The desire crescendos, and Dante grabs my hips and slams me down onto him, shuddering. My pussy pulses, my orgasm flaring inside me like an explosion. Dante practically roars as he shoots his hot release into me, flooding us both in cum.
His hold on me is tight, unrelenting, our foreheads pressed together. I can feel both our hearts pounding as if in unison. Our skin is covered in sweat, making us slide against each other as our breathing slows to normal.
He holds my gaze as he tucks my damp hair behind my ears. “Beautiful.”
“Amazing,” I reply, stroking his cheek with my thumb.
There’s something in his gaze as his eyes travel over my features, and though it remains unspoken, I understand. I tilt my head and press my lips into his. I soak him in, relishing in the feeling of being in his arms, being covered in his sweat, his scent. This isn’t just sex. This man isn’t just holding my body. He’s holding my heart.
“What do you say, Lord Stregasi?” I give him a coy smile. “Good enough to last the entirety of the tour?”
He lets out a short laugh and shakes his head. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to restrain myself. Keeping my hands off you for the next few months, it’s going to be hard.”
I raise a brow and look down between our bodies. “Feels like it already is.”
ChApter
Seventeen
I’ve barely slept. Dante and I took advantage of almost every minute we had alone together, only drifting off for a couple of hours, our naked bodies tangled in his sheets. The dawn’s light announced that our time was up. It took every ounce of willpower within me to finally leave his room and find my way back through the secret passageways.
I know I’m getting back too late. Ezra’s powder would have certainly worn off by now, and I can only imagine what Indira must be thinking. When I reach the panel that accesses my room, I push it open slowly, peering around to see if she’s around.
Instead of Indira, I find Nadya. Her eyes are wide as I slip into my room, and she looks over her shoulder at the closed door.
“Where have you been?” she whispers.
“I… got tied up.” I can’t help but smirk to myself. “Where’s Indira?”
Nadya lets out a sigh. “I asked her to fetch us some tea. She burst into my room about twenty minutes ago asking where you were. I convinced her that you woke up early to get some books from Ezra you wanted to take on the tour.”
“She bought that?”
“I doubt it, but if you hurry up and get ready, maybe we can get down to the carriage before she can badger you.” Nadya is already dressed in a light-yellow dress, her hair pinned up in an elegant bun. “What’s this?” she asks, reaching for my hair.
My eyes widen for a minute when she pulls a peony petal out from my strands.
I instantly snatch it away from her. “Nothing.”
She studies me for a moment and then slowly nods. “Yeah, okay. I’m sure you’ll tell me later.” She gives me a smile and a wink. “Good for you. Now get ready.”
Despite the fact that I love Dante’s scent on me, I know I can’t travel for the next couple of days brewing in my own sweat-stained skin, so I wash up and get dressed in a traveling dress suitable for the mourning period. I grab the black tiara with the veil, but I decide to wait before putting it on. Servants arrive to bring my traveling chests down to the carriage, and before I know it, we’re loading up the entourage to head out on our way.
Before I climb into my carriage, I catch sight of Dante, and I immediately want to rush back into his arms. But I can’t. It’s time for us to play our parts, to pretend there is nothing between us. I school my features as I place the mourning tiara upon my head. We only have to endure the duration of the tour, and soon after that, we won’t have to hide anymore.
The carriage rocks gently beneath us, its wheels bumping over the uneven dirt road as the royal caravan snakes its way across the golden plains of eastern Hedera. Outside the window, wildflowers sway in the breeze, painted in soft hues of violet and amber. In the far distance, the mountains rise like sleeping giants beneath a pale-blue sky, their snowy caps catching the late morning sun.
Inside, the carriage is warm and polished, with smooth, dark paneling that gleams faintly in the shifting light. Velvet cushions, deep green and gold-threaded, soften each jostling movement. Across from me, Nadya is curled into the corner, her boots tucked beneath her as she reads, one gloved finger tapping lightly against the page. Her book makes me think of Ezra, who rides in a separate carriage, probably with his nose in a few books of his own.
At the front of the caravan, the king is in his royal carriage with Farvis and a couple of his advisors, but separate from the queen. I noticed, when we were leaving Hedera, that she entered her own carriage with her ladies-in-waiting, while Dante boarded a carriage that used to belong to Torbin. I can’t help but wonder if that makes him uncomfortable or not.
I lean against the frame of the window, cheek resting in my palm, and let the rhythm of the ride lull me into a kind of haze. The wind slipping through the small, cracked window cools the back of my neck, and my mind wanders to the night before, and how Dante and I spent every moment we could exploring each other’s bodies. When I close my eyes, I can still feel his hands on me, the taste of his lips, the feel of him filling me.
My eyes snap open, worried that Nadya might be watching me, but her nose is still buried in a book.
I smooth the folds of my dress over my lap, absently tracing the embroidery along the hem. The gown is a dark grey, cinched at the waist with a twisted black ribbon. A constant reminder of the role I’m being forced to play.
My thoughts drift, unbidden, to my uncle. Is he eating? Sleeping? Does he even remember what happened to him? The last time I saw him, his skin was still too pale and his eyes too dim, like the light inside him hadn’t quite returned. I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same.
