Page 91 of The Gilded Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 2)

“That makes more sense.” She runs her finger along the open leaf again, this time patting it on a coin-sized section of her shoulder.

“Not like that…”

“Like what then?” Sabine looks up in question.

Swallowing hard, I ask, “Should I…?”

She drops her hands to her lap and nods. Her eyes follow my fingers as I take a small portion of the liquid. I then step up behind her, my hands hovering over her bare shoulders.

“It might be cold,” I say.

Even with the warning, she jumps when I touch her.

Trying not to think about how good it feels to have my hands on her skin, I slide the liquid over her shoulders and down her arms. Goosebumps rise at my touch, dangerously distracting. Bringing my hands back up, my fingers edge under the straps of her narrow sleeves as I shift the material aside so I may thoroughly cover the burn.

“How is that?” I ask, my voice a little hoarse. “Does it feel like I got it all?”

Sounding distracted, she hums an affirmative.

“Move your hair to the side,” I say gruffly.

Sabine does as I ask, sweeping the long, blonde braid over her shoulder.

I apply more of the aloe to my fingertips as I stare at her neck, working up the nerve to touch her again. I draw in a breath, hold it, and then run my hand over the soft skin at the nape of her neck. She shivers again, and I close my eyes, wondering why I volunteered for this torture.

“There,” I say once the task is complete, coming around the stool to stand next to her. “It should feel better in the morning.”

She rubs some of the aloe over the front of her neck, and then down around her collar. “Thank you.”

My eyes move to the ribbon at the bottom of her braid. I step forward, studying it. She rubs her hands together to use the last of the aloe, watching me from the corner of her eye.

I graze my finger over the light pink satin ribbon as my mind searches for a memory.

“You gave it to me,” she says. “It was the ribbon on the box.”

My eyes move to her face. “You kept it?”

“The figurine lives on a bookshelf in my brother’s estate—the one place I knew it would be safe from my mother’s temper. I saved the ribbon in a box next to it.”

I don’t know what to say, and my tongue suddenly feels too thick to talk anyway. I stare at the ribbon, running the bow's tail between my thumb and finger.

“You said that was your first kiss,” I finally manage.

“First kiss.” She locks her eyes on mine. “And only kiss, until recently.”

“I’m the only man you’ve ever kissed?” I ask, startled.

The princess pushes off the stool, standing in front of me. “You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted.”

My heart begins to hammer in my chest, and the privacy of the room envelops us. The night is quiet, and we’re alone.

Sabine tilts up her head as I lean down, and we come together. The feel of her lips is intoxicating. Tonight, I’m not going to ruin our time together with arguments.

I raise my hand to her face, holding her gently as I angle my head to the side. My lips move with hers, and she presses against me.

She’s driving me mad.

“Alex,” Sabine whispers, her lips teasing mine.

I drop a kiss to the side of her mouth, and then another near her ear. “Hmm?”

She pulls back just enough to raise her hand to my face. Rubbing her thumb over the evening stubble on my jaw, she whispers, “I want to stay with you tonight.”