AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You can watch us instead.”
At his suggestion, her gaze strayed to the glass, where they could glimpse a bit of their reflection. Her eyes widened when he rolled her nipples with his fingers, then when he padded a thumb down her core to rub her clit—all for her to watch. It took the intimacy to the next level, their attention no longer on the scenes below. When he turned her around, she complied willingly, opening herself up so he could slide in again.
“I’m not into sharing, Em,” he said. “And I need your eyes on me when you come.”
“I know. Me neither.”
It spiraled into a blind, blissful joining as she sighed against him and he worked hard to drive them to an even higher pleasure. It didn’t take long, either, as one more press on her clit had Emerald catapulting into her orgasm, her scream cut off with his kiss. He tried to hold on, wanting to give her a second one. But the days of her absence and the way she urged him on were too much, and all he could do was surrender.
He emptied himself inside her, then collapsed when his strength left him. Somehow, he managed not to crush her as he rolled them around, where she rested against his chest. The sounds from below dimmed, their breathing the only thing accompanying them.
“Are you okay?” he asked after a while.
“Yes.” A pause, then, “Spent energy now, but it was worth it.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You’re welcome too, Rick,” she teased.
It should have been more than enough, and in a way, it was. But the other part of him kept seeing her in her bloodied state and couldn’t erase the truth that he and his court’s troubles were the cause of it. His sister had told him to behave, to earn his people’s trust again—and when he gave in to this and Emerald, wouldn’t it mean breaking his people’s trust and essentially putting Emerald in danger all over again?
“It’s safe for you to leave now,” he found himself saying. “Unless you want to stay and hang out.”
Silence followed his words, but Emerald didn’t tense. The way she contemplated against him told him she was expecting it, perhaps even waiting for the right time to mention it again. Rick held his breath…then, let it go, and tried not to pay attention to his constricting heart at her answer.
“No, I have to leave. I was waiting to leave. I don’t have a purpose here anymore.”
If he let her go now, they could prevent deeper connections. They could hold back regrets and heartaches, two things that were fast becoming a reality and shouldn’t exist. They could move on and look back at this with a smile, knowing they used their time limit to the fullest before they proceeded with their separate lives.
“I’ll help you with everything. You’re welcome to come back anytime too…just in case you want to visit Yu and experience the cold air again.”
Laughter rang from her, sweet and free.
“That’s nice. But for now…”
He nodded against her head. “I have a court to rule and you have a mission to finish.”
“Yes.” She nodded back, then rested her head against his. “Thank you. This is for the best. And we will be fine.”
Rick remained silent, doing his best to convince himself that she was right.
Chapter 13
Finding herself back on Broom’s Isle felt strange to Emerald, especially since everything before that had been a blur and never really guaranteed she would even have a chance of returning. But perhaps the most ironic thing was finding a familiar figure on the deck waiting for her arrival—and that figure wasn’t either of her sisters.
“Welcome back to the island,” Gunther Lyra intoned, voice a practiced perfection of politeness. The man was the epitome of perfection from the way he looked, dressed, and moved, which had been what attracted her to him in the first place. She had wanted that perfection to be an extension of herself. She looked at him, unsure what to say, especially when he studiously avoided direct eye contact.
“Thank you.”
Behind him stood Henry Lyra, who didn’t have any problem with eye contact. Her secret ex-fiancé’s older brother frowned at her in disapproval, not even hiding the fact that he didn’t like her. She couldn’t tell if it was because he knew of their betrothal or just didn’t like her family in general, one of the many who probably believed her brother was the reincarnation of the demon king. It didn’t matter because she had no problem looking him in the eye, either, and waiting for whatever judgmental comment was coming.
A third figure came barreling toward her, almost pushing the two out of the way. Joy lit her up when Emerald spotted well-defined curves and white-gray eyes zoning in on her before Pearl was engulfing her in a tight embrace.
“Em! I’m so sorry I’m late. And I don’t care that you’re not into hugs because I’m going to hug the hell out of you. You had mesoworried. You had Ruby so worried, too, and even Silver and Sapphire were asking about you. Consider this a hug from all of us.”
Emerald bit her lip. Turning away a hug was the last thing she wanted to do, and she found herself melting into it. Pearl felt real and warm, a boisterous figure that Emerald badly needed now. The witch’s chatter filled the air, comforting her with its presence.
“Anyway, I was supposed to come here early and wait for you, but there was some trouble with potions at home—nothing that needs reporting or has us accused of sordid things, so you can take it easy, boys.”
