Page 155 of A Legacy of the Light

“Fuck, Tavish,” I whisper against him. Want and need and passion roar between us. It hasn’t been this intense since the night we made ourselves come on his sofa.

Tavish pulls away and rests his forehead against mine. “Not here. Your room. Go. Now,” he pants.

I hold his face in my hands and kiss him once more before scrambling from underneath him and running across the courtyard. I pause when I reach the arched entry and turn. Tavish kneels in the ring, his wet shirt plastered to his cut body, looking like a predator ready to hunt his pray.

Desire coils tight, and the need to go back and peel the black fabric off him and run my hands across his defined abs has me stepping back in his direction. A muscle clenches in his jaw with restraint, and he shakes his head slightly.

“Go,” he says. Low and demanding.

There might be no one in the courtyard now but he can’t follow me through the palace with that look on his face, without us being seen by someone who would tell the king. I hesitate for another second before turning away from him and running through the rain.

As I move through the kitchen, Reyne winks at me from the table she sits at with Colin. I ignore her and try to keep my pace steady as I move through the palace.

I get to my room in record time. Apparently being soaked by the rain gives me an excuse for half-jogging down the halls.

I quickly get a fire going and slip off my thin jacket. The Craobh is resting in the zip pocket and I decide to put it in the hidden compartment behind the stone under the sink.

As I rise from the floor, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed and my eyes are wide with desire. I run my fingers over my lips where they are swollen from the strength of Tavish’s kisses in the training yard.

Will I be able to stop things if we go too far? Do I want to stop him? Can I give myself to him and not tell him I’m Seelie? Can I do this when I know the barrier could open at any time?

A knock halts my spiraling thoughts.

The truth is, I don’t know the answer to any of them.

When I pull open the door, Tavish steps into my room and cups my face as he brings my lips to his.

I place my hands on his chest. “Wait, Tavish,” I murmur around his lips.

He pulls away and looks down at me, his brows lowered.

“What?” he asks harshly, frustration leaking into his tone.

I take a step away from him. “I . . .”

He runs his hands through his hair and grips the rain-soaked strands. “Why won’t you let me in, Elsie?” He closes the door behind him and I take a few more steps into the living room, never breaking eye contact.

“We get so far and you put up this wall. I can’t take it anymore. I need you.” He throws his arms wide. “I care for you so much. Why can’t you see that? Don’t you feel the same?” he challenges, sadness cooling the desire that laced his features not a moment ago.

“Yes!” I breathe. “It’s not that! I . . . it’s just . . .”

“What? What is it?”

Indecision wracks me. I have never wanted anyone more in my life than I do him. But crossing that line with him means giving my heart to him and I don’t know if I can.

“It’s not even about the sex. Dhia, fuck me, do I want you. It’s about this thing you put up between us when you think I’m getting too close.”

“It’s complicated, Tavish,” I whisper, not tearing my gaze away from his yearning one. He burns for me.

“Is it because I’m a prince?” he asks.

I shake my head.

“Is it because of what my father said?”

I hesitate, the king’s warning does play some part in it, but I decided when he called me to breakfast that he doesn’t get to dictate what I do. I shake my head again.

“Is it because you’re leaving at some point?”