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As my frame spanned hers, heat radiated off Briar’s form. Even in this dim corner, her hair seared through the darkness. Though, none of this toned down the hitch in her breath.
I made venomous eye contact and reminded her of a crucial fact. “The Spring Crown would disagree with you, seeing as my political prowess and social clout matter quite a lot to them.”
She chopped that fact apart like an axe. “You advise them in order to puff yourself up, to regale yourself without having to feel the burden of accountability. You may be clever and forthright, but you don’t really care about the people of this land, not any more than they care about you beyond a cheap joke and a meaningless …” The axe slipped as crimson pooled in her cheeks. “A meaningless …”
“Allow me,” I volunteered. “The phrase you’re looking for is ameaningless fuck.”
She stiffened, her pupils dilating with offense. “A meaningless bout of carnal relations.”
“That’s one annotated mouthful to describe sex. Likewise, I would argue that orgasms are never meaningless. For a start, they put you in a good mood.”
“You are unscrupulous.”
“And you seem to have a limited appreciation for the erotic things in life. Never mindmeaninglesswhen there are many phrases at our disposal.” I leaned forward and lowered my voice to a fever pitch, the words leaking out like steam. “Do you know the difference between a hard kiss and sweet fuck? One is deep, the other is long. A nobleman will give you a choice between the two, but a jester will give you both.” My voice burrowed into the gritty crawlspace left between us. “And he’ll do it at the same time.”
Her pulse tripled, that button pounding in her delicate neck.
If I moved closer, what other tiny, tight parts of her would pulsate?
Briar evaded her gaze, glancing toward a distant iron rotunda crammed with roses behind its locked gate. Press a finger into one of the thorns, and they had the power to intoxicate a person to the point of sexual gluttony. With so many striplings running around, that accounted for the structure’s bolted door tonight.
This princess must have known not to take Spring’s flora at face value, though she wouldn’t be fluent in the intricate effects of each species. To say the least, such varieties outnumbered all the toys in the court’s pleasure vault.
If we had been standing in that rotunda, I’d have been forced to yank Briar as far from the vines as possible. As it is, the urge prickled up my fingers to pull her attention from the roses altogether.
Quickly, she regrouped and cleared her throat. “You might give your fans pleasure, but would you give your life for any of these people? Because I would. For my Autumn subjects, I would as well. Can you say that about anyone?”
The ribbons tapped against my wrist, as if to remind me.
As if I needed reminding.
Correcting her would make no difference. This Royal may be friends with a minstrel. She may be loyal to her people, but doubtless she had constraints about who mattered in her narrow world. At the day’s end, she was like the rest of them—ignorant.
My story, theanyonein it, wouldn’t count to her.
Briar took my silence as confirmation. “You can’t say it because you’re too busy mocking and ridiculing for sport. I have principles. I have a relevant purpose because I take life seriously.”
I sneered, “Not to mention you inherited that purpose. How’s that serious life working for you? Is it a happy one?”
“It’s a responsible one. It’s honorable.”
“I do enjoy my share of depravity, but what exactly is atrocious about laughing, dancing, feasting, flirting, or fucking? Or at least unwinding that rigid braid of yours? Are you cursed? Are you going to grow fangs if you throw caution to the wind? Are you going to hurt someone?”
“You made a fool of me.”
“You make fools of so-called fools,” I snarled, my control slipping. “You Royals shackle, labor, and spurn born souls. You assume the right to abuse them. ’Tis fine to leash and drag around the ones you call ‘lesser, unnatural’ beings, but when someone plays the slightest trick on you, then you have a tantrum. If you can’t handle even that, then relinquish your entitlement to the throne so another poor sod can take up the gauntlet.”
She blanched. Contrition drained the anger from her complexion.
By nature—pun intended—Autumn was a benevolent nation. But although it may be less vicious, that didn’t pardon her kingdom. And she knew it.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t decide what I fancied more—the sight of her riled up, flushed by temptation and indignation, or the image of her ashen from humility. At least both proved she had a spleen, as well as a blood temperature above freezing.
The princess licked her lips. The gesture produced a moist sheen that snatched my attention, its heated effect traveling up the length of my cock.
Our torchlit silhouettes collided across the mesh of foliage, making it impossible to tell where her shadow began and mine ended. The common waft of Spring flowers clashed with the heady, intrusive rush of her own scent—fresh parchment and tart apples.
She squared her shoulders. “If I couldn’t handle the likes of you, I wouldn’t be standing here.”
