Page 139 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

Do I want him to?

Gods, help me…I do.

I can judge myself for these thoughts and desires when I’m alone—I can chastise myself for craving another man when I just ended things with Lev. I’ll call myself a harlot. Disloyal. Whatever I feel.

But right now? I’m tired of denying myself.

I stay as still as a hare caught under a predator’s stare, barely breathing as Rian closes the short distance between us.

His lips brush the side of my throat.

This time, though, his nose touches my skin, and he inhales. “Mother, save me. You smell divine.”

Bumps pepper my skin. “So do you.”

His smile brushes against my throat. “Is that so?”

“Mm-hmm.” I rise on my toes, gripping his tunic for purchase. “Like spice and nature. The woods and evergreen trees.”

An approving growl builds in his throat. His lips press the smallest kiss to my neck, and I melt.

My grip on his tunic tightens. The hand still holding my wrist releases. He slides an arm around my back, drawing me even closer.

Our hearts beat against each other through our clothes. The neckline of my gown exposes more flesh than usual, and Rian’s shadows caress the smooth skin in a slow, tantalizing rhythm.

My breath quickens. “Will you kiss me?”

Another growl. “I’m debating it.”

“What is there to debate?” I slide my hands up to the back of his neck. My legs wobble when he presses another kiss to my throat. “I…I want you to.”

“Sunshine," he says, pained. “You cannot say such things.”

“Why not?”

“Because I cannot keep you,” he confesses even as his grip tightens and he presses a kiss to my jawline. “Though everything I am demands I do so.”

Keep me?

Those two words should send me running to the square—back to Ferria and Juniper—back to safety.

But may the Gods help me, Rian’s possessive tone and the way his hand presses against my back with blatant want does something to me.

Is this a side effect of the natchling’s attack? Should I be concerned about the state of my mind?

Rian tilts his head. His teeth graze my ear, and thoughts skitter away as the tantalizing sensation travels all the way to my toes.

Forget consequences.

That’s a problem for the morning.

Rian leaves tomorrow. Nothing can come from this, but that’s all the more reason to stop fighting and give in.

I turn my head.

He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes. Strands of silver swirl with the tiniest streaks of blue and purple—a beautiful masterpiece.

“Kiss me,” I demand in a breathless whisper.