Carriages wait in a line outside, their drivers bundled in warm cloaks to ward off the cold. Aric approaches one and speaks briefly with the driver, who nods and gestures for us to climb in.
The interior is warm and cozy, with plush seats and a small flickering lantern providing soft light.
I settle onto the bench, my heart racing, and scoot over as Aric climbs in. He sits beside me—close enough that our thighs press together—and balances our cake plates on his lap.
A moment later, the carriage lurches into motion.
We’re going back to the academy.
Together.
And I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.
Chapter 56
Poppy
THE CARRIAGE RIDE BACK TO the academy feels both endless and too short. We sit close together on the plush bench, our thighs touching, the now-empty cake plates perched on the opposite seat. Aric holds my hand, his thumb tracing gentle circles on my palm, and every touch sends sparks of anticipation through me.
Neither of us speaks. There’s too much energy humming between us, too much nervous excitement twirling through my veins. But when I glance up at him, I catch him looking at me with an expression that makes my breath hitch—and makes me wish the carriage would hurry up and get to the castle already.
When we finally roll to a stop in the castle courtyard, I’m trembling—partially from the cold and partially from my nervousness.
Aric helps me down from the carriage, his hand steady on mine, and then he wraps his suit jacket around my bareshoulders, and we hurry up the snowy steps toward the castle’s towering entrance doors. The night air is crisp and clean, snowflakes catching in my hair and on my eyelashes.
Inside, the castle is quiet save for the whisper of flames dancing in the chandeliers overhead and the sconces along the walls. We don’t talk as we climb the stairs in the east tower, and I bite my lip while waiting for him to unlock his door. He ushers me inside. The room is dark except for the light from the blue moon streaming through the window, painting everything in silver and shadow.
And then the door closes behind us with a soft click, and we’re alone.
I turn to face Aric, and for a moment, we just stand there, facing each other in the moonlight, my heart racing in my chest.
“Poppy,” Aric says softly, and there’s a question in his voice. He’s giving me another chance to change my mind, to say this is too much, too fast.
But I don’t want to change my mind. That’s the last thing I want.
I close the distance between us and kiss him.
He responds immediately, kissing me back as his hands come up to frame my face. It starts slow—gentle exploration, soft sighs—but quickly deepens into something more urgent. His hands slide from my face to my waist, pulling me closer, and I melt into him. His length presses against my thigh through the thin fabric of my dress, making heat gather between my legs.
“Are you sure?” he murmurs against my lips, his voice rough. “We can stop anytime. Just say the wordand—”
“I’m sure,” I whisper, looking up at him, at the way the silver moonlight strikes his hazel eyes, making them gleam. “I want this. I want you.”
He lets out a shaky breath, then kisses me again. This time, there’s less restraint. He slides his jacket from my shoulders, then tosses it across the room, where it falls in a heap on the floor. Then his hands begin roaming my body—down my back, along my sides, brushing my thighs—learning the shape of me as though he never wants to forget it.
I mirror his movements, my fingers exploring the solid warmth of his chest, the muscles of his shoulders, the sensitive spot just behind his ear that makes him sigh against my mouth.
We stumble toward his bed, still kissing. The backs of my legs hit the mattress, and I sink down onto it, pulling him with me. He follows, his weight settling over me, careful not to crush me but close enough that I can feel every inch of him.
“Tell me if anything doesn’t feel right,” he says, his voice hoarse. “Promise me.”
I nod. “I promise.”
But I have a feeling this is going to feel like the mostrightthing in the world.
One of his hands finds the lace of my dress, and he pauses, his eyes meeting mine in the moonlight. I nod, and he slowly—so slowly—pulls the lace free. The dress loosens, and I help him ease it off over my head, leaving me in just my thin chemise, my nipples hard through the satin fabric.
I’ve always thought I’d feel exposed during my first time, vulnerable. But when Aric looks at me, there’s nothing but adoration in his expression. And it makes all those feelings of wanting to hide fall away.
