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Alisdair both took his time and chased me to a high. His tongue probed, and rolled, and flicked my tortured nub, waiting until my cries grew hoarse to stop and start all over again. I was a sweaty, limp mess in no time at all.
“By the A-All Mother,” I stuttered, feeling the fire burning through my veins. One more and I’d—
Alisdair flicked the nub and I exploded—spasming on the bed, coming so hard white spots danced on the wall.
He draped himself over me, humming as he bit the shell of my ear. “I will fashion a paradise for you, my queen. I’ll burn all of Elva down, and remake it in your image.”
My pants tickled the back of my hand, but I couldn’t move it. Alisdair laced his fingers through mine.
“You will want for nothing for the rest of your days, and not as a discarded decoration,” he whispered, nipping my ear. “You will have books, and tutors, and university.”
My eyes popped open—shock parting my jaw.How did he know that’s what I wanted more than anything?
“You will be all of the incredible, enigmatic, troublesome things you are meant to be,” he said, making my eyes fill.
Alisdair dropped a kiss on my shoulder. “Although, I confess, it escapes me how you plan to improve upon perfection.”
My heart thundered so hard, it thrummed louder than the howling wind. Cold ripped through our exposed bedchamber, but I was warm. Warm from his body heat. Warm from the lingering aftershocks of my orgasm. And warm... from him.
Alisdair had never spoken to me this way without a mocking tone and a smirk thrown in for good measure. To hear him say all the things I never dreamed a man would say to me, but deep down, wished he would...
It undid every lock, chain, and trap around my heart.
“Alisdair,” I whispered, stroking the fingers holding mine. “I—"
Alisdair tipped my chin. We kissed slow, sweet, and mind-scrambling.
How had he done this to me?I melted into the kiss.I think I’m falling—
“No!” I ripped away. “No, no, no!”
“Princess?”
“No.” I scrambled out from under him and snatched up my robe. “Absolutely not. We are done.Youare done! This— Whatever this is,” I cried, waving my hands between us. “It’s over.”
He gave me a crazy look. “What the— You demanded I do this! You bawled like an infant when I refused!”
I flung a pillow at his face. “Well, lucky for you, the bawling infant is leaving!” I stormed off—my anger burning away whatever delusion-induced feelings I thought I was having.
“Fuck’s sake!” Alisdair’s roar rattled the door on its hinges. “You’re impossible!”
I slammed the door, then immediately dropped against it, sliding down to the floor.
I wasn’t versed in the ways of sex, attraction, marriage, mates, or soul-bindings. I never felt the emotions that others labeled, so how could I know which label fit?
All I did know was whatever Alisdair made me feel in there, it could never happen again.
THE NEXT DAY, I FOLLOWEDEadaoin down the many staircases to a part of the castle I’d never been before. It amazed me that there were still new depths to plumb in Castle Riagin.
Memories of last night flashed through my mind on a loop, warming my face and tightening my lower belly every night.
That could not happen again. Leave it to Alisdair to turn the tables, and make seducing me a bid for power that he won. Won absolutely.
The plan was for him to develop feelings or me, it wasn’t for me to form feelings for him. It made no sense that his initial rejection hurt me. I hated the man. What did it matter that he slept with and spent time with me out of duty? It shouldn’t matter at all... but it did.
I didn’t want it to be true, but it felt good when he praised me. Felt even better when he was impressed with me. And it thrilled my heart when he respected me and my opinion. No one, ever, in my whole life had done or felt any of those things toward me. No one except my family.
To have Alisdair turn around and say all of that was a waste of time cut me to the bone. And then to have him kiss and have me tender and sweet, healed all the broken parts of me right back again.
