She thought she heard him chuckle lightly. “Why not?”
“Because you’ll see how flushed I am, and I would hate for you to think it has anything to do with you.”
He made a low noise in his throat. “It has nothing to do with me, then?”
She fiddled with a dishcloth. “Nothing whatsoever.”
When his hand skimmed her waist, she nearly dropped the teacup she was preparing to wash.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
His voice was a murmur tickling her ear. “Nothing whatsoever.”
This time she did drop the teacup. Fortunately, it landed in a sink full of soapy water, but Aurelie gasped anyway. The next thing she knew, Des had spun her around in his arms, and her soapy hands went to his chest to steady herself.
He must have seen the shock on her face because he started to step back. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
She gripped his shoulders, pulling him back to her. “Don’t apologize. I just... I wasn’t sure what today would be like.” She bit her lip and dropped her gaze, only to feel his finger under her chin, lifting it.
“I wasn’t either,” he said gently. “I knew I should turn you in. If you were anyone else, I would have... I don’t know, Aurelie. Something happens to me when I’m around you that I can’t explain. I know that doesn’t make any sense.”
“It does,” she insisted. “I feel it, too.”
He lowered his face to hers, still tipping her chin up to him, but stopped when his lips were maddeningly close. “This is wrong, isn’t it?”
She wanted to say no, but how could she, when she had put Des in an impossible situation? “Maybe.”
“I can’t think straight when I’m with you. I didn’t sleep last night. I paid another guard to take my duty today. You’ve wrecked me, Aurelie.”
Looking into his silver eyes, once as hard as iron but now soft and vulnerable, she had no choice but to take him at his word. This strong, focused, purpose-driven man was shirking responsibility, betraying the principles he was bound to uphold. If this didn’t go as she’d promised, he would despise her for the rest of their lives. She would despise herself, for ruining him alongside her.
But she could not abandon her uncle for Des, no matter how much she was falling for him. It was cowardly, but she responded by bringing her mouth to his, hoping to convey her conflicting emotions without words, because they would never be adequate.
Des had always been gentle with her, but she could feel how taut his muscles were, how much restraint it took when he cupped the nape of her neck, his fingers tangled in her hair. She’d never kissed anyone before, but she knew intrinsically that no one would ever live up to Des, the way he claimed her mouth with his own, the way his touch had her melting against him.
He tugged on the ribbon at her throat, dragging his lips down her neck until he reached the hollow at the base of it. She found herself pulling her collar aside to grant him access, suddenly regretting herchoice of dress, because he couldn’t touch her as easily as he had last night. Even worse, she could hardly get to him beneath his leather breastplate, so she settled for his arms, his face, his hair, marveling at how her small hands could bend him to her will.
“We have to stop,” he said between kisses, his breathing ragged as she arched against him. “Please, Aurelie. The portal...”
“Can wait a few more minutes. Can’t it?”
He exhaled roughly as she trailed kisses over his jaw. “It’s important.”
“But this is so much more fun.”
He laughed, a genuine, proper laugh that Aurelie felt in her soul. “Believe me, I know. Nothing has ever been this fun in all of history.”
Now she laughed, forcing herself to pull away. “There will be more of this, won’t there? Once we finish the portal and save the kingdom?”
He gazed down at her, her face cupped in his hands, his expression almost pained. “If we live? Absolutely.” He kissed her again, so thoroughly she could barely stand by the time he pulled away.
“All right, I’m going. Just...”
She had begun to retie the ribbon at her throat, but she stopped when his voice trailed off. “What is it?”
“Just be careful, all right? You have your dagger?”
She patted her pocket. “Yes.”