Page 43 of The Broken Elf King
“Is the elf king dreamy? How did you fall in love? Tell me about him?” Autumn flipped on her belly and looked down at me with puppy dog eyes.
I sighed. “His lips are like pillows and he gets grumpy a lot.”
Autumn burst into laughter, which caused me to cackle. Then a shadow cast overhead, blocking out the setting sun.
I peered up to find Raife Lightstone hovering over us with his head cocked to the side, looking down at Autumn and I with intrigue.
Autumn stared at me wide-eyed. “Mr. Pillow Lips?”
I nodded, fear chasing some of my drunkenness away, but not enough. Would he be mad I was drinking with a girlfriend in his garden? Was he back from the war for good? Was he hurt? Did he hear me call him grumpy? So many questions swirled in my head.
“I don’t believe we’ve met?” The king looked down at Autumn, his gaze falling to her short-tipped ears just as my gaze fell to the half-dozen Bow Men behind him.
I sat up quickly, immediately regretting it, and swayed as the wine hit me full force. Why was being drunk while lying down so much easier? The moment you had to walk, the challenges set in.
“My love, I’m so glad you’re home!” I stood and swayed, widening my stance to keep from falling.
Raife caught me, placing a hand on either side of my hips and pulling me close to his chest. I leaned forward and planted a light kiss to his lips. Then I looked at Autumn. “This is my dear childhood friend, Autumn. Her sister lives in town, married to an elf.”
I felt the king relax under me, as if he suspected me of plotting his assassination with her or something. “Hello, Autumn, it’s a pleasure. Would you like one of my Bow Men to escort you to your sister’s?”
Autumn stood, stumbled a little, and then snickered before saluting Raife. “Yes sir, Mr. Pillow Lips.”
I had to bite my cheeks to keep from laughing.
“Get her to her sister’s safely and report to me when it’s done,” Raife told one of his Bow Men.
“Yes, my king,” he said, and then the rest of them dispersed.
Now that we were alone, Raife gazed down at me, still holding me in his arms. Leaning forward, he smelled my lips. “Chocolate elf wine?”
I nodded. “I’ve never had it.” Now that he was this close, I didn’t want him to let me go. I missed him; it took me until now, in his arms, to realize how much. Tracing my fingers down his neck, I sighed. “You’re not injured. I was worried.”
His breathing came out ragged and then his gaze flicked to the picnic blanket. “What’s that?” His voice could cut glass.
I turned my head and peered at what he was talking about.
He was staring at the map Autumn had drawn for me.
I looked up at him and grinned. “I want something in return for telling you what that is.”
His eyes grew even more suspicious. “Like what? Money?”
I snort-laughed, and then fought for composure. Leaning in, I brushed my lips to his ear. “A kiss.”
His whole body coiled tight like a snake. “What is it, Kailani?” he growled.
I could tell by his tone he thought it some nefarious thing. He clearly recognized his land in the map, and it hurt that he didn’t trust me.
Pulling back to look into his eyes, I brushed my fingers over his lips. “It’s an exact route from here to my aunt’s house in Nightfall City. A secret route that Autumn has taken dozens of times without getting caught. I thought we could use it to extract my aunt, but also to win your war when it’s time.”
His sharp intake of breath indicated his shock, and then before I knew it his lips were on mine. A moan of pleasure ripped from my throat and I threaded my fingers through his hair. Our tongues searched for each other with a hungry need, stroking softly and then hard. These few weeks apart, after that last kiss in my apartment, had been hell. It was all I’d thought about. I pressed my body to his and he placed his hand on my lower back, dipping me backwards as he laid me down on the blanket.
I allowed him to, and lay backwards as he lowered himself on top of me. I had about two seconds to care if someone saw us and thought it improper—and then realized I simply didn’t care. I was a soon-to-be queen making out with her betrothed. Nothing to see here. Move along.
Raife’s hand slipped under my dress, first near my ankle, and then slowly trailed up my shin, over my knee to the outer thigh. For a wild second, all I could think about was when the last time I’d shaved was, and then he grasped my hip, moaning deeply into my open mouth. I swallowed the sound, feeling the heady dizziness of elf wine combine with lustful thoughts of consuming each other.
He pulled back and looked down at me sadly. “You’re drunk,” he said almost disappointedly.
