She laughed. “Killian, I never expected you to be so forward.”
He froze, horrified at what he had just said. “Wait, no, that came out wrong.”
“I’m just messing with you.” She playfully kissed him on the cheek.
Instead of pulling away, she lingered near his mouth. She examined his face with those hazel eyes, daring him to do what she must have known he desperately wanted to do.
So be it.
He cupped her head with his hands and kissed her, loving the sweet taste of her lips on his. His eagle preened with victory, egging him on, but he silenced it as he ended the kiss.
“Thank you for your help today,” he said.
Tina shrugged. “I’m not sure I was much help, but you’re welcome nonetheless. After a day of books and study, though, I think it’s time we get some sleep. Separately, of course.” She winked.
He grinned and held the door open for her, determined to walk her to her room even if it was only a short trip. He ran his hand through his hair as they wandered the hallways, surprised a woman could get to him like this. He was usually the cool, charming one, but she had effortlessly ruffled his feathers.
And strangest of all, he liked it.
26
Tina
As the end of the first week of the contest neared, Tina jumped out of bed an hour early and paused at the window to stare out at the forests beyond the temple, mulling over Zane’s offer to give her whatever resources she needed to evade an attack. Deep down, her goddess told her he was a man of his word, even if she didn’t choose him.
Inwardly, a coil of desire curled in her abdomen as her goddess toyed again with the idea of having them all. Damara had become like a best friend to Tina, but good gracious was she horny. The goddess was used to having whatever men she pleased after all, and the idea of choosing just one didn’t seem to appeal to her in the least. True, these were princes, the men slated to rule, but why couldn’t she have them all?
Tina chuckled and playfully rolled her eyes at her goddess. “I don’t think that’s how kings and succession work, Damara.”
With lust and desire swimming through her body, Tina wondered what she and Zane would do today. She tapped her finger on her lips, a devious little idea forming in her mind. If she knew Zane, he would find a way to bend the rules, though never break them outright, and she wanted to be ready for their day together. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote Zane a note before hopping in the shower.
Perhaps it was time to see how far her tiger shifter liked to bend the rules.
27
Zane
Zane had the perfect reason to be early for his date with Tina: a new book about Damara’s past. Though he hadn’t found much more about how Tina could control her new magic, he had gotten ahold of a rare book that had gone out of print decades ago.
When Zane approached Tina’s room, the door sat slightly ajar with a note taped above the handle. Inside, the patter of water against a tile floor caught his attention. He plucked the post-it from the door and quickly scanned it.
Zane—
Come on in. I’ll be ready soon and will meet you in the lounge area to the left of the bedroom.
—Tina
He smiled, wondering what she had up her sleeve today. As far as he could tell from the gentle humming and shuffling in her suite, Tina was alone. He still didn’t like the idea of her leaving the door open, though, and he wanted to be certain she was safe. Even in her own temple, he had begun to uncover the first lingering hints of danger and untrustworthy priestesses.
Senses on high alert, he sniffed at the air, prepared for a fight in case someone had slipped into her room after she got in the shower. Lingering hints of Tina’s sweet floral perfume rolled into the hallway. While a few of the other princes’ scents lingered in the bedroom, none had been here recently.
The blurred spice of arousal and sex mingled in the air strongest of all, interrupting his protective streak with a flood of desire. It turned him on to think of her naked with her legs spread apart. He was far beyond jealous at this point, too eager for her to feel anything other than need anymore.
Silent as a ghost, Zane slipped into the room and gently shut the door behind him. Steam rolled from the open bathroom door like a fog, and a single silhouette hummed to herself in the shower. The seven-foot glass doors of her massive shower fogged so much he could barely see her. Along the walls, gold flecks in the bathroom’s red tile shimmered in the light.
Zane tensed, mesmerized as she twisted in the shower, scrubbing her body with a loofah while steam swirled around her. Zane might have been a nerd, but he had read more about the sexual arts than even Draven. He was ready for this.
In a few swift motions, Zane tugged off his shirt and pants. This was as clear an invitation as any, and he wasn’t going to miss his chance.
The door rattled a bit as he slid it open, and Tina gasped quietly when he appeared through the warm mist. Water streamed down her stunning body, accentuating every curve on its way to the drain. A few foamy suds clung to her shoulder.
“Zane, I didn’t think you’d actually join me.” Tina paused her scrubbing and shot him a naughty little smile. “I figured I would waltz out in a towel and get to play with you a bit.”
“It’s okay.” He stepped under the massive showerhead, planting a kiss on her forehead as he shared the waterfall with her. “I like being teased.”
“I said you could come into the room, not the shower.” She trailed her finger over his chest as the warm water fell against his head. “You’re dangerously close to breaking my rules, professor.”
Her touch flipped a switch in his brain. It soothed his racing mind, and he could simply be with her. He closed the gap between them, his cock hardening at the delicious curves on her body. He paused to take her in, admiring the view. She grinned, all curves and grace.
Zane knew the science behind pleasure, of course, but he hadn’t put much of his knowledge to use. Time to see if his book smarts could deliver.
He leaned in, ticking off the boxes in his mind as his larger frame slowly pushed her against the soaking wet tile wall. Her eyes darted across his face. He lowered his chin and kept her gaze, daring her to look away.
He set his hands on her waist and pressed her gently against the tile. He lowered his mouth to hers, keeping eye contact until the last second and forcing her to close the final inch of space to prove she did, indeed, want to kiss him.
She pressed her lips to his, and his mind went blank.
The checklist disappeared. Every book, every article, every scrap of knowledge he had summoned to woo her darted from his mind.
He became fully aware of her at that moment. Each of her breaths pressed her chest against his body. The gentle flick of her eyelashes against his face soothed his soul. Every subtle brush of her tongue against his pulled him deeper into her embrace.
Deep within, his normally dormant tiger woke. It growled, hungry for something other than knowledge for the first time in Zane’s life.
No more talking. No more thinking. He didn’t want to wait a moment longer, and she could wait a few hours to hear about the priest.
Zane kissed her more deeply, the water rushing over their faces as he pulled her close. She melted into him, nibbling his lip as he ran his fingers along the curves of her butt. His tiger rumbled with desire, pacing inwardly as it finally got what it wanted. He ran his hands over her body, hungrier with every second as her soft skin dipped beneath his fingers.