His cheeks turn pink. “Yeah, I mean, if you pick me.”
“And how many kids do you want?” I ask, avoiding responding to that. Although I’m leaning toward Marik, I don’t want to give any false promises or false hope if it doesn’t end up working out.
He hesitates. “I’m not sure if kids are something I truly want. Because I wasn’t first in line for my court, they’ve never been at the forefront of my mind. But now that I’m in this process, I’ve been thinking about how that aspect of my life might change. It’s difficult to wrap my mind around, if I’m being honest.” His foot bounces against the worn hardwood floors.
I suck in a breath. He’s right. With everything else on my mind, the responsibility of having children soon wasn’t something that I had been thinking about. But now…my stomach clenches at the thought.
“I feel the same. Everything has changed for me now.” I tilt my head up, admiring the angular cut of his jaw and the slope of his nose as he surveys the room. “But you know you don’t have to do this, right?” I whisper.
He looks at me, a sad smile on his face. “Choice is an illusion. But the choice to be with you is one that I would be proud of.”
Of all the princes, Marik has made it clear that we share the same hesitancies about the responsibilities of the roles we’ve been forced into. To some, that might not be a reason to choose him. But I like the idea of knowing that I would sit beside someone with the same vulnerabilities as me. Sitting beside someone like Koa or August would be great, but I worry that they would never truly understandmeon a deeper level and the things that I struggle with. Being able to bond with Marik over this is a deeper level of intimacy that I need in a husband.
He places a soft kiss on my forehead and I nestle into him further as I think about Marik beside me on the High Throne.
We portal back to the guest cottage and sneak up to Marik’s bedroom. The moment the door closes behind us, Marik presses me against the bedroom door. His body is lean and taut, fitting perfectly against mine.
I angle my head up as far as I can, but my antlers knock against the door and stop me from being able to look up at him fully. He steps back to allow me some room, and I lift my chin to take him in.
His gaze is locked on my antlers. “I’ve never met a female deer hybrid with antlers,” he says. “Other than Elle, of course.” He pulls one of his hands away from the door and gestures to my antler. “May I?”
I blink. Touching a deer’s antlers is an intimate thing. The velvet casing is full of sensitive nerve bundles. But if Marik is someone I’m seriously considering marrying…
“Yes,” I say as I lock eyes with him.
He dips his head and places his lips against mine. His lips are so soft. My back arches as I lean into the kiss. He pulls away, his bottom lip clinging to mine, as if our lips can’t stand to be separated.
His gaze returns to my antlers as he uses one finger to gently stroke the velvet lining. A delicious lick of pleasure shoots through me at the feeling. It’s been so long since I’ve been touched like this. This is a different form of intimacy, one that I don’t share with every male.
He smiles at my response to his caress. “Does it feel good?”
I close my eyes and nod. He repeats the motion and I can’t help the whimper that comes from my mouth.
He winds his other hand around my waist and pulls me against him. He dips his head to press his lips against mine again. Each brush of his lips is soft and easy, but slowly building into something more.
His hand inches closer and closer to my breast and I arch into him, but his hand. His hand travels from to cup my backside and I shove against him, pushing him toward the bed. He lands on the bed and stares up at me with hunger in his eyes.
I climb on top of him and dip my head down, eager to continue kissing him. Our tongues collide once more and he hardens beneath me. He pulls away to run a finger along the velvet lining of my antlers. I gasp at the feeling, at the pleasure as it races down my spine, at the way it sets me alight.
I rock against him, eager for more, more, more. He grinds his hips into me, perfectly aligned with my center. Every movement is rhythmic and adds to the well of pleasure that’s been slowly building.
He pulls me down to him, lips and tongues moving in unison once more. He rocks against me and I can no longer contain my moans as the wave builds. He nips at my bottom lip, and it sends me into overdrive. I feel like I’m melting. He grasps my backside, pressing me against him, and I gasp as the wave breaks, every muscle tensing and releasing at the feeling.
I collapse against him as the wave recedes. He strokes my hair as it dissipates. My breathing slows, and I go to reach for him, but he stops me. “Just lay with me,” he mutters into my hair.
“Wh—are you sure?”
He nods against my head. “This is all I need,” he whispers.
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. In this moment, I wouldn’t mind spending every day this way. With a kind, selfless, caring prince, who I’m feeling more and more likely is destined to be my king.
Chapter 27
The terrace is illuminatedas Elle, Holly, and I approach, murmurs of conversation growing louder with every step.
“Are you going to get in the pool?” Elle asks.
“Depends on where the night takes us, I guess,” I say with a wink. Elle laughs in response.
