Page 81 of In The Dark
“Thank you,” I mumble.
“Now go lie over there. We need to rest for our travels in the morning,” he demands, nodding to where our cloaks lie side by side near the fire, and my face heats again. Just the thought ofsleeping next to him has me flustered. It’s one thing for me to suggest it when I’m half asleep. It’s another when I’m agreeing to itfully awake.Was that only four days ago?
“Last time was a moment of weakness,” I say with a tight smile. “We’re not sleeping next to each other.”
He huffs a sarcastic laugh. “We are if you don’t want to freeze.”
I roll my eyes and toss another few sticks into the flames, ignoring the fact that it will be dropping to a freezing temperature sooner rather than later. “Isn’t that what the fire’s for?”
“Yes, but unless you want more unknown creatures finding us while we sleep, we’ll be putting it out before bed. Not to mention you’re still shivering, so yes, we’ll be nice and huddled up to stay warm for the night,” he quips.
I straighten, my hands flying to my hips. “No.”
His brows lower a fraction as he stands—clearly annoyed—meeting me near the fire in one large step as a tense silence hangs in the air. His gaze meets mine, though I catch the way his eyes briefly dart to my lips before he speaks.
“Now why are you being stubborn? Don’t pretend like you don’t like my demands, because I can smell it on you—how much you like it. Tell me something…” he says quietly. “Were you going to meet me that night at the brothel? Did you plan on coming back to see what we could do together?” A silent beat passes between us. “You know, if you had waited another five minutes to knock on my door, I wouldn’t have been at that inn—I would have been at the brothel waiting for you.”
Oh gods, he was going to go back.
His question makes my chest grow hot, my skin warming under his gaze because Iwasgoing to go back. I wanted to see him again, despite knowing that I shouldn’t.
Then he takes the smallest of steps into me and his fingers lightly brush my chin, tilting my head back and forcing me to hold his gaze. A breath catches in my throat as a burning needshivers down my legs and settles right between my thighs. It takes every ounce of control I have not to groan.
His mouth hovers over mine, inches from me, his breathing shallow and uneven. We’re so close we’re practically sharing breaths. So close that I can almost taste him as his fingers linger on my chin. His eyes suddenly flick to my mouth the moment I catch the intoxicating scent of him flooding the cramped space. It suddenly feels way too small for the both of us.
Yet I really want to graze my mouth across his, like it’s pulling me in similar to how waves answer to the moon—involuntary.
Call it a moment of insanity, but within a span of a single breath, I’m suddenly planting a quick, impulsive kiss to his mouth. So quick that he immediately stiffens, his breath completely halting in his chest as he stares at me, frozen.
I quickly dart back with a gasp, eyes wide with shock as my hand rises to my lips. Did I just kiss the king…? Oh my gods. I have never done that before—never.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
A heavy, awkward silence stretches between us. His chest rises with deep breaths, leaving his lips to part on a sharp inhale as if he’s trying to maintain his control. Or perhaps stifle his anger?
Then his brows pinch with a flicker of confusion as he silently watches me, stunned speechless, and staring. Something changes in his gaze, something close to matching the flames of the fire beside us—heated.
Dread crawls up my spine, realizing that maybe I misread the energy between us and crossed a line. I know he was teasing before, but perhaps he didn’t want me to kiss him. I find myself mindlessly backing up as he inches forward with lowered brows. I can’t read his expression.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—” I say quickly, words halting in my throat the moment he growls.
His good hand shoots out, fingers curling at the back of my neck as he yanks me to him. The jolt of his strength catches me off guard, leaving me to gasp right before his mouth crashes into mine with desperate intensity.
And before I can comprehend it, his tongue slips past my lips, stealing the breath right from my lungs. He tastes me—devours me, as if he were drowning and I’m the very air he needs.
An involuntary breathy moan escapes me, my entire body melting into him like his mouth was always meant to be on mine. Stars fill my vision—gods, I’ve never been kissed like this before.
The scent of him floods my senses when his hand slides beneath my ear, deepening the kiss, as if it were his last day in this realm.
He groans and bites my lip, leaving me to gasp at the sharp pinch of pain the moment my back hits the stone behind me. The force of his kiss is not gentle—it’s hungry and eager, and all it does is send a roaring heat between my legs. His hips suddenly drive forward, flush against mine, when I feel the hard length of him across my torso.Fuck, I want him.
Without a second thought, my hands are reaching for the rim of his pants, eager to feel him just as his other hand rises to my face as if to pull me closer. Then he hisses in pain, leaving him to break our kiss and jolt back, like the pain in his arm brought him crashing into reality.
“Isa,” he breathes, almost like a warning—regret, maybe.
That definitely sounded like regret. But I don’t want to look at him and squeeze my eyes shut, leaning my head against the stone as disappointment rolls through me. Heat sears my skin, but it’s not from the nearby flames. My breaths finally slow as I focus my attention on the scent of the smoke and the crackling fire. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone more.
“Are you in pain?” I ask finally, but when he doesn’t answer, Iopen my eyes to find his heated gaze still fixed on me. Yet I can’t help but think he regretted it with the way he jolted back like that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”