Page 271 of Split or Swallow

“Are you enjoying the ball?” Leo asked.

“No,” Tem answered honestly. She’d been enjoying other things, but certainly not the ball.

His smile widened.

“I thought as much. Shall we venture elsewhere, then?”

“I’m not going to your room,” Tem said curtly.

“Who said anything about my room?”

Tem rolled her eyes. If Leo had his way, they’d never leave his room.

He raised his arm, offering her the crook of his elbow.

“I was thinking we could take a stroll, if it pleases you.”

“Your father won’t like that.”

“Good.”

In reply, Tem laced her fingers around his arm as he guided her through the ballroom, out to the patio, and toward the maze. Her wetness dripped down her thighs, evidence of the orgasm she’d barely resisted.

The moment they entered the great green walls, Tem felt calm for the first time that evening. The din of the ball died down as they wound deeper into the maze, the air becoming so cold that Tem shivered. Leo immediately set his cloak on her shoulders. This time she didn’t protest, instead savoring the way it enveloped her in his scent. As they wound through the maze, the weight of the evening hung over her.

“Leo,” Tem said as steadily as she could. “Am I in the final three?”

He glanced down.

“Do you want to be?”

A direct question.

Before she could answer it, they came upon a dead end.

The world went silent as they both stood still. A statue of a robed figure loomed over them, and Tem could just make out the name etched into the plaque at its base:

King Maximus III.

Leo’s father.

Tem turned to face the prince. He was looking down at her calmly, with the same practiced composure she’d come to expect from him. When she still didn’t answer, Leo leaned in.

His lips brushed hers as he whispered:

“I’m asking you to give me your heart, Tem. I deserve to know whether it’s even yours to give.”

Tem couldn’t handle the way he was looking at her. It was not unlike the way Caspen looked at her—as if she were something exceedingly precious. Something worth having.

“I can’t promise you my heart,” she whispered. “But I can promise it will always be mine to give.”

Leo pulled away a fraction of an inch.

Tem knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. But it would have to be enough for now.

“Leo,” she raised her hand, cradling his narrow face in her palm. “You told me not to lie to you.”

He gave her a sad smile.