Chapter 31: Wilted Roses
He moved before he realized it. She too was watching hims from beneath her lashes. She licked her lips, shifting from foot to foot.
This wasn’t the first ti he was kissing her - but it was the first ti he was trying to prove sothing.
He covered the distance between them in quick strides.
For a mont, they just stood there, breaths mingling, bodies barely touching.
Slowly, she looked up at him. Her eyes glowed in the moonlight, appearing like costly black gem stones.
He cupped her cheeks with his two hands, savoring the warm feel of her hands.
Her eyes never left his.
He lowered his lips to hers. Breeze danced with their hairs, tickling his skin with the silky strands of her hair.
Claire’s lips were warm beneath his. Warm and supple. He almost lted.
Yeren was not sure how long his self-control would last.
Especially, when she sighed into his mouth, parting her lips long enough for him to explore the velvety insides of her mouth.
She started sagging against him, molding her body to his.
She was slender - thin, if he were being harsh.
The urge to lay her down on the grass and finish what he started overwheld his senses.
She tasted like pear sauce and smoked venison. And sothing uniquely hers. He inhaled her sweet scent.
The stench from earlier had been completely eradicated.
Then, she moaned - so soft he almost thought he imagined it.
He could feel the heat of her body against his through the fabric of their garnts.
What would it be like to feel her skin against his?
Her hands cupped the back of his neck, bringing him closer. He felt her slender fingers massage his scalp and sighed at the sheer pleasure the simple gesture brought.
And the next thing, the belt of her robe was loose. He slid his hands inside the flimsy garnt, framing her waist with his long, artist fingers.
Her response was to arch closer to him. Her hip pressed against his arousal, reminding him of how far gone he was.
And he froze.
What was he doing?
He was only supposed to show her...
She wasn’t in her right mind... she couldn’t be, he told himself.
Claire’s hands fell away from his neck instantly, folding themselves across her chest.
Sweat beaded like shimring crystals on her smooth brow.
He couldn’t see her eyes, but felt her glare.
When he glanced down, he could see her nipples puckering out through the thin fabric of the rest.
"You should retire to your room."
"Perhaos I should." She quickly said.
She made to hurry past him but he held her arm. Her gaze snapped to his.
"Use the back entrance."
He felt her beco rigid. Even her shoulders and spine straightened.
"Yes, Your Grace."
She made to move away. He stopped her yet again.
"Did I prove my point?"
She licked her lips, undoing him with the little gesture.
"Yoy did. You’re no different from any man I know. Except you stopped, because a Lion doesn’t kill his prey imdiately. It baits it - so fear won’t ruin the flavour of its al."
Then she walked away. His hand slipped from her wrist.
She still saw him as a predator?
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Until the air changed. He had sensed it earlier but had ignored it - the feeling of another looming presence, that he was being watched.
Yeren glanced at the path she had taken. Her scent was still strong.
He just needed to ensure she reached her room safely.
He moved through the maze quietly. As he neared the castle, the looming presence seed to fade.
Was it all his imagination?
He didn’t have much of an imagination.
The guards at the door accompanied him.
He needed a hot bath.
And a woman.
But not just any woman. No other woman would satisfy the feral craving he had begun to develop since the fateful rejection.
And she had been willing.
She had wanted him to continue.
Why in heaven had he stopped? Was it because he thought he was taking advantage of her? The logical part of him questioned.
If he took her then, they ran the risk of being seen. And knowing he couldn’t marry her, he was deliberately destroying her future of marrying a suitable husband.
His bath arrived in less than an hour.
Yeren sank into the tub with a sigh.
The trial was to be held the following day - she had finally consented to give her testimony.
And knowing the man, he would resort to blackmailing her emotionally - with her sister if he could.
Except, Yeren now had her sister.
A thought ca to him. She always spoke of gratitude and repaynt of debts - was that why she offered herself?
Because she thought it was the only way to repay the debt she felt she owed?
No other logical reason for her unseemingly wanton behaviour clicked as much as that one.
He ran a hand through his hair.
"I shouldn’t have done it." He told himself.
After the bath, he had a serving of food which he had no appetite for before going to bed.
He laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how successful the trial would be.
They needed more witnesses in order to nullify the marriage between Claire and the young Lord Straught. Otherwise, the council mber and courtiers would accuse him of pursuing his personal affairs.
Rays of dawn shone through the drawn curtains. The thin fabric danced to the rhythm of the early morning air.
A servant ca in to serve a pot of brewed tea and a basin of warm water for face washing.
He nodded his thanks.
"A word?"
He sighed, rubbing his groggy eyes.
"What do you want, Andon?"
The man stepped further into the room. He was all dressed as expected, and smiling sheepishly.
"I have news for you."
"Spill it. I am in no mood for gas." He yawned and snagged his woolen robe from the dresser.
Andon followed his movents with his calculating gaze.
"The servants of Penbrook have decided to give their testimonies."
Yeren paused.
"What else?"
"Not all of them - they are afraid of losing their source of livelihood. Only four out of twenty will show up... but I had to compensate them with heavy bags of coins and assurance of security."
Yeren nodded, buttoning his robe up to the neck.
"Whay about Seraphine? Had she agreed to testify?"
A brief pause.
"She left with Zachary - to find Claire’s sister."
"Invite them here."
"We have more pressing concerns, Your Grace."
Yeren sank down on the bed.
"Rumours claim you were seen exploiting Miss Stenly in the South gardens."
Rumours?
His instincts had not been wrong.
"Whay rumours?"
"I do not know, Your Grace. But, is there any truth to it?"
Yeren knew he couldn’t lie to Andon.
"It was just a kiss."
Instead of scolding him, Andon grinned.
"n steal kisses from won all the ti." He said, smiling slyly.
"Not at night?"
"You do know that this is going to affect the outco of the trial, don’t you?"
Yeren rubbed his eyes.
Not now.
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