His touch melted her, and she impulsively leaned her cheek into it, pressing her lips to his palm. She felt his hand twitch, and then, with a groan, Riftan crashed their lips into a kiss. His lips were slightly cold, and Maxi tasted traces of wine on his tongue.
“I have been frustrated with need lately,” he mumbled, a hint of self-deprecation in his somber tone. He cupped her cheek and swept away the curls covering her ear. Candlelight illuminated his face, making it look almost sinister. “But I do not wish to tire you. If you do not want to…”
“I-I…don’t mind.” Maxi cautiously reached for his arm. To say she did not mind was an understatement. She had missed him terribly.
Riftan’s eyes bored into hers. A beast-like growl rumbled in his throat, and he began sucking on her lips with fervor. Maxi responded by running her hand through his hair, heat simmering inside her.
Riftan quickly shed his clothes and began fondling her breasts. While he massaged them until they were tender,Maxi caressed his hard chest and neck. By then, he was like a frenzied hound freed from its leash. Nothing could have cooled his feverish desire.
He kissed her with a desperate hunger, as if he wanted to swallow her whole, all the while stroking the flesh between her legs. It was only when she was frantic with need that he finally entered her.
The sharp pleasure she had been denied for so long made her feel as though she were melting beneath him, and the shattering climax he brought her to was so intense that it burned away all thoughts.
But even in that moment of pleasure, a void lingered within her. Her eyes took on a faraway look as she lay in his arms, staring at the canopy above the bed. How could there be a hunger within her that was not sated by passion? Why could she not rid herself of this anxiety when he clearly cherished her more than she deserved? The loneliness felt like a stain that she could not scrub away.
“Did I tire you after all?” Riftan rubbed soothing circles into her sweat-slicked skin, his voice concerned.
Maxi buried her face in his shoulder and shook her head.
Unconvinced, he caressed her swollen, pink breast and peppered her shoulder with kisses. “Did Agnes say anything?”
“What…do you mean…by anything?”
Riftan propped his head up on one arm, a faint line creasing his forehead. “Are you being coy?”
“N-No…I really don’t know…what you mean.”
He sighed. “The princess has a temper, and she has a knack for speaking in a way that makes you reveal your inner thoughts. She is also quite skilled at riling people for the sakeof it or manipulating them to do as she bids. I was concerned she might do the same to you.”
Riftan was speaking ill of the princess, and yet Maxi still felt upset. It baffled her. She placed her leg above his rock-hard thigh and wiggled her toes, pretending to be unconcerned. “You must get on with her…very well.”
“What?” Riftan’s eyes widened. Then he burst into laughter. “Have you not seen how I am with her? What in the devil makes you think we get along?”
“You also treat…Ruth, Sir Hebaron…and the other knights s-similarly…but you have a good relationship with them…do you not?”
Riftan studied her with a gaze so intense that a fierce flush broke out over Maxi’s face. She was mortified that her jealousy was so blatant.
Riftan’s lips twisted into a churlish smile. “If you put it like that, then I suppose I can’t say that we are on bad terms. She is a talented, albeit annoying, woman. And she’s not as arrogant as the rest of the royal family.”
Maxi hid her face against his shoulder again to conceal her disheartened expression.
Riftan pecked the top of her head and teased the taut and rosy tips of her breasts. “But that’s it. I may be on amicable terms with her, but I have never wanted her as a woman. I’m sure it is the same for the princess.”
“How…would you know that?”
“Near the end of the Dragon Campaign, she and I moved together as a team for almost a year, but she never once made any advances.”
Maxi wanted to ask him what he meant by advances, but she kept her mouth shut. The answer would only upset hermore. She hated the fact that they had spent a year together. She knew she could not resent Riftan for it, but it bothered her greatly.
Sensing that her mood had not improved, Riftan frowned. After a moment, he brusquely blurted out, “You also get on well with Ruth, do you not?”
The unexpected mention of Ruth’s name startled her. Maxi’s head snapped up in shock.
Riftan studied her face as if seeking confirmation. “But that doesn’t mean you wish to lie with him, does it?” he said sharply.
“O-Of course not!”
The fact that he was even bringing up the notion offended her. Was he still bothered by her spending time with Ruth?
