Page 23 of Hopeless Kingdom
“Why did you call her your girlfriend?” I ask as my fingers begin to toy with the shaved sides of his blonde hair.I don’t know why it makes me happy that he’s no longer with her. It’s a petty and strange feeling.
Lightly his fingers push against my jeans, skimming over my bare hips just slightly.
“Like my brother said, she was a pawn to him. I didn’t love her but I think everyone deserves closure. Maybe she knew his plans and maybe she didn’t.”
“I think she did,” I say, making him smirk down at me.
His shifting eyes rake over me, drifting down to my lips and then further down to my chest. I feel his attention skimming across my flesh like a light touch.
“If I wanted to make someone jealous, what would you suggest?”
A smile curves my lips as I lead us into a smooth dance across the floor. He lets me; he lets me guide our graceful steps.
I move just as I did when I was a young girl in dance class. I move like a refined lady instead of a dangerous thief.
“Well, for starters, I’d think you’d want to eliminate this space that’s preventing the feel of my body pressing perfectly against yours.”
Without another word, his hands dip low on my back, pulling me close against his hard chest. I watch the sharp angle of his Adam’s apple as he visibly swallows.
My heart pounds against his chest, racing his heartbeat to an end that I’m not sure either of us is ready for.
“Then what?”
We’re moving slower now, just the two of us swaying as our hips shift against one another.
“Then I think you’d lean in and whisper something witty in my ear and I’d laugh prettily as I pretend it’s the most charming thing I’ve ever heard.”
His lips are close to mine and they skim across my jaw as his head dips low. Warm breaths shiver across my neck and every nerve in my body waits for whatever it is he might whisper in my ear.
My breath catches as his lips press against the corner of my jaw, just near my ear.
“Like this?” The rasping of his voice has my body melding into his and I nod without thought as my eyes flutter closed. “Kara?” he asks, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear in a warm, breathy tone.
“Yeah?” I ask as I arch into him.
“You’re not laughing as if I’m the wittiest man you’ve ever heard.”
“Hmm,” a smirk curves my lips and I lean into him on the tips of my boots. In a quiet voice, I whisper, “Perhaps even I am not that good of an actress, my Prince.”
A real laugh tumbles through him and I’m not sure if either of us is pretending anything for anyone right now.
“Careful, calling me a prince is grounds for treason.”
I pull back slightly from him and it isn’t Anna I search out in the crowd.
It’s Daxdyn and Darrio.
Their height towers over the others and for an instant I panic as I wonder what Ryder and I really look like together.
It feels strange but I care what they think of me.
It’s the first time in years that I care about what someone thinks of me. There isn’t anger in Darrio, or jealousy. Just … concern. Silver eyes trail over every detail of the crowd, over every swaying body and he lands on me continuously. It’s as if I’m the concern. I’m what’s worrying this beautiful fae. Daxdyn’s tired eyes stare off in the distance, not fixated on anything in particular.
“Then I think we should probably stop before we both lose our heads,” I tell Ryder.
“My brother would like nothing more.” The smile tilting his lips is charming. White and straight. Perfect.
I nod and step back from him. His hand stays laced in mine as he leads me back to Daxdyn and Darrio.
