook Tem’s. The moment their skin touched, Tem fought the urge to recoil. Evelyn’s hand was sickeningly cold, as if she were ill. Her palm was clammy—like a fish—and Tem wanted to gag. Instead she released her as quickly as possible, resisting the instinct to wipe her hand on her dress.

Not a word was spoken; Tem couldn’t have if she’d tried.

She knew what was coming next, knew Leo was about to approach her. But she couldn’t bring herself to look at him—couldn’t even raise her gaze to meet his. The last time she’d seen him was the annulment, when their hands had touched by the dungeon door. Would they touch again? Would he try to shake her hand, as Evelyn just had? Last time, Tem had felt something seismic within her—a shift of such gargantuan significance that she didn’t dare contemplate it now. She could not experience such a sensation in front of Caspen. He would see it all over her face. To her surprise, Leo didn’t reach for her. Instead, he bowed his head and said, “Tem.”

Before she could decide how to respond, he straightened, extending his hand to Caspen.

“Caspen.”

Tem half expected Caspen to ignore him or possibly rip his head off. Instead he shook Leo’s hand, his expression eerily calm. His mind was closed off to her; Tem couldn’t tell what he was thinking. If there were ever a time when she wished to know how he felt, it was now. How could he possibly be this calm? The last time the three of them were together, Caspen had held Tem and Leo’s heads together so they could kiss as she crested him. Their circumstances couldn’t be more different now. So much had changed in such a short period of time.

The two men dropped their hands.

An awkward moment of silence followed, in which Tem and Leo stared at each other. He looked the same as he had when she saw him just days ago: weary, as if he hadn’t been getting enough sleep. Tem didn’t dare imagine what he was doing instead of sleeping. Was he telling Evelyn to sit still on his cock, as he had once told Tem? Was he gripping her hips with his hands, holding her in place so he could look at her? Was he—

“Shall we eat?” Evelyn broke the silence.

In reply, Caspen’s arm wrapped all the way around Tem. She was used to him touching her, but this felt significant. Almost as if he were protecting her—holding her together—ensuring that she did not break. He steered her toward the table, pulling out a chair and waiting for her to sit before he sat too. Tem was exactly opposite Leo, affording her a perfect view of him as he pressed his lips to Evelyn’s cheek. Uninhibited rage surged through her mind. It retreated an instant later when she reminded herself that she had chosen this. She had ordered Leo to do this.

Tem stared at Leo. He stared right back, his expression open and wanting. A vein throbbed in his neck. How could he look at her like that while Evelyn sat right next to him? Then again, Tem was looking too. But her situation was different; Caspen was different. He knew she had chosen him. He knew that was all that mattered.

Leo’s finger was slowly tracing the stem of his wineglass. Up, then down, then back up again. Tem watched the motion, imagining what it would feel like against her skin. Was he doing it on purpose, to taunt her? If he was, it was working. Evelyn didn’t even seem to notice. She was carefully adjusting her sleeves, readying herself for the meal.

Just as the butler placed their dishes in front of them, the first pulse came.

Chapter Seven

Tem gasped in surprise.

Leo’s eyes immediately narrowed. Tem wanted to moan. But she couldn’t make a sound—couldn’t move an inch. Nobody except for her and Caspen knew what was happening between her legs right now at this very dinner table. The pulse grew slowly, bathing her core in warmth and bringing a flush to her cheeks. Her nipples were hard, and the sensation of them against her dress was enough to send her mind into a frenzy. Tem wanted to be naked. She wanted to fuck someone—anyone—who could bring her relief.

Did Leo know what was happening? He’d seen her turned on before; he knew what it looked like, would recognize the signs. Or perhaps he had forgotten about that part of her, disregarded it as quickly as their marriage. It didn’t matter anyway. The pulse continued to grow. Tem let out a quiet gasp as it reached an unprecedented rhythm. It was almost vibrating. She had never felt anything like that on her clitoris before, and the urge to jerk her hips against the chair was so strong she nearly passed out. Tem reached for her whiskey glass before realizing it was empty. She needed a distraction, and Caspen wasn’t helping.

Without thinking, she said, “Evelyn.”

Her tone was sharp—far sharper than it should have been.

Evelyn’s round eyes became even rounder as she looked up at her. “Yes?”

“Are you glad to be back?”

It was a loaded question. But Tem didn’t care. She needed to focus on something other than the hot, aching pulses between her legs. And some latent part of her also wanted to remind Leo that the only reason Evelyn was back was because Tem had made it so.

“Of course.” Evelyn squeezed Leo’s arm. “We’re so lucky we found our way back to each other.”

Another pulse. Stronger this time.

Leo was watching her, but she could do nothing about it. In fact, she wanted him to watch her. It only turned her on more to imagine that he knew what was happening—that he was picturing her naked just as surely as she was picturing him.

“Then why did you leave in the first place?”

A horrible silence fell. The pulses stopped.

Even the butler froze midmotion, his arm awkwardly extended to hand Leo another wineglass.

Evelyn’s face pinched into an unpleasant expression. She looked at Leo, who was looking only at Tem. Then she said, “I didn’t want to leave.”