Page 130 of The Villainess Chose Naps Over Death Flags

"Wait—" Caroline started, reaching out instinctively to stop him.

Her hand touched his chest just as his boot crossed the circle's boundary.

The spell activated.

Silver light exploded around them, ancient symbols flaring to life, magic surging through the air with a sound like wind chimes and thunder.

Caroline gasped as the spell's power hit her—but something was wrong.

The magic was supposed to flow from her to the target. One-directional. Controlled.

Instead, it struck Caspian and reflected.

His mana—powerful, vast, unlike anything Caroline had ever encountered—met her spell and magnified it tenfold. His Matter Manipulation responded instinctively to the magic, amplifying it, redirecting it.

The spell that should have made him desire her suddenly flowed both ways.

Caroline felt it crash into her like a wave—overwhelming desire, burning need, her entire body suddenly aching for the man standing inches away from her.

And Caspian's eyes, usually so cold and controlled, suddenly darkened with matching intensity.

"Caroline," he breathed, and his voice was rough with want.

"No, this isn't—" Caroline tried to say, but the words died as his hand cupped her face.

"I can't—" Caspian started, but he was already leaning down.

Their lips met, and the world exploded into sensation.

The spell burned through Caroline's veins like fire. Every nerve ending sang with need. She was distantly aware that this was wrong, that this wasn't supposed to happen, that this wasn't even the right man—

But none of it mattered. Nothing mattered except the way he was kissing her, the way his hands were in her hair, the way she was pulling him closer, desperate for more contact, more touch, more.

Caspian's Matter Manipulation activated without conscious thought.

The ground beneath them softened, flowers blooming and weaving together to form a bed of petals. The surrounding bushes grew and rearranged themselves, creating a living privacy screen, blocking the view from any potential passersby.

All of it happened in seconds, his power responding to the spell's demands, creating the perfect environment for what was about to happen.

Caroline felt herself being lowered onto the flower bed, Caspian following her down, his weight pressing against her in ways that made coherent thought impossible.

The spell demanded consummation.

Caroline’s hands clutched at Caspian’s coat, pulling him closer even as her mind screamed that this was wrong. The spell thrummed between them, a living thing that erased doubt and hesitation, leaving only hunger.

Caspian kissed her slowly at first, almost reverently, as though he feared she might break. His mouth was warm, careful, tasting her with gentle sweeps of his tongue that coaxed soft whimpers from her throat. When she parted her lips wider, inviting him in, he groaned quietly and deepened the kiss, his fingers threading through her hair to cradle the back of her head.

He pulled back just enough to trail kisses along her jaw, then down the sensitive column of her neck. Caroline arched instinctively, gasping when his lips found the rapid flutter of her pulse. His hands moved with the same deliberate care, easing the shoulders of her gown down until cool night air kissed her skin. When he lowered his mouth to her breast, closing gently around one aching peak, she cried out softly, fingers tightening in his silver hair.

“Caspian…” His name left her lips like a plea.

He lingered there, lavishing attention on each breast with slow, worshipful kisses and soft strokes of his tongue until she was trembling beneath him. Only then did he continue downward, pressing open-mouthed kisses over her ribs, her stomach, until he settled between her thighs. Caroline’s breath hitched as he parted her gently with his fingers, his touch reverent, almost hesitant.

The first slow lick drew a broken moan from her. He tasted her carefully, learning her with patient strokes, circling the sensitive bud at the apex of her thighs until her hips lifted toward him of their own accord. When he slid one finger inside her, then two, curling gently, she felt the pleasure coil tighter and tighter. Her hands fisted in the soft petals beneath her as the wave finally crested—her first release crashed through her in shuddering pulses, his name falling from her lips again and again as he coaxed her through every last tremor.

Only when she lay boneless and gasping did he move back up her body, kissing a slow path to her lips once more. She tasted herself on him and felt fresh heat bloom low in her belly despite the lingering aftershocks.

Only then did he rise, shedding the rest of his clothes with shaking hands. Caspian braced himself above her, jade eyes dark and intent. “Caroline,” he whispered, voice rough with restraint. “Tell me if it’s too much.”