Page 137 of A King's Oath
“Two in the afternoon at the latest. I am all yours for the weekend then,” his knuckles caressed her chin, reaching the corner of her lip.
“Hmmm…” she sighed.
“Two little indents pop here,” he poked the edges on either side of her mouth. “When you smile a certain way.”
“I know.”
“I have only seen you smile like that at me. And once at Cherry.”
“Cherry, our dancing horse.”
He smiled.
“Our apple and peanut butter fan,” her eyes popped open.
“Your first horse friend,” he reached down and gently took her lips between his. It wasn’t a stimulating kiss, not pulling her for more. It was one of sweet reminiscence, comfort, one that said — ‘I was there, and I am back. I will be here from now on.’
She pushed her fingers into the hair at his temple. It triggered the wet strands on the top of his head to tumble on his forehand.
“I always wondered how your hair remained up and set all the time. It used to keep flopping down in school…”
“Product.”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“Natural finish or something like that.”
She combed her fingers through his hair.
“Your upper lip now has a birthmark,” he observed, his thumb skimming over the bow of her lip.
“It popped up a few years ago.”
“It’s very faint.”
“It’s mostly covered with lipstick or invisible in the shine of my lip balm.”
“Still peppermint,” he licked his lips.
“Always peppermint.”
“I saw this,” he rubbed on the birthmark.
“When?”
“That night in the plane. You wouldn’t stop talking and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I wasn’t even sure for the longest time if itwas a birthmark or a trick of light. Then we were reprimanded for being too loud.”
She snorted. “We weren’tthatloud.”
“We were.”
“That baby was louder!”
“Uhhmm, yes, Ava. Babies. That’s what they are known to be.”
“You like babies?”
“I just finished with one at my palace. He still acts like one from time to time.”
