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“Okay,” he finally said.
“Tell me another secret. That one sucked.”
A chuckle slid out of him, even while he sifted for a new one.
“My court is shit. It's beautiful but ugly and sometimes I'm sick and tired of living in it. But it’s home, and the other part of me thinks it’s still worth it and I can make it better. I want to make it better.”
“They tried to eliminate you,” she pointed out. “That means you were already doing it. Making it better.”
“Maybe.”
“It’s true.”
He smirked at her earnestness, unable to resist. “You sure know how to stroke an ego, Em.”
“And you surely tend to be idiotic sometimes, so it’s balanced.”
Laughter erupted from him while she slapped a hand over his mouth in a warning. He eyed her in mirth, then laughed some more when more water sprayed on them.
“Your hair’s a mess,” he said, playfully brushing large strands off her face. She swatted his hand and brushed the rest off herself.
“So is yours.”
“You strike me as someone who appreciates beauty.”
“Only when there’s a brain and a saneness attached to it.”
“Hmm. I have a feeling you will be in awe of my court, then. There are some brains and saneness there.”
“You just called your court ugly. And shitty.”
“It's helpless because I'm not king. It will be wonderful when I am…you know, because I’m sane and I have a brain. Oh, and I’m devastatingly handsome.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Of all the arrogant, egotistical things to say—”
“Stop insulting me, Em.”
“Oh. I’m sorry—”
“I keep focusing on your mouth when you do and it's distracting me. You have a pretty mouth ripe for kissing.”
Her smile faded. Awareness glided into her features, replacing the humor from their banter and leaving her looking like a drenched but still breathtaking being. There was a wariness there, too, her familiar walls creeping up. He knew what was next: Emerald glissading back into her cool state, shutting out that openness he wanted more of. He should back off. But try as he might, he couldn’t stop.
“Do you know what I want to do to it while you keep insulting me?”
On cue, her icy voice shut him out. “I don't want to know.”
“You say that, but your eyes tell me differently. Your mouth, too, because it's parted right now. It's so distracting.”
Green eyes widened. “That's not my problem.”
“I know. It's mine. You're so damn irresistible, Em.”
“And you are such a horny bastard, as you said.”
Those eyes still didn’t frost over, much to his fascination. “You called me amazing earlier.”
“I was under the influence,” she reasoned out, huffing—avoiding eye contact with him even while her cheeks turned a lovely pink.
