Page 216 of Kneel Before Me

Daphne only cried harder.

“Tell me how to make it better,” Maximus said. “Please. I will do anything, Daphne. Just tell me what would make you feel better.”

The person that would make her feel better wasn’t here. He was in the caves, and he hadn’t sent for her. Her only comfort was the boy before her. Daphne leaned into Maximus, burrowing her head in the crook of his shoulder. He held her even closer, intertwining his body with hers. She explicitly noticed the placement of his hands—how they gripped her waist a little lower than they should, how even when she was hurting, he had to cop a feel.

“Daphne,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “What happened?”

She shook her head, staring at the floor.

“Daphne,” he began again, his tone softer this time. He brushed his fingers gently along her back, the motion sending a shiver down her spine. “When you hurt, I hurt.”

Her eyes met his.

“Come to my room,” Maximus said. “We’ll have a drink.”

She realized then that Benjamin hadn’t actually delivered her wine. Daphne knew where a drink in the prince’s room might lead—where he surely expected it to lead. But she found herself nodding anyway. Triumph flashed in Maximus’s eyes as he nodded too.

Then he took her by the hand and led her down the hall to his bedroom.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Maximus

Maximus had never seen Daphne cry before.

The sight made him sick to his stomach yet also giddy at the same time. Even with tears in her eyes, she was beautiful. Perhaps more beautiful than without them. He felt a wild urge to make her cry even harder just to test the theory. But that was a foolish endeavor. This was his chance to warm her to him. This was the way into her heart, and he was not about to waste it.

Daphne stood by the fire, her arms crossed. It only served to accentuate the completely sinful nature of her dress. Her corset was laced in the front. Maximus had never seen one like that before, but he hoped he would again. The effect on her figure was diabolical, showing off everything he desperately wanted to touch. He couldn’t stop his eyes from going to it, even when he knew Daphne could see him looking. Maximus was no saint. He was a human man, and a woman had been placed before him. What the fuck else was he supposed to do? He watched as Daphne brushed her hair over her shoulder in a languid motion that immediately took him halfway to being hard. Maximus turned and stared determinedly at the bar cart.

His cock throbbed between his legs, straining against his trousers. He needed to get himself together. If he said the wrong thing—did the wrong thing—she would leave. It was imperative that he control himself. Maximus waited an appropriate amount of time before turning around and handing Daphne her wine. She accepted it with a nod before downing nearly half the glass in one gulp.

Maximus raised his eyebrows. Without a word, he refilled her glass.

“Thank you,” Daphne said before taking another inordinately large gulp. They’d made a pact to get drunk together, and he was quite sure they were both fulfilling it.

“My pleasure.”

He watched as Daphne sat. She didn’t even bother with the armchairs; she simply plopped herself on the carpet and stared into the fire. Maximus watched her in bewilderment. This was quickly turning into one of the most unusual evenings of his life. And yet, he could not complain. To hell with convention. If she wanted to sit on the floor, he would sit there too.

Maximus poured himself a red wine and joined her on the floor. They watched the fire together. He had already decided he would let Daphne speak next.

Eventually she did. “I can’t believe how well you play piano.”

She was paying him a compliment. He would do well to accept it. “I took lessons for many years.”

Daphne smiled. The flames reflected in her eyes. “Do you love it?”

Maximus considered what it meant to love something. “No,” he said. “But I find it beautiful. Do you love it?”

“It’s gorgeous. And…sad.”

“Some might say you are both those things yourself.”

She blushed.

He wanted to kiss it from her cheeks.

“Only half of that was a nice thing to say.”