Page 28 of King Foretold (Realm of Four Kingdoms #2)

For some inexplicable reason, I turn desperately to the captain. She glances between me and Ethan, then offers me an apologetic shrug. I feel betrayed. I thought females were supposed to stick together and shit. But to be fair, what can the captain do?

“I know it won’t be comfortable, but Jihun’s estate isn’t far from here.” Ethan pitches his voice low. “You don’t have to worry. I ... I won’t try anything with you. You’re just not in any condition to walk.”

After our talk in the pagoda, I’m not worried about Ethan, but I am very much worried about me .

Grow up, Sunny. You’re making things unnecessarily awkward.

“It’s fine,” I mutter. “Don’t worry about it.”

Ethan scratches the side of his neck, and I look everywhere but at him.

“My prince.” Captain Seo breaks the uncomfortable silence. “I will transport the body with utmost discretion.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Ethan nods at her. Then, with a hand hovering behind my back, he says, “Let’s get you back to the Sunset Pavilion.”

“I’m not going to keel over.” I stomp away from his hand, only to have my knees promptly buckle. Ethan catches me and sweeps me into his arms as though I weigh nothing. And I squirm against his gentle hold, blushing to the roots of my hair. “I can walk to the gama.”

“I know you can,” he says without an ounce of sarcasm. “Just humor me. Okay?”

I can’t even stand, much less walk, but he doesn’t point out the obvious. How did I fall in love with the most decent and supportive male in all the worlds? Just my luck. I don’t need more reminders that I don’t deserve him, especially since I can’t fucking have him.

“Okay.” I’m much too tempted to burrow into his chest, so I hold my head awkwardly away from him.

His long legs eat up the distance in what feels like a blink. And too soon, he sets me down in front of the palanquin, holding me steady by my arms.

“Will you be okay to stand on your own?” He studies my face with tender concern, and my chest becomes a squishy mess. “I need to get in first.”

To compensate for the blush staining my cheeks, I roll my eyes extra hard. “Just get in.”

Ethan gives me one last worried glance before quickly ducking inside. After a moment, he reaches his hand out from the shadows. “Okay. Your turn.”

I stare down at his hand, worrying my bottom lip.

I can’t see his face, but he sits cross-legged with his back pressed up against the wall.

He made enough room for me ... to sit on his lap.

My heart takes off in a gallop. It would be much too easy to settle my ass on his legs and melt against his broad chest. The hard part would be pretending to be immune to the effect he has on me.

“Is everything okay?” Ethan leans out of the shadows to peer up at me, and I catch sight of the bloodstain on his dopo. I’m too upset by it to feel relieved at the perfect excuse to stay off his lap.

“You’re hurt.” How could I have forgotten? I can’t believe I let him carry me. “I don’t want to aggravate your wound.”

“What wound?” He tugs down his shirt far enough to show me his shoulder.

I release a sigh of relief, my stomach unclenching. A small, puckered scar is the only evidence left of his injury. He heals even faster than I do. Thank gods. But ... now what do I do?

With a frustrated growl, I duck my head inside and poke lightly at his injured shoulder. He blinks and glances down at my finger without so much as a wince. I back out of the palanquin in defeat and watch him put his clothes to rights.

He extends his hand once more, arching an eyebrow. I can do this. It takes less than thirty minutes to get to Jihun’s estate. Surely, I can endure half an hour on Ethan’s lap without making a fool of myself. Pressing my lips into a determined line, I take his hand and step into the palanquin.

“Sorry.” I turn to face the door, unavoidably shoving my voluminous skirt in his face.

“You’re good.” Placing his hands lightly on my hips, he guides me down onto his lap. When he speaks next, I can feel his voice vibrating against my back. “Is this okay?”

“Uh yeah.” I shiver. “It’s cool.”

It is in fact not cool. It’s actually very warm in here.

And it gets scorching hot when Ethan rests his palms on my thighs.

I can’t even yell at him to put them on his own thighs because my ass is currently occupying that real estate.

In the tight confines of the palanquin, he doesn’t have anywhere else to put his hands, unless I make him raise them in the air like I have a gun trained on him.

It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine. I sit with my back straight so I don’t snuggle into him like he’s my favorite recliner. One minute down, twenty-nine more to go.

“You can relax,” he grits out, frustration threading his words.

“I am relaxed,” I snap.

The gama levitates off the ground and begins moving forward with a subtle jerk—oh my gods, we hadn’t even left yet—and I tip back into his chest. I squirm frantically to regain the one-inch space between our bodies.

“Stop,” Ethan rasps, clamping his hands around my waist. “You need to stop moving, Sunny.”

I freeze mid-wiggle because his gravelly voice sounds more pleading than commanding. Once I’m still, I notice his hard length pressing against my ass even through the layers of fabric between us. I squeeze my eyes shut, biting back a moan.

“Ignore ... this.” His breath comes in uneven pants, rustling the hair on the top of my head. “I just need a minute.”

I don’t respond—not to be an asshole—but because I can’t speak.

My heartbeat thunders in my chest, echoing in my throat and temples.

I use every ounce of my willpower not to tip my ass up and grind my aching core against his thick, steely erection.

Liquid heat seeps out of me, making me slick with desire.

My nails dig into his thighs as I fight for control, but I can’t stop the choked whimper that escapes my lips. I was wrong. I can’t endure thirty minutes on Ethan’s lap without making a fool of myself. I can’t even last five minutes before turning into a wet, writhing mess.

“Sunny? Do you need ...” Ethan finishes his question with a slight tilt of his pelvis.

I moan so loud that I have to clap a hand over my mouth.

His hands flex around my waist, and he exhales a shaky breath.

“Let me help you blow off some steam, like you asked last night. It’ll be purely physical. ”

I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to him.

“I don’t expect anything from you. Just ...” He pushes open my wraparound skirt with a rough snap, then pauses, giving me time to stop him. “Let me give you this much.”

Fuck. I grow dizzy with anticipation, and our coarse breaths fill the small space of the palanquin. It’ll be purely physical. He said so.

I don’t stop him. And when he spreads apart my petticoat, I lift my ass, urging him to pull up my underskirt. He wraps one arm tightly around my waist and grabs a fistful of the undergarment with his free hand. I whimper when he pauses again.

“I need you to say the words,” he growls in my ear. “Tell me to touch you.”

“Just fucking do it.” My voice comes back in a rush of desperation.

“Give me the words, sweetheart.” He scrapes his teeth against the side of my neck.

“Touch me.” I’m begging, and I don’t care. “Ethan, touch me.”

“Good girl.” Ethan bunches my petticoat at my waist and slides his hand over my hip onto my thigh. He chuckles when I wiggle impatiently, but he obligingly dips his hand lower, brushing the inside of my thigh with his fingertips. “You feel like silk.”

My head tips back against his shoulder at the featherlight touch.

He licks the side of my neck with a long sweep of his tongue and blows softly on the strip of damp skin.

The shock of cool air against my hot skin sends a shudder down my spine.

I bite my lip when he cups me over the last layer of undergarment.

“You’ve soaked through this.” He pushes aside the wet fabric. I’m too far gone to feel embarrassed.

I cry out when he slides two fingers down either side of my clit. With a dark chuckle, he circles his thumb over the swollen nub, and my eyes nearly roll back.

“You’re so wet. Is this all for me?” When I don’t answer right away, he draws a rough circle over me, and my body curves like a bow. “Is it, Sunny?”

“Yes.” There’s no point in denying it when his fingers are slick with my desire. “All for you.”

“Gods,” he groans.

He buries his face in my neck, kissing, biting, and licking his way down.

With his thumb still drawing circles of fire under my skirt, he tugs open my top with his free hand and roughly cups my breast. I moan, arching into his touch, and cover his hand with mine.

He links our fingers, and together we squeeze and knead my breast, his palm rubbing against my aching tip, until my entire body writhes with pleasure.

“You need more, don’t you?” His voice is as rough as gravel.

Yes. I thrust my hips against his thumb. With a grunt of approval, he glides a long finger down my folds and traces his fingertip over my entrance. I groan, deep and long. “Stop teasing and—”

Ethan thrusts his finger inside me, and I choke on the rest of my sentence.

He draws his finger out and pushes in even harder.

When he picks a brisk rhythm, pumping in and out of me, I lose my mind.

I pivot my hips to take his finger in deeper and whimper in gratitude when he adds a second.

I tip my hips off his legs and thrust against his hand, again and again, grateful he doesn’t break easily.

I throw one arm behind me and grab the back of his neck, seeking purchase. My head thrashes against his shoulder.

“Fuck, Sunny.” He shoves his other hand under my skirts to put glorious pressure on my clit as I ride the hand penetrating me with three fingers. “Come for me.”

At his command, I scream, loudly enough to wake the dead.

Ethan claps a hand over my mouth—it smells like me—and eases me down from my orgasm with the other.

I slump against him, gloriously spent, and bury my face against his neck.

He brushes his lips against my temple and wraps his arms around my waist, hugging me to him.

Still and quiet, we catch our breaths in the shadows of the gama.

“Ethan.” My throat closes up. What have I done? I don’t have it in me to pretend like this meant nothing. “I didn’t mean for this—”

“I know.” His breath ruffles my hair as he nuzzles his cheek against the top of my head. “I just wanted this for you. That’s all. It changes nothing.”

I nod wordlessly. He’s right. Even when he worships my body with love and wonder. Even when I respond to his touch like I was made for him. It changes nothing. I will always love him more than anything, and I can never tell him.

The palanquin stops in front of the Sunset Pavilion minutes later.

When Miok opens the door to the gama, I look every bit the noble maiden, without a hair out of place.

But on the inside, I am bruised and battered, bleeding from the heart.

Ethan lets me go with a soft squeeze of my hand, and I walk away without looking back. Because I am a lie, inside and out.