Page 29 of A Sea So Cruel
Her breathing changed, becoming more shallow. Her gaze was heavy-lidded as she bit her lip and, gods, did he want to be the one biting it instead.
“You’re awful, you know that?” Kaid said, his voice for more husky than he anticipated.
Asta faintly smiled. “You’re not so great yourself, neighbor.”
Ah, neighbor. So she was still convinced nothing would happen if he remained lying in this bed.
Kaid couldn’t stop his next words. “Tell me something you hate about me.”
At first, Asta looked confused. Even a little curious. But she answered, “I hate that you can charm your way out of any situation.”
Kaid knew her answer was part of whatever game they were playing right now. That she was asking him to use those charming abilities on her. He reached up and brushed his thumb across her bottom lip and her breathing hitched, but she remained motionless; frozen.
Kaid whispered only inches from her face. “Now tell me, Princess. Would you hate me more if I kissed you right now?”
Her tongue darted out to lick her lips as she responded, “It would make you my greatest enemy.”
Kaid understood her answer. He dove forward, catching Asta’s mouth with his. She tasted exactly as he had imagined, sharp and strong. Unyielding.
Asta adjusted her position on the bed so she was lying on her back as they breathlessly exchanged one frantic kiss after another. His tongue grazed the seam of her lips and they parted, allowing their tongues to collide. Kaid let one hand roam her side as the other held her face. He stilled for a moment when he realized one of her hands was running through his hair, but continued kissing and caressing her soon after.
Kaid brushed the rolling plains of Asta’s side, every dip and beautiful curve she had. Was he delusional, or was she leaning into his touch?
She let out a faint moan, so quiet that he could tell she was fighting against its escape. She wasabsolutelyleaning into his touch, then.
Their kissing became deeper, each one lasting longer but still just as hard. Gods, he never wanted to let this woman go. She hated him and he fucking loved it.
He let his touch begin slowly tracing Asta’s front, lightly grazing the fabric of her dress and corset. At first, he brushed her stomach, sometimes letting his touch stray down the path of her thigh then back up. When Asta didn’t object, his fingers lightly circled her breast. Her back arched against his hand, but Kaid didn’t want to do anything she wasn’t ready for, or anything they both may regret.
Up until this moment, their relationship had been that of unfriendly friends. At least, that was what he had convinced himself. A pair thrown together by a twist of fate, now forced to endure each other for life. They had merely been making the best of a terrible situation.
Well, they were certainly making the best of it now.
Kaid pulled his lips from hers, though it pained him to do so. He needed to see her face, to see her approval of his touch. At first, her eyes were filled with desperation, begging him to return to her, but his hand stilled on her abdomen as he watched her gaze turn to uncertainty.
“Asta,” Kaid whispered.
She blinked a few times, as if being freed from an illusion. She suddenly sprung out of bed.
“What about Maren?” Asta snapped. “What am I to tell my sister?”
Kaid saw the thoughts running through her head, tearing her apart. He had put her in this position because he couldn’t control himself around her.
He stood and made his way to her, but Asta jumped back.
“This night didn’t happen.” Her tone was demanding and cold.
It hurt Kaid to hear her speak to him that way, to know that she wanted to forget this, and his stomach twisted into a tight coil. But right now, agreeing to forget was the only thing he could offer her. Though it was torturous, he knew it was the only option for himself, for Asta and Maren, for his father and his kingdom.
“I’ll find a way to my suite unseen,” he said as he left the bedroom.
Kaid grabbed his cloak from the hook near her entryway and began fastening it around himself when the front doors burst open, their handles slamming into the walls behind them.
Gyrial burst in and his golden eyes darted toward Asta’s bedroom door where she stood, covering her mouth.
Of courseheshows up. What are the bloody odds?Kaid’s jaw clenched. Even at this ungodly hour, Gyrial still managed to appear and make things worse for him.
Gyrial’s fierce stare turned to Kaid as he growled, “Get out.”
