Page 73 of Edge of Wonder
A soft whine on the door hinge had me reaching for my dagger. Maybe Shire had been right, and I should have locked it. Better yet, I could dispatch Tristan now, and not have to deal with him in the morning.
Candlelight bled through the doorway, framing Alice in the threshold. Her hair was tousled around her shoulders, gleaming from the soft flame in her hand.
“I can’t sleep,” she murmured.
“That’s my line.”
The corner of her mouth twitched into a faint smile. She sighed a puff of air, darting her gaze around the room as if looking at me would send her flying back to her room.
“Would it be all right if…”
“Come here, Alice.”
It was that, or I was following her across the hall. The door closed behind her with a soft click. She moved slowly on the balls of her feet, almost silently, as she paused and set her candle next to mine. Her hands smoothed over my shoulders, and I dropped my head back, drinking in the sight of her like she might vanish before I could get enough.
Alice grasped my hand, trailing her thumb over my bruised knuckles. She pulled them to her lips, gently pressing a kiss against my skin.
“You don’t have to protect me from everything, Sebastian.”
“I want to.” My throat worked, chest tight with the effort it took to drag in air. Her hands wound around the back of my neck and sifted through my hair. Then she slid her knee onto the bed, dipping the mattress. Her tunic bunched around her thighs as I caught her around the waist, lowering her against me.
The tantalizing slide of her body had me biting back a groan. How was she so warm? Her scent so maddening?
“What are you doing, Alice?”
“Helping you sleep.”
Rust coated my voice. “Sleep is the furthest thing from my mind right now.”
I rolled onto my side, putting space between us and fighting the war to keep it that way. “Maybe we should talk first.”
“I don’t want to talk. I want to be here. Next to you. I need to feel something other than doubt… fear… impossible expectations.” She paused, emotions clouding her features. “But I don’t feel those things when I’m with you. Help me forget. Just for a little while. Please—”
My mouth sealed over hers, cutting off her plea. The space between us gone as I drew her closer. Even though there were things left unsaid, I couldn’t turn her away. There’d be time. I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Let me take care of you,” I whispered against her lips.
Her breath hitched and she drew back, eyes glittering as she fisted the fabric of her tunic and dragged it over her head. Her skin glowed in the candlelight, perfectly smooth. I wanted to explore every inch. Would learn every sensitive spot. She bit her lip, eyes flaring from the need she saw on my face. With a thick moan, I pressed her against the mattress, running my palm flat against her stomach.
Alice arched beneath my hand. I dropped a kiss between her breasts, breathing in the scent of her skin as she ran her fingers through my hair. Time slowed as I got lost in her. Long minutes spent reacting to every sharp inhale, knowing she liked my mouth there. She was bolder than I’d imagined. Unafraid to ask for what she wanted. But then, she’d always been that way. Learning as she went, diving headfirst into the future with nothing but a brave smile. I could almost hear the thrumming of her heart, pressed a kiss there, then kissed her mouth.
She wrapped her legs around me, digging her nails into my shoulders while I poised myself at her entrance. My mouth claimed hers, swallowing her moan as I pressed inside her, gliding slowly, giving her time to adjust. I couldn’t breathe at the tightness of her body, and when her tongue tangled with mine, demanding more, I sank deeper.
“That’s my girl.” I kissed a blazing path down her throat as she melted beneath me. Her soft curves fired my blood. There was no going back after this, and the certainty stirred something inside me. I’d already wanted to keep her with me, but now it was what sustained me.
Wanting more, I rolled my hips, creating a rhythm that brought her closer with each stroke. Her body tensed and she bit my shoulder to muffle her shout, her chest rising and falling on ragged breaths.
“You have no idea what you do to me, Alice.”
When she gasped my name; a breathy sound on her lips, pleasure tore through me.This.The way she made me come undone was like nothing I’d ever felt. A wave of protectiveness surged through me, somehow stronger than before. I’d been running away my whole life, now I finally had something to run to.
Alice burrowed her head into my shoulder, her heartbeat slowing by degrees. When she moved beneath me, reaching for her tunic, I curled her into my arms and tangled our feet together.
“You’re staying with me, tonight.”
“Someone might notice,” she whispered but didn’t try to pull away.
“Let them.” I reached for the candles, extinguishing them with my fingers. The night settled around us, and it didn’t take long for Alice’s breathing to even. For just a little while, all those terrible feelings were at bay. I was going to try and make them go away forever, but I’d save my words for the morning when I told her I wasn’t leaving. Never would. And that she’d never be alone again.