Page 13
Story: His Forbidden Princess
"I can't pretend that." His hand covers mine, not pulling it away but holding it against him. "Because when dawn comes, you will still be the princess, and I will still be the guard who overstepped."
"And if I order you to kiss me again?" I tilt my chin up, a challenge in my eyes. "Would you disobey a direct command from your future queen?"
Something dangerous flares in his gaze. "Don't."
"Don't what? Don't want this? Don't admit it? Don't use the only power I have to get something I actually desire for once in my life?"
His free hand comes up to cup my face, the touch surprisingly gentle for a man capable of such violence. "You have no idea what you're asking for."
"Then show me." I turn my face into his palm, my lips brushing his callused skin. "Show me what I'm asking for."
A tremor runs through him. I can feel it where our bodies connect, can see it in the tension of his shoulders. For a moment, I think he'll give in—that he'll claim my mouth again, that he'll let whatever is building between us consume us both.
Instead, he drops hisInstead, he drops his hand and steps back, putting the table between us like a shield.
"No." The word is quiet but firm. "Not like this. Not with you testing boundaries you don't understand, not with dawn approaching and reality waiting."
Disappointment crashes over me, followed quickly by anger. "So it's fine for you to kiss me in an alley when you lose control, but not here, not when I'm asking for it?"
"Yes." His honesty disarms me. "Because in that alley, I was weak. Here, I'm choosing to be strong. For both of us."
"I don't need your protection from this." I gesture between us, frustration making my voice rise. "I know what I want."
"Do you?" He leans forward, hands braced on the table. "You want the thrill of rebellion, Princess. You want to taste freedom in all its forms. I'm just convenient—the forbidden guard, the older man, the excitement of crossing lines you've never crossed before."
His dismissal stings, especially because part of me fears he might be right. Is that all this is? The culmination of a night of breaking rules, of testing limits?
No. It's more than that. It has to be.
"You're wrong." I move to the table, mirroring his posture. "I wanted you before tonight. I've wanted you for years, watching you watch me, wondering what you were thinking behind that stone face, wondering what it would take to make you see me as a woman, not a duty."
Something shifts in his expression—surprise, perhaps even hope, quickly masked.
"It doesn't matter what either of us wants." He straightens. "Dawn is coming. We need to prepare you for return."
"So that's it?" I don't try to hide my bitterness. "We go back to princess and guard, pretending nothing happened, nothing changed?"
"Everything changed." He moves to a small chest against the wall, opening it to reveal clothing—a simple dress, modest butclearly of better quality than what I'm wearing. "But we can't change who we are."
I watch him remove the dress, laying it carefully on the bed. "Where did that come from?"
"I keep emergency supplies here. Including appropriate clothing for various scenarios."
"You planned for having to disguise me as a respectable woman instead of a commoner?" I'm oddly touched by his foresight.
"I plan for everything." He gestures to the privacy screen. "Change. I'll wait outside."
He moves toward the door, but I step into his path. "And if I don't want you to leave?"
Weariness settles over his features. "Then you're still testing boundaries, and I'm still saying no."
We stand at an impasse, neither willing to yield. Finally, I sigh and take the dress. "Fine. But this conversation isn't over, Dain."
"It never began." He opens the door. "You have ten minutes."
After he leaves, I change slowly, my mind racing. The dress fits well enough—simpler than my court attire but still suitable for a merchant's daughter or minor noble. He's thought of everything, down to soft slippers to replace my boots.
I'm fighting with the laces at the back when he returns, knocking once before entering. He takes in my struggle without comment, then moves behind me.
"And if I order you to kiss me again?" I tilt my chin up, a challenge in my eyes. "Would you disobey a direct command from your future queen?"
Something dangerous flares in his gaze. "Don't."
"Don't what? Don't want this? Don't admit it? Don't use the only power I have to get something I actually desire for once in my life?"
His free hand comes up to cup my face, the touch surprisingly gentle for a man capable of such violence. "You have no idea what you're asking for."
"Then show me." I turn my face into his palm, my lips brushing his callused skin. "Show me what I'm asking for."
A tremor runs through him. I can feel it where our bodies connect, can see it in the tension of his shoulders. For a moment, I think he'll give in—that he'll claim my mouth again, that he'll let whatever is building between us consume us both.
Instead, he drops hisInstead, he drops his hand and steps back, putting the table between us like a shield.
"No." The word is quiet but firm. "Not like this. Not with you testing boundaries you don't understand, not with dawn approaching and reality waiting."
Disappointment crashes over me, followed quickly by anger. "So it's fine for you to kiss me in an alley when you lose control, but not here, not when I'm asking for it?"
"Yes." His honesty disarms me. "Because in that alley, I was weak. Here, I'm choosing to be strong. For both of us."
"I don't need your protection from this." I gesture between us, frustration making my voice rise. "I know what I want."
"Do you?" He leans forward, hands braced on the table. "You want the thrill of rebellion, Princess. You want to taste freedom in all its forms. I'm just convenient—the forbidden guard, the older man, the excitement of crossing lines you've never crossed before."
His dismissal stings, especially because part of me fears he might be right. Is that all this is? The culmination of a night of breaking rules, of testing limits?
No. It's more than that. It has to be.
"You're wrong." I move to the table, mirroring his posture. "I wanted you before tonight. I've wanted you for years, watching you watch me, wondering what you were thinking behind that stone face, wondering what it would take to make you see me as a woman, not a duty."
Something shifts in his expression—surprise, perhaps even hope, quickly masked.
"It doesn't matter what either of us wants." He straightens. "Dawn is coming. We need to prepare you for return."
"So that's it?" I don't try to hide my bitterness. "We go back to princess and guard, pretending nothing happened, nothing changed?"
"Everything changed." He moves to a small chest against the wall, opening it to reveal clothing—a simple dress, modest butclearly of better quality than what I'm wearing. "But we can't change who we are."
I watch him remove the dress, laying it carefully on the bed. "Where did that come from?"
"I keep emergency supplies here. Including appropriate clothing for various scenarios."
"You planned for having to disguise me as a respectable woman instead of a commoner?" I'm oddly touched by his foresight.
"I plan for everything." He gestures to the privacy screen. "Change. I'll wait outside."
He moves toward the door, but I step into his path. "And if I don't want you to leave?"
Weariness settles over his features. "Then you're still testing boundaries, and I'm still saying no."
We stand at an impasse, neither willing to yield. Finally, I sigh and take the dress. "Fine. But this conversation isn't over, Dain."
"It never began." He opens the door. "You have ten minutes."
After he leaves, I change slowly, my mind racing. The dress fits well enough—simpler than my court attire but still suitable for a merchant's daughter or minor noble. He's thought of everything, down to soft slippers to replace my boots.
I'm fighting with the laces at the back when he returns, knocking once before entering. He takes in my struggle without comment, then moves behind me.