I let go of him and cross my arms. If Kian’s itching for a fight, I’m happy to deliver. I’m angry with him too. “What else am I supposed to do?” I bite out in a harsh whisper. “You’ve been avoiding me for days now, not to mention lying to me, and you made it clear from the start that I’d need to find someone else to fulfill my needs.”
Kian’s nostrils flare, and he lowers his face toward mine. “What needs of yours haven’t been met?” The dare in his tone sends a flutter of butterflies through my stomach. He takes a step toward me, and I find myself oh-so-slowly backing away, but he matches me step for step.
When rough, cool stone hits my back, I stop, but Kian cages me in with his arms, his hands on either side of my head.
“You’re fed. Clothed. You have more fabric and thread than you could use in a lifetime, plenty of books, and?—”
“What about companionship, Kian?” I interrupt. “What if I find myself lonely?”
He blinks, as if not expecting that response. “But you said you were always alone . . . Don’t you prefer it that way?”
I swallow, my eyes not leaving his. “What if that’s not enough for me now?”
Kian looks away, but his hands still cage me in, his proximity sending flutters through me despite my anger. He struggles for words, and the muscles in his forearms clench before he pushes away, turning his head back to face me.
“If companionship is what you need, I’ll find a way to be okay with that. Just not out here. Not where people can see. And for the love of the gods,anyonebut him.”
Is he . . . jealous? Or is he just worried about his father finding out our love is a ruse?
“You idiot,” I mutter.
He glares at me. “What, Raelyn? Is that not what you want?”
“No!” I spit out. Because despite everything, despite his secrets, something inside me is drawn to this man in front of me, and I don’t want to lose him.
He moves in closer again, and my pulse picks up speed. “Tell me, love, what is it you want then?”
“I want you.”
Kian’s eyes widen in shock before they darken a shade or two and he pulls me into his arms, his mouth laying claim to mine.
I’m in shock; I almost don’t respond. But then I come to my senses, and my hands fly up around his neck, pulling him closer, my mouth opening for his needy tongue as he aims to devour me.
I’m soaring—weeks of pent-up emotion and desire overwhelming my senses. Every fear, every doubt I have floats away on the wind. This moment iseverything. I let out a moan as he kisses me into the wall and grinds himself against me. Hells, there are too many layers between us. His knee goes between my legs, and I shamelessly try to find friction. Firm hands squeeze my waist, and I’m aching, aching for him to touch me. He kisses my jaw and moves down my neck, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. I wantonly moan as he squeezes a breast in his powerful hand before sliding it back down to my waist.
“Whose hands will you allow to touch you?” he breathes.
“Yours . . . only yours.”
“That’s right,” he whispers, causing molten heat to pool in my center.
He grips my chin, tilting it up so that our lips are only a breath apart. His other hand slides down my stomach, temptingly close to where I really want him, but then he hooks his hand around my thigh, pulling me even nearer.
A shudder goes through me, and everything is too tight. My breasts brush up against his chest with each inhale as he corners me closer to the wall. His grip around me tightens, and I can’t stop the moan that comes from my lips as he thrusts his hips against me.
“Do you like that, love?” He dips his head and moves his lips to my ear. “Imagine the sounds I could wring from you if there were nothing between us.”
I whimper. “Show me.”
His teeth close around my ear, and tingles shoot through my entire body. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” His voice rumbles through me, and all I can think is how I want him to take and claim me. Ruin me.
I’m just about to climb him like a tree when someone loudly clears their throat, and I gasp, my eyes darting past Kian to the king standing on the path. The look in his eyes is a cross between disgust and lust, and I’m practically doused by a flood of icy water.
Chapter Forty
RAELYN
Kian stiffens at my lack of response, and I gently push him off me. He looks over his shoulder and groans. “Father, what are you doing out here so bright and early?”
