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“Tell me to stop, and I will. But if you don’t, I’ll take it as a sign you want me to go on.” Gripping my hair in his other hand, he kissed me again.

I didn’t stop him. I didn’t want to. He stole my breath and all my words, and I didn’t want any of that back as long as he just kept kissing me.

Letting go of my mouth, he trailed his kisses along my jawline, then down my neck, tugging at the bodice of my dress.

“I’m going to take this off you now,” he warned, then ordered. “Arms up.”

I obediently stretched both arms over my head for him to take the top of my two-piece gown off.

The bodice was ribbed, lined, and supportive enough to require no bra or undershirt. The moment he removed it, I crossed my arms over my chest to hide my naked breasts. Hedidn’t seem to mind that, working on untying my skirts. Like everything before that, Salas did it with excellent skill.

After loosening the ties on my overskirt, the crinoline, and the underskirts, he shoved them all down to my knees. The voluminous layers puffed up around my legs like midnight-blue clouds of silk and tulle.

“Now hop out, Princess.” He opened his arms for me.

“Really? Like this?” I jumped up, throwing my arms around his neck.

He lifted me out of the skirts easily, then carried me to the bed. I buried my face in his shoulder, loving a little too much how easily he carried me across the room, how strong his arms felt, and at the same time how gently he held me. He pressed his lips to my shoulder, the tickle of his beard keeping the smile on my face.

When he laid me down, I remembered that I had on only my short underwear and my kitten-heel sandals. I crossed my arms over my chest again as he carefully removed my heavy formal crown.

“Do you want your glasses on or off?” he asked.

The glasses were already kind of foggy from our mingled breath during the kissing. I also wasn’t sure if I had to see every single detail of what was about to happen.

“Off, please,” I said. I couldn’t remove them myself with my hands shielding my breasts from view.

He took the delicate frame between his thick fingers and carefully took off my glasses. I closed my eyes as he did it. Then, I felt a light kiss on the tip of my nose and... froze.

This kiss was not necessary. It was a sign of affection. People kissed each other on their noses for fun because they liked each other. He didn’t need to do it, but he did, as if he couldn’t help it.

With my eyes tightly shut, I heard the sound of my eyeglasses being deposited onto the night table. Then Salas returned tokiss me where he was actually supposed to, first on my mouth, then on the side of my neck. His beard brushed my skin. I exhaled a laugh, but the sensation quickly turned from ticklish to tantalizing, sending tingles of excitement down my body.

This was new and different. Being this close to him still felt a little unnerving but with more thrill than fright now. When he slid a hand up my side, his thumb touched the underside of my breast, and I stiffened.

“Do you like this, Princess?” He nibbled on my neck gently. “Do you like it when I’m kissing you here?”

His questions distracted me from the position of his hand under my breast. A wave of warmth rushed down my body as my muscles relaxed. I stretched like a cat.

“Let me kiss more of you,” he murmured against my collarbone. “Let me show you how good it can feel.”

His hand skimmed down my hip, then around my back to cup my butt cheek. His thumb slipped up and under my underwear.

My breathing turned shallow. Sweat dampened the bedding under my spine. This was no longer new and exciting. His hands in my underwear brought an echo of something dreadfully familiar and highly unwelcome.

Sensing the tension gripping my muscles, he ran a soothing hand up and down my side. “It’s all good, Princess. You’re safe. Sex is supposed to be fun.”

Supposed to. That was what they said. But now, the memories from that other world tried to creep into my awareness, soiling the light moment with darkness. Dread gripped my throat.

Salas gently traced the swell of my breast above my hand that I kept holding over it.

“How about you let me kiss just one for now?”

His voice, light and playful, bounced through the darkness like a ray of sunshine, and I followed it, letting it guide me back to him.

I even managed a smile. “You mean just one boob?”

“Hmh,” he hummed, kissing my collarbone. “Just one. As a test. If you don’t like it, you can hide it from me again. Which one are you willing to give up? Left or right? Which one is your least favorite?”