The walk back to the cottage is pleasant enough, and as we stroll down the path, I decide that if the prince wants to kiss me, I’m going to let him.
When we reach the stoop, I linger instead of running straight inside.
His hands find my hips, drawing us closer. “Thank you for today. I truly enjoyed your company.”
You can do this. You are a strong, capable woman.I force air into my lungs, dying with anticipation as his gaze drops to my lips. “I enjoyed your company as well,” I manage to say with only the slightest tremor in my voice.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowers his mouth to mine. The warm press of his lips spins my mind like a top. He grips me tighter, using his mouth to part mine, and then something happens that is so unexpected, I let out a mortifying squeak of surprise.
Ronan sticks his tongueinsidemy mouth.
What am I supposed to do? Do I move my tongue? Do I try to hide it?
The moment his tongue retreats, I blurt, “I need to go,” like a total loon, and then escape into the house.
The moment the door closes, Nia leaps off the sofa and starts bouncing on her toes, asking if I let him kiss me.
My cheeks burn even hotter. “I did.”
Her piercing squeal rattles my eardrums, and she holds both of her fists in front of her grin. “And?”
“And he used his tongue. Is that normal?”
She doubles over in a fit of laughter. “Oh, Kerris. You are my favorite person in the world.”
She is mine as well, but that still doesn’t answer my question.
10
“Of course you’re supposed to use your bloomin’ tongue.”
Nia Quill, An Exclamation
After an enjoyable dinner with Trevor, he asked if I’d like to see his home. So here we are, in an overgrown front garden studying the coziest cottage I’ve ever seen. The graying bench would look amazing painted buttery yellow to match the door and window frames. The brownish stone looks a bit dated and drab, but if I were to whitewash the exterior, that would really revive the place.
Trevor frowns up at the dark patch on the thatch, gone green with mold. “I know it doesn’t look like much now, but after they lay the new roof and I clean up the garden a bit, it’ll be the nicest home on the street.”
“It’s beautiful.” Listen to that burbling brook in the background. It’s like a slice of mountain solace carved into the heart of this bustling city. If I were to close my eyes, I could almost convince myself I’m back in Gravale.
Trevor’s smile lights up his whole face, making him even more handsome. “Would you like to see inside?”
“I would love to.”
He fumbles to pull his keys from his pocket and unlock the latch. The interior is a bit gloomy and smells damp, but the dark walnut floors and counters are immaculate. Having grown up with floors this exact shade, I appreciate how difficult it is to keep them clean. There doesn’t appear to be even a speck of dust on the bookshelves framing the fireplace or on the coffee table. The living and dining room are one with the kitchen, the knobs on the ivory drawers and cabinets shaped like acorns.
I press my thumb against the tiny bumps on the acorn’s cap. “I love these.”
Trevor comes up behind me, bringing along the soft scent of ink and leather, as if he himself has been wrapped inside a book. “They’re my favorite part of the kitchen. My grandmother picked them out when my grandfather built this place.”
Trevor trails a finger along a pull, his nail tapping the little stem at the top. “If the whole house burned to the ground, and I could only save one thing, it would be one of these.”
A tingle starts at my feet, traveling up my legs, the sensation familiar and unwelcome. Even knowing what’s going to happen next, I’m still not prepared for the way my chest constricts, tightening, hardening, as if a boulder has been dropped on my sternum.
It’s only a figure of speech. Stop being dramatic.
I rub idly at my chest, escaping from the kitchen into the lone bedroom on this level, focusing on what is in front of me, not the flashes of painful memories flaring in my traitorous mind.
A four-poster bed. A matching nightstand. A short chest of drawers.
