“I ammorethan willing,” I reply with a quirk of my lips. “Lead the way, Your Majesty.”
By the time we reach the rooftop, the sun is already halfway set, warming the sky in shades of deep orange, pink, purple, and red. The prince strolls to the balustrade and stares out over the land.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Stunning.”
My eyes should be glued to the mesmerizing scene, but I can’t help glancing around. The roof is covered with stone pots and trellises overflowing with fragrant roses and lit with ornate metal and glass lanterns. But the most interesting part of the decor is the double loungers lined up side by side. Four, in fact. Covered in soft cushions. For sunset viewing parties, I suppose.
I head to the nearest one, wine glass in hand, and take a seat, propping my feet up, crossing them at the ankles.
The prince turns around, an instant smile lighting his face as I sip my wine. “Can I join you?”
Mmm. His voice. It falls a shade deeper when we’re alone. Smoother. Like honeyed whisky.
I pat the cushion beside me. “I would be quite sad if you didn’t.”
A bolt of excitement races up my spine when he takes his seat next to me, his body mere inches from mine. I can feel his heat, smell the lavender and vanilla on his skin and in his hair.
We stare at the sun-painted sky in silence for a while, and I make myself focus and soak in the warmth. I will ache for this sort of heat soon. I ache for it often, though more so when winter comes.
As the colors fade from the horizon and the sky grows dim, the prince suddenly says, “Does the perfect king have a perfect queen?”
It’s such an unexpected question that I blink over at him, sure I heard him wrong. “Pardon?”
He laughs. “Does the perfectkinghave a perfectqueen? Orking? I’m only inquiring, like you did.”
“No,” I answer, probably far too quickly. “No queen. No king, either. No one.”
He bobs his head, as though deep in thought. “Interesting. I found myself wondering. About you and Alexus, mainly.”
“Oh, gods, no. We’reveryclose.” I pause, trying to figure out how to describe what we share. I settle on, “As close as two friends can possibly be. But we’re just that. Friends.”
“Truly? He’s awfully protective of you to only be a friend.”
I shrug. “He sees it as his duty to protect his king.”And to make sure I live so he lives as well.“He drives me mad sometimes, though his heart is in the right place. But again, no. We aren’t lovers if that’s what you’re asking.”
Not really.Another topic that’s far too complex to truly explain.
With darkness falling around us, I meet his glittering eyes. “I was hoping that would be your answer,” he says. His face suddenly morphs, a bit more serious. “I’ve worried about it all week. From the moment I first saw you step out of the carriage.”
My brows rise of their own volition. “Is that so? And here I thought you hardly noticed me, all while I was ogling your ass from every angle.”
He laughs, but then he meets my eyes, and everything about his expression sets my blood on fire. “Oh, I noticed you. Surely you could tell. I’ve hardly looked away from you this entire week.” His gaze travels over me, intimate as a touch. “You’re quite possibly the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see more.”
I swallow hard, my pulse beginning to pound. “Careful, now, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t advise flirting with me, unless you like kissing boys, because I’ve struggled all week as well, and I’m about two seconds away from?—”
Before I can register what’s happening, the prince leans forward and crushes his mouth to mine. Blindsided, it takes several moments to make my brain work, for my head to tilt the right way, my lips to soften and part for his eager tongue. But then it’s over, those first awkward seconds of learning the tempo and shape of our kiss.
And it is divine.
The prince’s hand slips into my hair, gripping the roots, and I cup his face, my wine glass forgotten. This kiss is a heady thing, more than I imagined it would be, everything about his mouth tempting me.
We kiss like two starved animals, sucking and biting and licking. I could stay right here, just like this, for eternity. The feel of his plump lips held between mine is that delicious. That perfect.
The wildness between us changes, though. The desperate hunger eases, just enough that our kiss turns softer. Deeper. Slower. An exploration. A tasting. I am utterly lost to it, this divine kiss, a kiss that feels like all that beautiful light earlier, bright and shining and warm, cascading through every part of me.
I turn my body toward his for more contact, and suddenly he presses closer. His hands are everywhere, sliding under my tunic to caress my naked skin, brushing across my nipple, then dragging down, down, down, trailing the length of my thigh before cupping the curve of my ass.
