Page 39 of A Sea So Cruel
Gods, she had wanted this for so long and refused to admit it. She might be able to tolerate him if he never spoke again and they lived in this moment for eternity.
One of Kaid’s fingers lightly brushed under Asta’s waistband and he pulled his mouth away from her, looking into her eyes with his turquoise gaze glistening in the moonlight, glowing like the bioluminescence of the sea.
“Will you hate me more if I keep going?” His finger continued tracing a line across her abdomen, back and forth.
“Yes,” Asta replied.
Kaid’s too-perfect-for-this-world smile slid across his lips and Asta nearly passed out from the sight of it.
He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth before asking, “May I proceed anyway?”
Asta didn’t need a moment to think about her answer. She knew what she wanted. Damn the consequences—she would deal with them in the morning.
Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. “Yes.”
Kaid kissed Asta as he unbuttoned the clasps on her pants and slid them down. She reached down and shucked them off completely, warranting a smile from Kaid as he continued kissing her. She couldn’t help but smile in return, their teeth grazing each other’s as their lips collided.
His hand dipped between her legs once before pulling back up. Asta whimpered, needing more. But his mouth was gone, and so was the heat of his body next to her. Actually, the heat of the cloak that had been on top of them was gone as well.
Asta opened her eyes to see Kaid centering himself between her thighs, his palms now resting on her knees to spread them further apart.
“You wickedly cruel, beautiful thing. Please, hate me forever,” Kaid whispered.
She could hate him forever if this was what it meant. If this was what it led to.
He dove forward, and when he pressed his mouth to her center, it only took a few minutes before she drifted away to oblivion, her body quivering from release and pleasure. Bursting stars clouded her vision as heat flushed throughout her body.
She could do this every day. That was, if her sister wasn’t set to marry this man in less than a week.
Now that the lust was leaving her body, her mind cleared and reminded her of that. But in that moment, she didn’t care. Kaid helped her get dressed, knowing her arm was still sore from its injuries, and then nestled in next to her.
Tomorrow, she would be the pretty princess in the seaside castle who was happy for her sister for finding a husband.
Tonight, she was the warrior, fighting for what she wanted and seizing it.
Chapter 20
Kaid awoke next to Asta, who was still using his arm as a pillow. The sore neck was worth it. It was all worth it to spend the night with her. He could still taste her essence on his lips, that same addictive taste he had been craving since that night in her bed.
The lack of sleep should have been clouding Kaid’s judgment, but he was thinking more clearly than he ever had. He would call off the wedding with Maren and offer his hand to Asta. Consequences be damned.
They would find another way to save Haalberg from financial crisis. Kaid’s father would understand if it was for love.Duke Aerik had always been a firm believer in the emotion, saying it could overcome anything.
Even if Asta rejected him, even if she banished him from the castle for offering her his life, it was worth it to try. If this was what it felt like to be hated by her, he could only begin to imagine what it would feel like to be loved by her.
The blonde princess lying next to him stirred, her heavy-lidded eyes meeting his as she smiled, yawning lightly.
“Good morning, Princess,” Kaid murmured.
Asta smiled mischievously. “Good morning, prick.”
Kaid chuckled. Yeah, he could get used to this.
They got up, exposing themselves to the chilled air before taking their own cloaks back and dressing in them once again. The pain in Kaid’s leg shot up to his chest with every step, but Asta seemed to be managing well with her injured arm, though she was clearly favoring it. They just needed to get back to the castle to see the mender.
They had successfully survived the night, which was the most difficult feat of their adventure. Now began their trip home.
Kaid exited the cave, his eyes watching Asta as she emerged into the sunlight next to him and the rays kissed her blonde locks, setting them ablaze. But she didn’t return his gaze. No, she looked forward in horror.
