Page 5

“Never said it wasn’t, love.”

“Fair enough.” Running my hands down his chest, I stroke the hard planes of his muscles covered by warm skin. I continue my exploration down his flat abdomen and hook a thumb inside the waist of his trousers.

“If you want me out of my clothes, all you have to do is ask.” The sound of his pants hitting the floor has me gasping. He pulls my hand away, pinning it against the wall behind me.

“Didn’t know I needed to ask.” Bracing against the wall and trusting him to support me, I jump, wrapping my legs around him once more.

Sterling, ready for such an action, steps forward. It takes some maneuvering, but soon I’m right where I want to be, clinging to him tight with both legs, my right arm draped around his shoulders.

As I ride him, he captures my left hand, then sucks my fingers.

Tasting me.

“Sterling,” I gasp, his name a talisman against the encroaching dread of what awaits us beyond these walls.

He answers with a primal growl that speaks of protection and possession.

Out there, in front of the court and the royal council, I’m forced to call him Crown Prince Knox. In this fractured instant we stole for ourselves, we are just Lark and Sterling.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“More.” He pulls back, releasing my fingers from his mouth. “Why is it that the more I have you, the more I want you? This craving inside me only grows.”

“I—”

His mouth crushes against mine.

I can only answer with my body as his tongue battles mine. With every muscle, every motion, every breath, I show him I feel the same way. He’s a powerful drug, one I’m powerless to resist, and I use my entire body to continue clinging to him as tightly as I can.

He holds nothing back, giving me everything he has, and I gladly take him. All of him.

Matching his rhythm, I demand more and more until I hit my limit. His mouth muffles my cries when I reach the pinnacle again, and I tunnel my fingers through his silky hair while he pours himself into me. Embracing each other, we tumble over the cliff together.

Languid and spent, I allow my legs to sag. He catches me, and we slide down against the wall until I’m sitting in his lap, sprawled out in the dark in a room I have never seen before.

Somewhere nearby, a horde of nobles and council members are probably wondering where their prince is.

I start giggling. “We really should have more restraint than this. What is this room even used for? It’s not very big. Is someone going to come in here and catch us?”

He releases a throaty laugh, leaning back far enough for me to catch my breath. “I’m the crown prince. Technically, they’re all mine.”

With the curtains pulled shut to block the sun, only the light beneath the door pierces the gloom, rendering him a shadowy figure as he stretches his arms wide to encompass the space.

Ignoring his declaration of ownership, I push myself up and off of him. “And I’m the Aclaris noble who is suddenly spending too much time with the still grieving Crown Prince Knox.”

He flinches. “So you’ve heard the rumors. I hoped to squash those before they reached your ears.”

I rise, then reach down to help him stand. His hand, calloused from years of training and fighting, clasps mine with a gentleness that belies their capacity for violence. “That would be tough considering we’ve gathered with nobles, royal council members, and countless other people of Tirene daily for the last several days. Rumors fly faster than dragons here.”

“And are a hundred times more destructive.”

My afterglow dims as I watch him refasten his trousers with a creased brow.

“Talk to me.” My voice is a soft command, not quite an order, but more than a plea.

Holding up a finger, I produce a flame to give us enough light to see by. I guide him to a low couch and pull him along with me. There’s an antique chandelier above it, and I stretch the flame to light several wicks.

When Sterling hesitates, I take the opportunity to drink in the sight of him.