Page 34 of Promise of Darkness
* * *
It takesthe prince four hours to return.
Even after enduring a blistering lecture from Eris, nothing can shake my good mood as the prince limps in under the portcullis.
“I’ve had the servants draw you a bath, Your Highness,” I call down from the guard tower above in the sweetest voice I can possibly muster. “Since I daresay you’re chilled to the bone. Of course, they’re demi-fey, so whether the water is warm is entirely up to their whims.”
He merely smiles.
That’s not the expression I was hoping to see.
“You look considerably happier than I expected. What are you planning?”
“You’re so suspicious,” he murmurs, taking the stairs two at a time. “I was rather displeased at first, but I’ve had time to think. And I consider today a win.”
I gape. “How in Maia’s name do you consider yourself the victor?”
He pauses before me, all heat and muscle and dangerous eyes. “Because you’re no longer afraid of me.Andyou wonder what I’m like in bed.”
“I donot.”
He rests both hands on the railing beside my hips, trapping me there. “No? I’m very, very good, by the way.”
There’s nowhere to go, no means to avoid him.
“Of course you’d say that.” It comes out a little breathlessly. “But I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m not remotely interested in you or the state of your bed. You’re losing, Your Highness. You haven’t gained a single inch of ground, so perhaps you’d best forfeit.”
“Losing?” He leans toward me. “If you think I’m not making progress, then you haven’t been paying attention, Princess.”
I press a hand to his chest.
His heart kicks swiftly, making my fingers curl in his shirt. It’s too intimate, but I dare not let him come closer.
“You owe me a kiss,” he whispers.
“I granted you one in the forest. It’s not my fault it was swift and followed by a fistful of snow.”
“Hmmm.” His heated gaze slides over my mouth.
I go still.
There’s something intimate about that look, and every inch of me warms as if his gaze is a caress. I can’t help wondering what it would feel like to let him claim the kiss he clearly desires instead of the perfunctory one I grace him with each and every night.
He smiles. “Lie to me again, Princess. Tell me you’re not thinking about it.”
I shove at his chest, and though he takes a step back, I fear it’s more his doing than mine.
“I would kiss every inch of you, if you’d let me. And I would use my tongue, Princess, until you were begging me for mercy.”
Sweet Maia.
I swallow. “If you dared, then I would cut it off for trespassing where it wasn’t wanted.”
“I love the way you lie to me,” he says. Lifting my hand to his lips, he brushes a gentle caress there. “Until tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Your Highness.”
The breath leaves me explosively as he strides away. My will may be strong, but my body has begun to weaken. Even now, blood rushes through my veins and my nipples tingle as if they felt his touch.
Curse him.
