Page 17 of Alec in Wonderland (Rainbow Tales #1)
“What the fuck am I doing?” The Knave of Hearts stood in his dressing room, staring at his reflection.
Bax had never given his looks much thought. He didn't care about the way his hair fell or the cut of his clothes. Not usually. But tonight, he fussed. He smoothed the velvet of his tunic. He scowled at the color of his hair. Did Mal like pink? Did the color go with his green eyes? Did Bax's hair clash with his fucking eyes? Great tumtum trees! What was he going to do if his eyes didn't go with his hair? Maybe there was a potion he could take.
Magic? Really? No, that was too far. Bax gave up. He knew it was useless to criticize himself thus. As a warrior, he had to focus before a battle. If he let fear consume him, he wouldn't remember the maneuvers. And he had planned so many maneuvers for the coming battle.
“First, we send in the archers.” He turned away from the full-length mirror and left the dressing room. “A wave of arrows to test his mettle.”
The Knave of Hearts stretched his shoulders, shook out his hands, and opened his door. As if stepping onto a battlefield, he placed his boot on the stone of the corridor floor. Then the other. With a click, his door shut behind him, leaving him facing the solid wood that separated him from his quarry.
“Archers,” he muttered as he knocked on that wood.
A few seconds passed. More long, excruciating moments. Bax remained in position, one hand on the hilt of his dress sword. His heart sped up, but he deepened his breaths and slowed it. Just like a war. Yup. Oh, fuck. What if he got so nervous that he went into a trance? No. No, he would not do that. He'd be fine.
At last, the door opened. There he was. Malecvar. The aptly named enemy of his heart. Baxenvir's breathing technique failed him and his heartbeat raced out of control. Still, he managed to retain a semblance of calm, held off his battle-trance, and inclined his head to his target. Arrows! Fire the arrows!
The Knave of Hearts went on the attack, letting his stare wander the length of his enemy. His mouth went dry as he took in the hint of a smooth chest glimpsed through the V of Mal's thin cotton tunic. It was a fine garment, with gold embroidery at the neck and wrists. But the Knave didn't wonder about its origin. He was too fascinated by what it revealed as it covered. That lightweight weave defined Mal's muscles, clinging to a pectoral, then his biceps as he moved into the hallway. It teased and tormented Bax, especially with its length. Or lack thereof.
The tunic ended at Mal's waist, hiked up by his belt. This wouldn't have been so enthralling if Mal wasn’t wearing pants made of the softest leather that stuck to him as if they couldn't bear even the smallest separation from Mal's skin. They looked painted on, so tight that Bax knew the length of Mal's cock in a moment. Unless he had it tucked. Oh, fuck, maybe he had tucked it under. And if he was a grower too, that meant—
Mal turned to shut his door and gave Bax the most glorious view of his plump, pert ass. The verbal arrows Bax intended to shoot all fell short, piercing his tongue instead of Mal's cool demeanor. He must rally! The Knave tore his stare away from his enemy's ass and locked it on the back of his head. Oh, but his hair was loose and shiny. A silken length hanging to the middle of Mal's back. Bax longed to touch it. He needed to know if it really was as silky as it looked. And how heavy was it? He reached out, but just before he made contact, Mal turned around.
“Is something wrong?” Mal asked.
“What?” Bax lowered his hand.
“You look flushed and you're staring at me strangely. Are you all right?”
“Yes, of course. I'm fresh from the bath is all.” He motioned Mal down the corridor. “Shall we?”
“Yup. I'm starving.”
They walked a bit in silence, Bax scrambling to gather his scattered arrows. What was he going to say to the man? He had it planned. Rehearsed. Something about his eyes. The words were sexy and would have disarmed his opponent. But he couldn't remember them. All Bax could think about was how beautiful Mal's eyes were. He nearly blurted it like a fool.
“You look handsome tonight,” Mal said.
Baxenvir's defenses fell in that instant. His internal armor disintegrated. He forgot all about his training and the art of war. Did he really think he could seduce Mal in the same manner that he fought a war? Perhaps romance could be a battle, but he didn't want that for them. He didn't want to guard his heart and fear for his divided loyalty. Suddenly, all the Knave of Hearts wanted was a genuine romance. Something normal. He wanted to enjoy Mal's company without worrying about the Queen. For fuck's sake, when had he last spent a day free of concern for her?
All that shit he'd just put himself through—that silly rant about loyalty and love. Hearts given and taken and cut into pieces. What was that? Where had that even come from? Why had Bax tormented himself like that? A soldier's obedience. Ha! Yes, he obeyed. He always obeyed the Queen. But he could separate that from love. Couldn't he? He could love someone without becoming a traitor to his queen. How arrogant was it to think that he couldn't? He had panicked for nothing.
“Thank you,” Bax said, feeling the weight of war fall from his shoulders. And with that weight went all the worry of what to say or how to act. He just let the words come forth—the real words that Malecvar inspired him to say. “You're so fucking sexy that I can barely walk without stumbling.”
It was Mal's footsteps that faltered as his head jerked toward Bax. “Holy shit. You just said that. Just said it.”
They came to a halt.
“Yes, I did.” The Knave of Hearts faced his romantic interest who was definitely not his enemy. “And I meant it.” He licked his lips and looked Mal over again. “Did you wear that for me? Maybe you thought about me while you put it on?”
Mal's lips parted, his breath audible as he met Bax's stare. Pupils dilated, he said, “Yes. Yes, I did. And I'm glad you appreciate my efforts.”
With a rumbling release of breath, Bax shoved Mal against the wall and pinned him there with his body. Their lips merged in a moment, Mal stretching up to him as he went down. Softness above and hardness below. They ground their erections together, and Bax bent his knees to undulate upward, getting under that leather-covered cock to feel if his suspicions had been correct. Oh, they were. Mal tucked himself. He was longer than he looked. And growing. With that hardening and lifting came a space below that Bax could push into. A path to glory. Mal groaned into Bax's mouth and angled his hips forward, giving him better access to that path.
“Oh, fuck,” Bax murmured as he eased back from their wild kiss. His hands kneaded Mal's ass, gripping as much of that delicious flesh as he could. “I want to pull your pants down, spin you around, and fuck you right here.”
Mal shuddered, and the Knave was sure he would give in. But then he slipped free and sauntered away, tossing a grin over his shoulder.
A grin and a saucy, “I know you do.”
Letting out a shuddering breath, the Knave of Hearts watched Mal's twitching ass for a few seconds, his heart pounding in his cock. Then he bared his teeth. No, it wasn't a smile exactly, but it was close. And he knew the real smiles were coming.