“You are,” she lets go of a slow breath, “a beautiful creature. You’re a kind man. A strong leader. A good prince.”
Lifting my chin, I examine the way her eyes drift over my face. I swear, for a minute, they stall on my lips. Everything in me heats a thousand times more than when I was trapped under heavy quilts.
“You speak so highly of me. Yet, I could not save my own sister from being sent away. I could not save my mother from death.”
“You cannot control everything. You cannot save everyone.”
“I cannot save anyone.” A quietly shared admission.
Valentina’s honey scent floods my senses as she scoots closer, dropping my hand only so she can hold my face. “Please do not talk like that. Your presence here has done more good than you’ll ever know.” Gingerly, she leans forward, pressing her lips to my cheek. “Do not let your father break you.” She kisses the angle of my jaw. “Do not let your mother’s death be in vain.” Another kiss, so close to the corner of my lips. “Stay strong.”
At least that’s what I think she says as I capture her mouth on mine. She’s still for a moment, surprised at the feverish way I press my lips to hers. Soon though, she melts into it. Her kisses are as soft and sweet as her. She tastes as though she’d been eating toffee or caramel not long ago.
My fingers thread into her hair, holding her close, taking what I’ve always dreamed of having from her. Her hands fall to my chest, fingers curling into the fine hair that grows there.
I part her lips further with a deepening sweep of my tongue. Her gasp is a delicacy that I’ll savor forever. But she pulls away.
Her lips are smudged with pink, and I know if I look at myself, her lipstick is on me too. Slowly, I let my hands slip from her hair. She swallows. With one finger, I tip her chin up so I can admire her beauty both inside and out.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” I manage to offer.
“Is that what that was?” Her lashes curl against her cheeks as she closes her eyes. “A thank-you?”
And there is my heart hammering in my ears once more.
“Do you wish it were more?”
“Do you?”
A challenge. Who might say it first? Who might admit to wishing there could be more kisses? More intimacy?
“You are...” My brows pull together.
“I am your father’s bride. I am a mother. I am—”
“Perfect. Stunning. Brilliant. Caring. Gentle. Sweet.” I rattle off adjectives before she can suggest that she can never be mine.
“Merrick.” She laughs quietly with a shake of her head.
“Do you wantmore?” I ask again.
Silky, blonde strands fall forward into her face as she looks down at her hands and wrings her fingers together. “You and I both know I can’t want more.”
“To hell with it all. What doyouwant?”
Knuckles rap against my door, the knob turning as Casimir’s voice carries. “Is he awake yet?”
Valentina jumps up from the bed and adjusts her dress. I thought she was pale before, but as the blood drains from her face, she’s nearly translucent. I wipe the back of my hand across my lips, and sure enough, pink rubs away on my skin.
Casimir’s steps stop short as he enters. He looks from her to me before slowly closing the door. Then I remember I’m only in my underwear sitting fully exposed on my bed, and Valentina’s lips are swollen with kisses.
“Just woke up,” she says, her posture poised and tone polite once more. “Now that you’re here to relieve me of my duties, I must excuse myself.” She gives a quick curtsey before hurrying from the room.
Casimir lowers to a bow as she passes. The door shuts, and he turns back to me, disapproval written all over his face. “Out with it.”
“Out with what?” I stretch my arms overhead and point my toes with a groan. It isn’t often that I play games with Casimir or keep truth from him, but this is a delicate matter. One that could end in swift death to anyone involved. Perhaps Valentina is wise to shut this down before it even starts. Yet the yearning inside of me has only been coaxed to a steady flame.
Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I slide my feet into the slippers that wait. My hair is flat against my head, an odd look when I normally style it back. I run my fingers through it, trying to make myself look at least a little bit normal.
