Page 45 of A Touch of Royalty
“But I do,” he protested, looking down at her. “Emryn, the only reason I haven’t broached the subject of taking you to bed is because I wanted you to come to me. I should have guessed that you would be too shy.”
“I know the mechanics,” she whispered, eyes still shut.
“It’s so much more than that, dearest.” He kissed her forehead. “I wanted you to think of me as home, of the palace as your place before I broached the subject.”
“I can’t do that, Cas.” She wiped the tears away. “I can’t, not when I’m only-”
“You are not an only, Emryn.” He cupped her cheek. “You have never been only anything to me. You are my wife, and that means everything.”
“Cas?”
“Emryn.”
“Do you mean it?”
“Yes.”
“Then kiss me again,” Emryn said in a shaking voice. “Please?”
He did exactly as she asked, kissing her softly and she could have sworn she felt his emotions in it. The ones that he promised were there, the ones that she wanted more than life.
And if that was a bit silly, then, well, maybe that was alright.
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LEARN
Cas was having a terrible time. Holding himself back from touching Emryn was going to kill him, but she hadn’t asked for him to touch her and she was shattered by sorrow, hungry and in pain and exhausted.
And until none of those things were true, he would wait. Kiss her softly and help her be calm and forbid his thoughts from trending into places that she wasn’t ready to go. Because if he let those thoughts go, he would have her in bed before he could breathe twice.
Cas wanted her to come to him on that. Had promised himself that he would not ask her until she had settled. She’d been close and then Ruby had ruined it.
So he would go back to waiting. No matter that her innocent little sounds were going to kill him. He could take care of himself, and in the end, she would come to him and ask him to take her to bed.
He raised his head, looking at her soft, kiss bruised lips and her half-closed eyes and had to leash his desire. Which was helped by the introduction of Brutus trotting in with his bone and making absolutely horrific chewing sounds on the rug.
Emryn looked up at him and cracked an exhausted smile. “I should go back to bed.”
“Incorrect,” he said in his best impression of Asan. “You should eat first, and then we’ll sleep.”
She let out a cracked giggle and tried to get up, but only ended up nearly falling off his lap.
“Let me help you,” Cas got them both untangled from her skirts and on their feet before he led her over to the table. It had a meal on it, and Cas blessed Shana again for her oversight.
He helped Emryn to her seat and sat across from her, serving them both bowls of cook’s favorite rice soup. It was more garlic-y than usual tonight, but Emryn seemed to enjoy it. He served her another bowl after the first one was gone, and watched as she had a third besides before she sat back and laid a hand over her belly.
“I was hungry,” she smiled across the table at him. “I didn’t notice, until I couldn’t help it.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
She thought for a moment. “I don’t know yet.”
“Then we should sleep,” he got up, taking her hand and bowing over it before taking her through to her bed. “May I stay?”
“I’d like it if you did,” she said with that shy smile. “I need to go over that proposal for her Majesty tomorrow. I worked on it, but I don’t remember what I said.”
“I’ll help you,” Cas said, divesting himself of his trousers and tunic to go and cuddle up with his wife.
