Her eyes glistened up at him, and she sank her head into his hand. “Stay another day,” she whispered. “Just one more.”
“Come back with me instead,” he breathed.
Though he knew neither was an option.
A heavy sigh left her, one that he knew meant she knew it too.
“This is so hard,” she managed. “Why did you have to make me love you?” she joked. “Why couldn’t it have been one of these idiot Dreamer callers when I was twenty.”
He laughed at her teasing frustration. “Tell me one Dreamer that ever challenged you or didn’t back down from a fight.”
She thought about it for a moment, brows arching as she considered the possibilities. “Most of the time they were too scared of being beheaded,” she shrugged. She smiled up at him. “But not you.”
“I really should have killed you when we were eight,” he sighed.
“I believe I won that fight.”
“Maybe I had let you win.”
“Highly doubt that’s true,” she drawled.
“We could have a rematch.”
The grin spread on her lips, eyes lighting up, and he swore he would never get tired of seeing it. “There’s an idea,” she agreed. “No wind,” she said as a first rule. “You’ll have that distracting me.”
He felt his brow raise slyly at her, knowing she was thinking of him using his wind as he had teased her earlier. “Do you think that’s the only way I could distract you?”
“It’s certainly one way—“
“What if I wore the skull?” he interjected, remembering the way she’d looked at him in it on the battlefield that day. He’d nearly forgotten about the war and hauled her against the tree instead. Almost left his people to die without him. She’d looked incredible in the hip-hugging armor, knives strapped to her and sword dangling. When he’d met her on the field and they’d exchanged weapons, he’d decided he wanted to fight at her side for the rest of their days.
Her expression faltered at his suggestion, and he bent lower. His nose dragged across her cheek as the heat swelled between them. “Who knew a skull would send the Sun Queen into such a frenzy,” he teased, voice dropping.
Her eyes fluttered, grip tightening in his shirt. “You didn’t happen to bring it with you, did you?” she asked. “The castle has a few things in the high tower dungeon that could be…fun… while you’re wearing it.”
He laughed as he pulled back over her. “I did not,” he said. “Didn’t want to risk it being stolen. I think your kingdom might frown upon my putting people on their knees and cutting throats until it was found.”
“It would live up to the Venari King stories,” she said. “A great display of power over our little pearly kingdom. I do love the look of blood against the white rock.”
He loved when she talked like that. Seeing that wicked smile on her lips when she spoke of blood and lustful things made his cock twitch. He smirked down at her, chin raising. “Careful, my Queen… Such talk might be considered treason.”
“Consorting with the enemy King might also be considered treason, and yet… oh look, here I am,” she said.
He scoffed at her delight. “I wasn’t aware I could love you more, and you talking about blood against stone and our forbidden love has proven me wrong,” he bantered.
“Forbidden love? I like that. Sounds utterly dangerous and audacious like the two of us.”
He grinned at her tease and leaned down to kiss her. Her arms wrapped fully around his neck and curled in his hair, making him groan into her mouth at the feeling of her nails scratching his scalp. He bent, hands threading on her thick ass as he leaned her backwards, and she laughed in his ear when she gripped him tighter.
That laugh… he wasn’t sure he’d truly heard it until that week. The carefree one, not the teasing one she carted around on her sleeve. He kissed her cheek and down her throat, until she moaned and tugged on his roots. He moved back to settle over her.
“Do you want to go back to your room?” he asked.
She stepped out of his grasp and took his hands. “Tempting—especially with all that talk of what you wanted me wearing earlier—“ Her brow lifted teasingly. “Only your hand on my throat and your crown… you’re such atease, Venari.”
“That’s definitely still happening,” he assured her.
Her smile widened. “I could just take you here on this beach… Except I believe I only have you for one more night… and I have almost thirty years of catching up to do with you. Starting with the most basic of questions.”
