“I swear, it’s true,” Killian said, laughing so hard he doubled over in his chair.
Tina shook her head, tears streaming down her face as she laughed along with him. She held her chest as if it were hard for her to breathe through the laughter. “Oh God, Killian, you didn’t! Not in the throne room!”
Killian nodded. “With a full court in session, no less. Nobles from all over saw me do it. Father was beyond furious. I wasn’t allowed into court again until I was about fifteen when my pranking phase had run its course.”
“Did they ever find the guy’s pants?” Tina wiped away a thin stream of water from her cheek as her laughter slowly subsided.
“Nope. Never. After the dog was done with it, I’ve no idea what happened.”
This sparked a fresh wave of laughter from Tina, who leaned back in her chair with the most beautiful smile Killian had ever seen. Her dark hair flowed over her shoulders, her skin nearly glowing with life and energy. He didn’t know what caused the radiance, but she seemed more beautiful with every day.
He leaned back in the office chair, surprisingly comfortable in the undoubtedly bugged and monitored suite the demigods had assigned him. He and Tina sat in an office of sorts, an entire wall dedicated to bookshelves filled to the brim with tomes that had nothing but demigod propaganda.
Pity, really. Given where they were, Killian would have liked to learn more about Damara and her descendants. The more he could learn now, the more he could make Tina feel at home when she chose him at the end of this contest.
A knot in his stomach reminded him of the “if” to his statement, rather than “when” but he didn’t like to think that way. He kept his attention focused on the end result he wanted. That was why he always won.
Well, he almost always won.
Tina let out a happy little sigh as the bubbling laughter faded. Her joy morphed into a quizzical expression, the edges of her mouth curving slightly in a curious smile.
Charmed by her beauty and attention, a reluctant grin spread across Killian’s face. “What?”
“You’re completely charming,” she said, her soft eyes never leaving his.
His smile broadened, and he grabbed the armrests of her seat to pull her closer to him. She giggled again and lifted her knees to her chest as the chair slid across the carpet, only stopping when her face was mere inches from his. Her gaze flickered to his lips, and she bit her own. He loved the soft dip her teeth left in her lip, the movement inviting him to taste. She was waiting for him to kiss her, and he would be happy to oblige.
As he leaned in, however, she lifted a finger to his mouth, her soft touch shooting sparks of desire through his jaw.
She studied his face. “Why did you stop the pranks?”
Killian shrugged. “I was supposed to. That wasn’t how a knight behaved, much less the boy who would one day rule a kingdom. I had to do the chivalrous thing, what was best for my people. I had to grow up.”
Her smile fell, replaced with a sad little tilt to her eyebrows. “Even grown-ups are allowed to have fun.”
His eyes darted down to the plunging neckline of her dress. “Oh, adults simply have different kinds of fun.”
Tina laughed and smacked his shoulder. “Come on, now. What are your interests? What hobbies do you have?”
“Sparring. Martial arts and weapons training. Political analysis. Diplomatic negotiations.”
Tina blew a raspberry at him. “That’s all work. All those are things that help you run an empire.”
“Yeah. And?”
She rolled her eyes. “And I want to know what your hobbies are outside of that. What else do you do? What do you do just for yourself and no one else?”
The question took him by surprise because he didn’t have an immediate answer. Ever since his teenage years, he had always done what honor demanded, what was best for his people, and ignored his own desires for the sake of the greater good. It was his duty. His responsibility. He was the future King of Aurous, and he had to act like it.
The sad tilt of her eyes became more pronounced. “Isn’t there anything?”
“I suppose you could say debating is a hobby of mine. I like being right.”
Tina chuckled, and Killian was simply grateful to see the sadness melt away from her face.
He continued. “It’s been years, but I used to enjoy going to the theater. The royal acting troupe is truly incredible, some of the best actors I have ever seen in my life. We’ll have to catch a show while you’re there.”
“I would love that. Anything else?”
“You,” he said simply.
Her smile fell. “Are you sure?
“Of course—”
“Wait, let me finish. I want you to pause and really question what you just said. Only repeat it if you truly mean it. If you want me, it can’t be out of responsibility or duty. You can’t want to win simply because your kingdom would benefit from my magic.”
He hesitated, her face still precious inches from his, and for the first time in a long while, he asked himself what he truly wanted. Duty, honor, and his father’s actions and desires didn’t matter. What would benefit his kingdom didn’t matter. What was expected of him didn’t matter.
Killian thought about life without her. He thought about losing the contest or simply withdrawing. Dread shot clear to his toes. The idea of losing her made his grip tighten on her hands. The deep sense of loss left him breathless.
Then he thought of life with her, about bringing her back to Aurous and setting his mother’s crown on her head. He thought of their endless late-night conversations, the puzzles and conundrums she would undoubtedly help him work through in their life together. A surge of peace shot through him. It was a sense of comfort, of the world being the way it should be.
“I want you,” he said softly.
She studied his face for a moment, and he didn’t know how she would respond. Then, finally, a slow smile spread across her lips. She crossed the gap between them and pressed her mouth against his, grabbing his collar to pull him closer. With his hands on her thighs, he lifted her until she straddled him on his chair. He held her securely against his body, and he didn’t ever want to let go again.
A long-dead sensation spiraled to life in his core: passion.
Ignoring propriety and chivalry, he bunched up the fabric of her skirt and slid his hands underneath, running his fingertips along the back of her legs until he held her ass once more. She gasped with delight. This time, not even the thin fabric of her panties separated him from her.
When he was around Tina, his own desires mattered. After a lifetime of being told that he had obligations to fulfill and duties to perform, Killian was finally free.
40
Zane
With a fire crackling in the marble fireplace as they laid on the floor of his suite, Zane stared at Tina over a chessboard and waited for her to make her move.
Tina wagged her finger at him, snapping him into the moment. “You’d better not let me win this game, Zane. I want to earn it.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Of course, he was going easy on her. On average, Zane could win a chess game in four moves. Tina put up one hell of a fight, and she had dragged it out to six. For the sake of enjoying his time with her, though, Zane had stretched the game out to twelve. He would still win, but at least this way it would be a bit more fun for her.
Besides, he loved the way her nose scrunched up when she focused on something.
Since their first kiss, Zane had been able to think of little else. She had a gift, one he didn’t think anyone could possess: she could shut off the over-thinking aspect of his brain and let him simply be in the moment with her.