Heinrich snickered, while Haydn was studying her every movement.
“Let’s go, Damien,” she murmured, descending the steps.
“Give Tasia a kiss goodbye for me!” Damien shouted, earning a glare from Heinrich.
Damien picked an empty carriage for them. Evelyn gazed out the window almost regretfully as they rode through the city again. There were so many places she wanted to explore.
Did all of these people know my mother? Did she shop at that bookstore? Did she order tea in thatcafé? Did she and my father ever get drunk in that tavern?
Will any place feel like home to me? There’s my mother’s isle, my father’s kingdom, and my husband’s palace. Are any of them mine?
Everyone on board the ship was surprisingly quiet. Rory and Simon whispered to each other, not bothering with magical entertainment this time.
Are Leo and I making them all uncomfortable? What does a Royal Guard do when their king and queen fight?
Evelyn found Leo in a small office below deck. Two oil lamps lit up the room. Various maps lined the walls.
“Can we talk?” she asked.
Leo used lesser magic to lock the door behind her, then leaned against the wooden desk. “About what?”
We should talk about Haydn or Damien. We should talk about what to do when we get home. We should talk about how we keep fighting and nothing feels right anymore.
Leo’s mismatched blue eyes studied her.
Does he have just as many things he doesn’t want to say?
“I miss you.”
Leo released a breath and wrapped her up in his arms. “I miss you, too.”
The wall between them crumbled. Evelyn leaned against Leo’s chest and breathed in his familiar scent. Her arms twinedaround his waist, not wanting to let go. Leo ran his hands up and down her back.
This is my husband. This is what I want.
Then something sparked between them, like a match lighting in the darkness. Evelyn became acutely aware of how close their bodies were and how rarely that happened anymore. Her breath quickened and she could feel Leo’s rapid heartbeat. He smoothed her hair before bringing his lips to the side of her neck.
“Leo,” Evelyn whispered. She let her head fall back as he trailed kisses from her jaw to her collarbone. “I want you!”
Leo kissed her urgently. “I need you.”
He lifted her onto the edge of the desk, then pushed her knees apart to stand between them. She could feel how hard he was already, which only fueled her own arousal.
“Please,” Evelyn begged. “I want you inside me.”
It’s been days since our wedding night. Maybe the fact that we haven’t been intimate since then is why everything has been so stressful between us.
She gasped when Leo pushed her down on the desk, his eyes hungry as he loomed over her.
“I need to see you this time,” he said. “No more hiding in the dark. I want to see your face when you lose control. I want to watch my cum run down your legs.”
Gods, where was this version of Leo the night we got married?
Evelyn trembled as she waited for him to touch her. Leo removed his trousers, then gathered Evelyn’s skirt around her waist. She raised herself up onto her elbows, wanting to see him, but Leo shoved her shoulders down.
“Stay on your back,” he ordered.
Evelyn obeyed and spread her legs eagerly. Leo gazed at her bare flesh for several long moments, his eyes bright with desire.
