I fly closer to them in a fury, grabbing his shirt. “She’ll never be yours, Cas.”
“You’re adorable, Kel.” A sly smile crawls up his face, and instead of fighting my hold, he meltsinto me. His legs drop to either side of my knees and his hand glides down my chest, my stomach, then a featherlight touch over my cock. “You’re aching for her.”
He speaks like he knows my very soul. Maybe he does.
“You shouldn’t be touching me,” I growl. “The last person who did that got thrown across the room.”
“She doesn’t seem to mind.” Caspian flits his gaze toward Rosalina. She’s shimmied out of the vines and now digs in her bag.
Rosalina rolls her eyes. “You know, the only reasonhehasn’t thrown you across the room is because he’s hopelessly drunk.”
“And what will you do?” Caspian takes his hands off me and hangs them limp in front of himself. “Go on, tie me up with your thorns.”
“Here.” Rosalina holds out a wrapped package.
Caspian slinks onto the cushioned ground with the fluidity of a black cat.
“I told her not to bring you anything,” I say, searching the table for another drink.
“Of course you did,” Caspian says, inspecting the simple brown package.
Rosalina sits down on his other side, also reaching for a drink. “It’s not right to go to a party without a gift,” she says. “Besides, it’s nothing much.”
Caspian’s long fingers tear at the paper to reveal a small leather bound book.
Rosalina’s flush deepens. “You see, Farron and I crafted these notebooks to help organize our research. But I made an extra one.”
The front has an inked drawing of a thorn and his name written in handwriting.
“Back home, whenever I got sad, I would write in my journal.” I note her nervous rambling. “Not that I think you’re sad. Well, that’s a lie. I do think you’re sad.”
Only the flicker of amusement crosses his features. He carefully opens the book. On the top of the page are the words:Things that make me smile.
He raises a brow at her, and I lean closer to see what else she’s already written:
Dancing to beautiful music
Fine clothing
Competitive board games
Annoying Keldarion
Caspian flicks his dark gaze to me. “I suppose I do enjoy the last one.”
“It’s good to remind yourself of what makes you happy,” Rosalina says. “You can fill out the rest yourself.”
I take a moment to admire her, the ability to show such kindness to someone so undeserving of it. He’s holding her home hostage, and yet she’s filled with empathy for him.
Caspian thumbs through the blank pages of the rest of the book, then carefully places it on the table. “How quaint.”
Rosalina’s features dim as he coldly disregards her gift. But she doesn’t see his veiled vulnerability: the slight quiver of his lip, the glimmer of tenderness in his gaze. She has reached a place within him I didn’t think existed anymore. My heart rages as I stare into his eyes.
Believing that, seeing those traits in him, is what got me into this mess to begin with,
My eyes meet his, and a flash of fear shatters his face. Like I have caught him wide open.
“Oh, what happened?” Rosalina touches the crown of thorns on her head. Except it’s not just a crown of thorns anymore. Brilliant black roses bloom around it. She gently lifts it off, smiling at the flowers. “Pretty. Thanks, Caspian.”
