Page 69 of Badmouths & Bards

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, you can get that thought out of your head right now.”

Casimine hummed, fingers teasing the small sliver of skin between her vest and belt. “Dare I ask what would happen if I refuse?”

“Yeah, I’ll punch your lights out.”

Casimine laughed.

Chapter 31

Taldesa

Tala wasn’t an expert when it came to makeup, but she knew how to salvage eyeliner. Fixing someone’s makeup who was staring at her face wasn’t completely awkward. She’d help Avie remove stray eyelashes and smudged lipstick before. The only real difference was that Casimine’s eyelashes were thicker than Avie’s, and Tala was wrestling with the urge to kiss him again.

Not that she wasn’t allowed. She had kissed the two bards plenty since the day they had crossed the boundaries of professional bodyguard and charges. No, Tala just wanted to be mindful of their boundaries. She had taken what they said about how they were a packaged deal to heart. It wasn’t really logical, but Tala tried to make sure every kiss she shared with one bard, she gave to the other. Keeping score wasn’t feasible long term, but damn it, Tala had wanted to try least she be an even bigger asshole.

But fuck, it didn’t help keep the lust at bay when Casimine would brush his long fingers against her hips. The temptation to ease Casimine further into the hedge maze until he was tucked away grew with every caress. To do things the Valiant Circle would disapprove of was always a plus, but the heat in Tala’s belly was for entirely selfish reasons.

“You have to stop doing that,” Tala murmured.

“Stop doing what?” Casimine asked with an innocent, boyish smile.

“That,” Tala scolded when she felt his fingers slide ever so subtly beneath her belt. “You’re gonna get us into trouble.”

“Trouble sounds nice to me,” Casimine continued, leaning into Tala’s face.

“That’s because you’re a slut,” Tala teased.

“Oh, my!” Casimine mock gasped. “Such slander.”

The subtle flick of his eye past her shoulder wasn’t lost on her. Tala might have been distracted earlier, but she had heard him. It was only a matter of whether or not she wanted to spoil their fun. A smirk broke across her face as Tala gently held Casimine back with a finger to his plush lips.

“It’s not slander if it’s true,” Ameriden said from behind her.

His hands were already on her belly as he stepped close, pressing his front to her back like he belonged there. Ameriden likely thought he did as Tala noticed he had a preference for it, no matter if it was Tala or Casimine.

“That’s rich coming from you Amer,” Casimine replied against Tala’s finger, before sneaking his teeth around it for an affectionate bite.

Tala shivered, trying her best not to let the two of them get too far ahead. A task that was rather momentous given Ameriden had brushed her hair aside to kiss along her neck. She nearly jolted out of her skin when Casimine pulled at her belt to lick the groove between pubic bone and thigh. She was getting way too warm in the cool evening air, and if it wasn’t for her mission, Tala would have probably participated.

Utilizing the skills Cercel had taught her, Tala slid out between them with ease. She tried not to look flustered, but it was difficult when the pair were looking at her—well, like that.

They want me. They want me so bad…

No, she could fuck them after the event and not a moment before.

“Look, it’s not that I don’t like the attention,” Tala said as she fixed the placement of her belt. “But don’t you think this is a little…risky?”

For a pair of bards who stressed discretion when it came to their relationship, Tala had the feeling they were pushing their luck. Kissing Casimine—even in a secluded garden of the King of Eshorion—was pushing it. Having them here and staring at her like that was going to be difficult to explain if a guest happened to walk by.

“Risky?” Ameriden let out a laugh. “Please, this is risky.”

And like the bold motherfucker he was, Ameriden hauled Casimine onto his feet and proceeded to give him the sloppiest kiss Tala had ever seen. Reckless was probably the better word to describe it once Ameriden began to reach for Casimine’s dick.

“Amer,” Casimine said, sounding both desperate and disappointed. “We shouldn’t…”

“Really?” Ameriden grinned, licking his mouth. “You seem pretty desperate for it.”

Both Tala and Casimine groaned but for very different reasons. She could see Casimine’s resolve breaking—something Tala could forgive if they weren’t in the middle of a fucking gala in the king’s castle. Fuck, if they were anywhere but the castle, Tala would have happily pushed them to the ground and taken turns riding them both. Fantasies aside though, Tala remembered why she was on high alert in the first place.