Caiman pressed down on my hips at the same time he raised his, and the sensation of feeling him against me made my head spin and left me gasping. He made that noise again. I felt it rumble against my chest and—
A throat cleared. “If the two of you are quite finished, the crowd is growing restless.”
Kerrington had finally found us.
“Get out,” Caiman growled.
“You need to—”
“I said get out!”
The door slammed. Caiman cursed, his head falling back against the window. I managed to catch my breath enough to say, “He’s right. This really isn’t the time or place for us to . . .” My face flushed at the thought of where this had almost led.
Caiman lifted his hips again. “To what?”
I smacked his shoulder. “You know what.”
His dark eyes sparkled. “You dare strike your king?”
If we didn’t have an entire ballroom waiting for us, I’d have done more than strike him. I’d rip his clothes from his body and give the rumor mill something good to gossip about.“How else am I to keep you in line?”
“I can think of a few ways.”
“Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“You know what,” I laughed.
Groaning, Caiman scrubbed a hand down his face. It took a moment to fix the layers of my skirts until they fell just right. My husband still hadn’t moved. “Your people are waiting, my king.”
“I am fairly confident they would rather wait than see me in my current state,” he muttered, adjusting the front of his breeches.
My face burned, and I found myself grateful for the cover of darkness. “Just . . . Um . . . Let me know when you’re ready.”
A chuckle. “I’m more than ready.”
I stifled my giggle behind my hand, feeling lighter than I had since the day I’d lost Alrec. “You know I meant ready to go into the ballroom.”
Caiman stood, straightening his breeches once more before pulling on his coat and fastening his decorative sword at his hip. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Just a minute. You’re crooked.”
He arched his brows.
“Your jacket, you rake.” The lapels of his red jacket, trimmed in gold, felt velvety soft as I flattened them into place.If only my hair was as easy to fix. I brushed the bits that had escaped back from my face, but my fingers kept getting caught in the tangles. “My hair’s a mess, isn’t it?”
Caiman tried to help, but I had a feeling he only made it worse. “The entire kingdom is bound to know what we’ve been up to.”
My hands fell to my sides. “Good.”
A crooked grin hooked the corner of his lips as he laced his fingers with mine. “Good.”
I had seen him smirk, scowl, and sneer, but I’d never seen him genuinely smile. He had such a beautiful smile, hesitant and sweet.
A herald announced our arrival, and the crowd let out a riotous cheer. Still holding hands, Caiman and I ascended the dais set up at the end of the ballroom. Glasses were raised in toast, wishing us a long and happy reign. My feet ached from the stiff velvet slippers. I swore they sighed when I landed on the red tufted cushion on my much smaller throne.
The musicians began to play, and those without partners cleared the dance floor for those itching to dance. Women in colorful dresses lined up on the left side. Men, most of them in black, formed a line opposite them.