Page 234 of Between Two Kings

Finally, it was too much.

Tem arched her back as she came, keeping her eyes wide open, watching Leo as he watched her. Her wetness coated the letter opener.

“Fuck,” Leo gasped.

Through the violent crash of her orgasm, Tem saw him look down at his hand. A slash of red was on his palm; he’d cut himself at the exact moment he’d made her come. Tem closed her eyes, helpless against her climax. When she opened them, Leo was watching her again.

Tem sat up. She reached for his hand, but he jerked away.

“Let me heal you.”

“No.”

“Leo, please.”

But he only shook his head. Healing him would require touching him, and that wasn’t allowed. No skin. A man of his word, even now.

They stared at each other in the dim firelight, both of them breathing hard. The effect of their union was unmistakable; Leo looked healthy for the first time in weeks. His skin was flushed, his eyes bright. Tem knew she must look the same. She had bought him time, just as her father said. How much time, she could not know. But enough that, for once, Tem knew she would fall asleep without worry tonight.

Her gaze fell to his cock, which was so hard it was pulling his pants into a taut mountain of fabric. Tem’s hand was already rising, reaching for the bulge between his legs. Leo didn’t stop her. Something within her exploded with pleasure the moment she made contact, and if she hadn’t just had an orgasm, she would’ve had another. It took everything she had not to slip her hand beneath his waistline, to feel his cock against her palm. But that would mean touching his skin—that would break their rule. So, instead, she rubbed him over his trousers, steadily, feeling just how hard he was for her. Leo’s eyes rolled back in his head.

His hand was still curled around the letter opener, gripping it so tightly that blood began to drip onto the carpet. Tem watched him, remembering how well they fit together, how they’d always had such perfect rhythm. She missed their song. She missed him.

Tem alternated between rubbing and squeezing, never doing one for too long. She knew by the ragged pattern of his breath that he was close.

“Leo,” Tem whispered in his ear.

With a tormented moan, he came. Tem kept stroking until she felt his cum soaking through his trousers. When she was sure he was done, she raised her hand and pressed it flat to his chest, right over his heart. His heartbeat was whip-fast, hammering as if he’d just sprinted a mile. They stood like that for a long time, far longer than they should have. Neither of them said a word. Even when Tem pulled away to put on her dress, they still didn’t speak. And when she walked out of the room, holding up the severed strap with her hand, she knew he was watching her go.

On the carriage ride back to the caves, Tem felt as if she were flying. The boost of energy she gained from being with Leo was undeniable. She felt alive for the first time in days. It was sheer heaven to feel so whole.

Tem tossed her ruined dress into the fireplace the moment she reached her chambers. No sooner had she done so than she heard someone say her name.

It was Caspen. “Tem,” he said again. “Where were you?”

Tem almost laughed. He’d been missing for days and he had the audacity to ask her where she was?

“The castle,” she said. “It’s Sunday, remember?”

Before he could reply, she returned the question.

“Where were you?”

“I was with Apollo.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Still, Caspen didn’t answer. He merely looked at her, his expression impossible to read. Firelight fell on his neck. Rowe’s bite marks were red and deep, the wound opened anew. Tem wondered how long it had been bleeding.

He stepped closer, and Tem braced herself. What came out of his mouth was the last thing she expected him to say.

“You look beautiful.”

Tem blinked. “I…” she began but had no idea how to finish. She settled on “Thank you.”

The timing of the compliment surprised her, but not the compliment itself. Tem knew she must look radiant—the effect of being with Leo would be unmistakable.

They stood before the fire, the same place they had had so many conversations before. Tem breathed in his scent. She had missed that the most: the way he smelled of smoke. She had no idea whether they were on good terms—no idea who was even mad at who anymore. Tem decided right then to lay down her armor. She extended her hand, touching it to Caspen’s warm torso. It was the opposite of the way she’d just touched Leo—through the fabric of his shirt, no skin. Now she splayed her fingers wide, feeling as much of Caspen’s body as possible.