Page 16 of A Ring to Claim Her Crown
‘Probably the same thing that you are,’ Liro answered, his expression more guarded than she had ever seen. ‘I thought I would visit this place...before I leave.’
‘And when will that be?’ she asked, trying to hide how shaken she felt at the sight of seeing him here...intheirplace. They hadn’t been here since that very last night when everything had fallen apart. The thought of being a royal bride had felt so exciting back then, while now she looked upon it as just another task she had to tick off in order to perform the job she had been raised to do.
‘I’m leaving tonight,’ he said. ‘I had debated attending the charity auction, considering that I had already purchased my ticket, but I am sure the funds will still make it to the right places in my absence.’
Silence fell between them, along with a million unspoken words that Minerva wanted to say. Angry words, questions and above all longing. She wanted to tell him exactly how she had felt when he’d left, exactly how much his absence had shaped her as a person.
‘I won’t be backing down from my bid on the harbour expansion. But I have decided that I will not be personally overseeing the rest of the negotiations myself.’
He paused for a long moment before taking a step towards her. ‘Everything I said yesterday was the truth, but I see now that it was unfair to return here. You’ve made it clear that my presence is unwelcome and...despite what you may think... I never set out to upset you, Minerva.’
She thought of the things he’d said in that darkened museum hall and felt heat blaze along her skin.Tell me that you haven’t fantasised about me, he’d urged.Tell me to leave you alone...She hadn’t been able to say either of those things with confidence.
The truth was she had fantasised about him more times than she could count. Just this morning she had awoken swollen and slick with longing, imagining his strong, capable hands doing truly delicious things to her. She’d only barely resisted calling out his name as she’d brought herself to climax, then had instantly felt raw and embarrassed afterwards as she got ready to go about her day.
‘You said...’ She inhaled a deep breath, nerves and indecision making it catch in her throat. ‘You said that we both know why you stayed. I want you to tell me.’
‘I stayed for you, Min,’ he said easily. ‘I stayed because, once I saw you again, I couldn’t quite seem to leave.’
She took a step towards him. ‘But you will leave. If I tell you to.’
‘If that’s what you want, then yes.’
Was that what she wanted? For days now she had told herself that she wanted Liro to disappear, along with all the complicated emotions that seemed to bubble up in his presence. She had been so consumed with holding herself together, with focusing on the celebrations and the matchmaking...
Tell me what you need, Min. When was the last time anyone asked?
She needed to kiss him. She needed it so badly, her hands trembled with the effort of remaining at a distance. Just once, she promised herself. One last kiss to get the closure she’d been denied fourteen years ago. She could see his fingers flexing by his sides. He wanted to touch her...and she wanted so badly to be touched. Before she could over-think, she closed the remaining distance between them. There were so many things she wanted to say, but words failed her as she reached for him, leaning into his warmth.
Her lips found his as though they had always known this was where she would end up. As though that very first kiss after she’d recognised him had simply been an appetiser, an initial spark of kindling upon the embers of their past. She had been smouldering for him for days now—she could deny it no longer. And, when his hands sank into her hair, she groaned against his mouth with relief.
‘This...’ she murmured as she paused for a breath. ‘This is what I need from you.’
A growl came from somewhere low in his throat as he pulled her closer so that another inch of space was removed between them.
‘If this is what you need from me, princess,’ he urged, thrusting his hardness against her thigh. ‘Then use me.’
His words felt wrong, somehow... But his tone was erotic and dominating so she let him take control for a moment, pushing her back against the tree trunk.
‘You missed me.’ His words were a statement rather than a question and she didn’t have the energy to rebuke them as a shiver passed through her and reality began to encroach upon this tiny oasis of pleasure.
‘I missedthis,’ she corrected, not able to give him any more than that. She’d gone so long without true connection to another and she was powerless to stop. They kissed until her back ached against the rough tree but, every time she told herself that it was time to leave, she didn’t. In the end it was he who pulled back first, his eyes never leaving hers as he caught his breath.
‘You make me feel like a teenager.’ He growled, a subtle smirk on his lips as he traced the pad of his index finger down the side of her neck and along one collar bone.
His touch was feather-light and almost tender, confusing her even more. She didn’t want softness from him. It was too much and yet entirely not enough. She pushed gently until she could slide away from the tree, needing to breathe.
‘Your compliments are good for a girl’s confidence.’ She aimed for a light tone, failing miserably. ‘Y-you’ve got better at kissing since then.’
Liro’s voice was silky as sin as he replied, ‘I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.’
This man... Minerva inhaled a deep breath, trying to cool off the instant heat that rushed through her body with his words. She knew that staying here and talking like this with him was dangerous. She knew it, and still she met his eyes with a direct challenge. ‘I think sometimes time tends to embellish certain memories to make them seem better than they actually were.’
His eyes lowered to her lips. ‘Well...there’s only one way to know for sure.’
She didn’t know who kissed whom first this time, not that it mattered anyway. The space between them was instantly gone and his lips were crushed against hers, his hands in her hair holding her just where he wanted her. Her body sang at his touch, a shiver of awareness spreading along the skin of her nape and down her spine like wildfire. The crackling heat of the flame finally being ignited between them was stifling. All rational thought of this being wrong was utterly consumed by a hunger so intense it took her breath away. She felt his hands tightening on her waist, pulling her closely against him so that she could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against her lower abdomen.
God, how she had missed this feeling. She remembered once telling him that the intensity of her desire for him scared her. She had been younger then, a curious girl entering into her first passionate love affair. He had been inexperienced too, but had still always behaved like a gentleman. He’d held off on his own desires to make sure that she was ready before they took their relationship to the next level.
