With my fiancé's warm hand covering mine, I tried to forget about theotherman in my life so I could focus on the task at hand.
Chapter Fifteen
The carriage rocked gently beneath me as Eagle’s Rest came back into view, its stately windows catching the fading light. I should have been weary from the day, from fittings and endless chatter about silks and lace, but all I felt was... restless.
Raw.
Back in my room, I sank onto the edge of the bed, fingers brushing against the velvet choker circling my throat. A simple band, yet it might as well have been an iron chain. Each time I touched it, I remembered Leighton's calm manner as he fastened it around my neck. Remembered the glint in Magnus's eyes before he ducked beneath my skirts and left my thighs—and my soul—marked.
My skin burned where his mouth and teeth had been, a secret no one in town could see while I smiled politely and pretended to be Leighton’s blushing bride-to-be. Only I knew how ruined I already felt.
Because now that Magnus had his handsandmouth on me, there was no doubt in my mind I trulywascompromised. There was no going back now. My maidenhead might still be intact, but I'd given in. I was no longer pure.
I pressed my hands over my face, heat blooming in my cheeks. What was wrong with me? What sort of woman ached to be owned bytwomen? What sort of woman leaned into the leash instead of running from it? Not to mention all the secrets coming out, one after the other.
My heart thundered at the memory of their lips meeting.
And how much it had affected me.
It wasn't normal.
Two men... together in such a way. I should be scandalized by the notion, but instead it only enhanced the ache inside me.
And the last secret. Possibly the biggest one.
Leighton was royalty. Well... bastard royalty, but still.
Ugh!I was getting nowhere, going back and forth in my head.
All those thoughts tangled into one another, spiraling tight until my body ached all over again. Heat pulsed low in my belly, sharp and demanding.
I slid back onto the bed, biting my lip as I pushed my skirts higher. This was terrifying, but I'd done it once, after all.
Yes, they might have been directing me, but surely this, me on my own, was better than giving in to them?
My fingers trembled as I touched myself the way Magnus had ordered, the way Leighton had coaxed. I whispered their words to myself, trying to summon their presence.
That's it, love... circle slowly. Be patient. Let the ache build.
But without them, it felt wrong. Empty. My body hovered close, trembling at the edge, but the moment I thought I'd tip over, have that amazing rush of pleasure, it slipped away like sand through my fingers.
"Darn it!" I hissed, dropping my hands to the coverlet. My chest heaved, frustration and shame mixing hot in my veins. What kind of woman was I becoming, desperate and ruined, unable to find peace without them?
And worse... furious at them for it.
Scowling, I smoothed down my skirts and stood. Enough. I would find them. Demand they tell me what they'd done to me, why they'd turned me into this... this needy, aching thing.
The house was hushed as I slipped barefoot down the hall, my heart thundering. Where would they be at this hour? It was too early for them to have retired to their rooms.
Perhaps... the study?
Yes. The study. I heard voices low behind the partially closed door.
I pushed it open without thinking.
And froze.
Leighton's back was pressed to the wall, Magnus caging him in with a hand braced beside his head. Their mouths fused in a kiss that was nothing like the chaste brush Leighton had given me that first night.
