Page 32 of Betraying Korth

“Odette!” Korth crawled over to where I lay, still laughing between my pants of pain, in the grass. “Is it broken?”

“No, I think it’s just a sprain. It isn’t bad.” I winced slightly as he felt my ankle but couldn’t stop laughing.

“I’m sorry.” Korth’s somber attitude had returned.

“For what? I was the one who suggested it. I’m just glad it wasn’t you.” With a tilt of my head, I used my forefingers to push up the corners of his mouth. “I liked hearing you laugh. And I love your smile.”

Korth grinned, exposing each of his gleaming white teeth. “Then I shall have to do it more often.”

“Your Highness!” Godfrey had puffed his way over. “Your Highness! This is?—”

“I can handle this,” Korth told him. “Please go fetch the physician.”

The chaperone paled. “I can’t leave you two alone together…”

“We’ll be right behind you. You’ll still be able to see us.”

Godfrey’s hangdog expression twisted into a disapproving frown. Behind him, the two ropes of the offending swing waved in the breeze, each with half of a wooden plank hanging sadly from the bottom. Korth began unlacing my shoe and tugging off my stocking to expose the injury. It wasn’t anything thatwould cause me concern. There was a mild bruise coming in, and a small amount of swelling, but nothing that would indicate something terrible.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to walk,” I said hesitantly, biting my lip. “Should we call for someone to assist me?”

“I can carry you,” Korth assured me.

When he gently took my ankle in his hands, I winced. Korth’s brow knotted in such concern that I almost felt bad for exaggerating the pain, but when he scooped me into his arms and picked me up, I managed to forget any guilt. The way he carried me as he walked back to the castle, I felt like I weighed nothing at all.

“You really are strong,” I whispered, trailing my fingers across his shoulder before I curled my arm around his neck to help support my weight.

Korth blushed. “You aren’t heavy.”

“Not so loud or Big Ears up ahead will think we’re flirting.”

“I thought we were.”

“Oh,areyou flirting with me?” I leaned in to whisper directly into Korth’s ear. “I like it.” I let my lips press against his earlobe.

Korth’s arms tightened around my back and under my knees. “What if he sees?” Godfrey’s back was currently toward us, but he frequently turned around to check on us, likely to make sure we weren’t doing exactly what we were doing.

“Then he would probably be very jealous.”

“But…” Korth struggled for words as I blew a gentle stream of air against his neck. “But…”

“We could get into trouble,” I suggested.

He looked down at me, eyebrow quirked suspiciously. “I think we might be thinking about two different kinds of trouble.”

I widened my eyes innocently. “What sort of trouble areyouthinking about? I only meant that we might be reprimanded.”

“I could probably handle that kind of trouble. I’m not so sure about the other sort.”

“Oh, is there another sort?” I stroked my free hand across his chest, where I could feel his heart pumping rapidly. “What sort of trouble is that?”

“I think you know.”

Godfrey turned around, narrowing his eyes as he entered the castle and called out for the servants to fetch the physician. I lowered my voice so Korth had to lean even closer to hear. “Maybe I want you to tell me anyway.”

Korth smiled broadly and let out a quiet laugh. “I think you just like watching me be tempted past endurance.”

“I don’t know, you’re enduring a little too well. You haven’t even kissed me yet.”

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