Page 116 of Shardless

Taly was silent, her lips pressed together in a frown as she fidgeted with one of the buttons on his shirt. She had that look on her face that Skye knew all too well. The look that said she was just getting started.

Shards, he hated that look.

He braced himself, getting ready for the next argument, the next wave of stubborn anger. But it never came. Her eyes briefly flicked to her pack before finding his. Something had just been decided, even if he wasn’t quite sure what that was. Then, in a surprising turn of events, her face relaxed, and she gave him a gentle smile.

Skye felt breathless as she reached up and ran a hand through his hair—as though that simple touch had sucked the aether from his veins. Her fingertips lightly grazed his scalp, and a visible shudder shook his frame when he felt the whisper of her touch against the pointed tip of his ear. Still smiling, she said, “Well, I think you’re lying about the gray.”

Did she just… yes. Yes, she did.

Skye barely managed to bite back a moan as she let her fingers boldly trail along the shell of his ear, bringing her hand down to rest on his chest. Whether she realized it or not, she had just donesomething veryintimate, at least as far as the fey were concerned. Something he desperately wanted her to do again.

A large yawn suddenly overtook her, and she buried her face in his shoulder. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do need a nap.”

“I think that’s a wise decision,” Skye murmured. He released a sharp breath when he felt her lips press against the side of his neck. “But first, I need to hear you say it.”

“Say what?” she asked, her tongue darting out to taste his skin.

Oh Shards, she was trying to kill him. He was sure of it now.

“You know what.” Skye had to force himself to pull back as that sweet little mouth continued to assault his neck. “Miss I didn’t lie, I just didn’t correct you when you made certain assumptions? I’m not taking any chances. Say it—out loud.”

Taly glared at him before finally rolling her eyes. “Fine. I’ll get some rest, and we can talk about Plum later. Happy?”

“Thank you,” Skye said, squeezing his eyes shut and trying his best to redirect some of the blood flow back into his brain. “Now… I need to go. I was supposed to be downstairs ten minutes ago to meet with Eula, and then I can’t even remember what I’m supposed to do after that. Apparently, I’m also supposed to find time to meet with Kato as well.”

As soon as he mentioned his brother’s name, Taly’s eyes became shuttered and her body tensed. Although he was tempted to ask what had happened, Skye didn’t push her. Kato had clearly done something to upset her, and when she was ready to tell him, he would listen. Then, he wouldgo pound Kato into the ground. At the very least, he had that to look forward to.

Skye moved to release her, but her fingers coiled in his shirt.

“Wait,” she said, peeking up at him through a veil of dark lashes. “Just… not yet.”

He knew she could feel the rapid beat of his heart as her hands snaked their way up his chest, and there was no way she hadn’t heard his sharp intake of breath when she pressed her body more firmly against his. His arms tightened around her, and the feline smile she gave him when he pulled her even closer would no doubt be playing a leading role in his dreams for many nights to come.

He let her take the lead—trying to be patient as her fingers traced his jaw, then his lips, her eyes trailing every movement as though she wanted to memorize him. And when she finally—finally—pulled his head down and pressed her mouth to his, he realized for not the first time that this woman was going to get him into trouble. Because even though she was still shy and tentative and just a little clumsy, that simple, chaste kiss sparked a wave of desire so vicious, it made him dizzy. It made his blood sizzle, sent icy shivers down his spine. It left him starving and yet somehow sated.

She pulled away far too quickly for Skye’s liking, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry,” she said, a hint of melancholy coloring her words. “You can tell Eula it’s my fault you’re late. I just really wanted to do that one more time.”

If Skye had been thinking clearly as he slowly backed away, reluctantly making his way back towards the door, he might have noticed the way she gripped the edge of the desk a little too tightly.

If he had been able to tear his thoughts away from the fact that he could still taste her on his lips, he might have seen that the smile she gave him didn’t quite reach her eyes.

And maybe something inside him did. But during that moment, he pushed that little voice to the back of his mind as his attention was once again pulled back to the never-ending list of tasks still waiting for him. They would talk later that night when he’d finally managed to satisfy the horde of people chasing after him, each one needing something different.

“Hey,” Taly called out to him just as he was about to turn the knob.

“Yeah?” Skye asked, turning slightly.

She was still leaning against the desk, still smiling that heartbreakingly beautiful smile. “Bye, Em.”

Giving her what he hoped was only a somewhat lovestruck grin, Skye turned the knob, opening the door before he was tempted to blow off Eula in favor of crawling into bed with Taly for some much-needed rest.

“Bye, Tink,” he said as he closed the door behind him.

“Where the hell have you been?” Kato exploded as soon as Skye walked through the door of Commander Enix’s office. “You were supposedto be here almost half an hour ago.”

Skye eyed his brother in irritation as he strode across the long expanse of the tower office. Floor-to-ceiling rows of books lined the walls of the airy space, and the peaked ceiling had been foiled with artfully embossed tiles—something Enix had seen in the mortal realm and then insisted on installing in every suite and office in the compound.

With an irritated sigh, Skye flung the stack of books and ledgers some Ensign had thrust into his hands on top of the cluttered desk—a great massive thing that had been forged from a single living tree coaxed into growing into something vaguely desk-shaped. Spiraling wooden tendrils coiled up the legs and sides, and tiny white blooms dotted each vine, their petals glimmering like pearls. Shrugging out of his coat, he stared out the circular window that dominated most of the back wall. The rain was finally starting to let up, and he could just see the dome of the library peeking through the clouds across the skyway.

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