Page 62 of Somber Prince
Why?
Because I shouldn’t be this enamored by my kidnapper. I should be interrogating him for information that would help me and the others escape, instead of wasting my brain power on figuring out how best to please him with fried duck.
God, it was really good that he couldn’t read my thoughts.
“Well…” I said. “Feeling attracted to someone generally makes people more vulnerable, doesn’t it?”
“Does it? How?”
“Fear of rejection, for one.”
That was a lie. I didn’t care about Rha rejecting me. I even wished it would happen. Then I could go on my merry way to plot our escape with the others in the sarai without having to sit here and melt at the rare sight of his smile.
He frowned in confusion. “Why would I ever want to reject you? You bring me joy. The purest, most exhilarating joy I’ve ever felt.”
Conveniently, his words sent a wave of warm tingles through me. Rha exhaled slowly, luxuriating in it. For the time being, I focused on what was happening that very moment—we were having lunch together, and it felt…nice.
What harm could come from the two of us simply enjoying the food?
I lifted the next piece of duck on my fork.
“Okay, let’s eat, then. You too. Come on.” I tipped my chin at his plate.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want us to take the next bite together. Ready?” I waited until he speared another piece with his fork too. “One, two, three.” I put my piece of meat in my mouth at the same time as he did with his. “Mmm.” I savored my food and the sight of Rha enjoying his. “What is it that you’re eating, anyway?”
“A boiled desert snake,” he replied after swallowing.
“Oh…” I tried not to imagine what it tasted like, completely unseasoned too. “Why don’t you eat the duck with me? There is enough for both of us.”
He shook his head. “It won’t taste much different to me than the snake. It’s what you eat that matters.”
When I thought I couldn’t possibly eat another piece, Rha moved a small bowl with dessert my way.
“Try this one,” he said. “Dried apricots soaked in honey. They say it’s good.”
I lifted an apricot on my spoon. The golden honey dripped from it in thick, shimmering drops. A sweet, nutty aroma teased my nostrils. Amazing flavors exploded on my tongue when I took a bite. Sweetness coated the inside of my mouth.
“Oh God,” I moaned in pleasure. “They are right. It’s so good.”
A blissful smile played on Rha’s lips as he watched me from across the table. I licked the honey off my lips.
“You should try it.” I lifted my spoon with another apricot to his mouth.
“It’ll be—” he started, shaking his head.
But I didn’t let him finish. “Hey, we’ll do it together. This way, you’ll feel both the texture and the taste.”
Taking a clean spoon, he humored me by grabbing an apricot from the bowl and bringing it to my mouth too.
“Three, two, one,” I counted down before opening my mouth for his spoon to slide in. At the same time, I moved my spoon into his mouth.
We chewed together; our gazes linked across the table. I tried to focus on the taste but got distracted by a drop of honey escaping from the corner of his mouth. It glistened against his ink-black skin like a golden dewdrop, tempting me to taste it.
I could reach over the table and swipe it off with my thumb. But what I really wanted was to use my tongue to lick it off. I flicked my gaze to the table between us. As small as it was, it stood in the way.
Not taking his eyes off me, Rha shoved the table away, sending the half-empty dishes to the floor.