“Whatever. I wouldn’t have been out there if—” I stopped myself. “I was bored and tired of being stuck in this place.”

“Stuck? You have all of this.” He extended his hands. “You can go wherever you wish within the palace—”

“Except your office,” I blurted, and there was nothing to blame but the damn whiskey for that. His eyes sharpened to a steel gray as I quickly added, “I don’t know if you’ve spent a lot of time in the library, but it’s not the most exciting place to be.”

“And you think my office is?”

I snorted like a little piglet. “I’m sure it was recently,” I said, lifting the glass, only to realize I’d finished it off.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he demanded as I started to lean toward the nightstand. He took the glass from me, setting it down.

 I raised my brows. “Really? I’m sure your office has been very stimulating and charming.”

Ash sat back, a low laugh parting his lips. “Holy shit.”

“What?” I gripped the edge of the sheet where it pooled in my lap.

“You’re jealous.”

Heat climbed up my neck. “I’m sorry, but I did not hear you correctly.”

He laughed again, but the sound ended too quickly as he leaned forward. “You’re actually jealous. That is why you went into those damn woods.”

“What? That is not why I went.”

“Bullshit.”

My eyes widened as anger mixed with embarrassment, and unfortunately, whiskey. “You know what? Okay. Yes. I was jealous. You have been too busy to even speak to me for longer than five seconds over the last couple of days, leaving me alone, like always. To walk the courtyard by myself. Eat dinner by myself. Go to bed by myself. Wake up by myself. I’m really starting to wonder what I did in this life to deserve always being alone.”

His eyes widened in surprise. Nothing that was coming out of my mouth needed to be shared. This wasn’t an act. A ploy. It was the truth, and I couldn’t stop myself. “The only time I see anyone is when one of your guards tries to inconspicuously follow me or someone brings me food.”

Ash’s jaw had loosened at some point, and I wasn’t sure what it was in response to, nor was I even sure exactly what I was saying anymore. I was like a volcano erupting. “So, yes. I’m stuck here, yet again, alone while my husband-to-be is busy doing whatever with a Primal, who acted awfully familiar with you. So, sure, I was jealous. Does that make you happy? Amused? Either way, all of that is so beside the point, it’s not even funny.”

He stared at me. “Why would you think you deserved to be alone?”

Out of everything I said, that was what he focused on? “I don’t know. You tell me. I have no idea. Maybe there’s just something wrong with me. Maybe my personality is a huge turn-off,” I said, starting to push away from the pillows. “I mean, I am troublesome and mouthy—”

“Whoa.” Ash shifted, placing his hand on the other side of my leg. His upper body blocked me from moving unless I wanted to attempt to knock him aside. “Can you stay seated?”

“I don’t want to stay seated. I hate being still. I need to move. I’m used to moving around, to doing something other than absolutely nothing,” I snapped. “And I don’t even want to be talking about this. I’m sure you don’t either since you’re so busy—”

“I’m not busy now.”

“I don’t care.”

His eyes flared. “Then maybe you’d care to know that I don’t enjoy even a single moment in Veses’ presence.”

“Really?” I coughed out a dry laugh that caused my back to ache. “She is beautiful.”

“So? What does that matter when she’s as poisonous as a pit viper? Not only do I not trust her, I do not like her. She is…” A muscle flexed in his jaw once more. “She is of the worst sort.”

“Then why was she here?” Why did you allow her to touch you? Somehow, I managed not to ask that, thank the gods.

“You already know. She heard that I had taken a Consort, and she was curious.”

“Why would she even care?”

“Why do you?”

I snapped my mouth shut.

The eather brightened behind his pupils, and he was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t mean to make you feel…alone here. I didn’t know if you needed space or not, and I told the others to give you time. That’s on me.” He was closer, his scent teasing me. “But I have been avoiding you.”

I felt a sudden, sharp drop in my stomach. “Your confirmation of what I just said isn’t exactly necessary.”

“It’s not because you’re troublesome or mouthy. I actually find those traits to be oddly…alluring,” he said.

“Who in their right mind would find that alluring?”

“That’s another good question,” Ash replied, and I started to frown. “But I’ve been avoiding you because when I’m around you for longer than a few minutes, my interest in you quickly overshadows any common sense. And that is a distraction—a complication—I cannot afford.”

I felt a strange flip in my chest that I didn’t understand. “Bullshit.”

“Is that what you really think?”

“I don’t know what I think, but I know words mean nothing.” I met his stare, and I didn’t know if it was my duty that fueled my words or something equally terrible. “So, as I said before, when it comes to your interest, you mostly talk, Nyktos. That’s what I—”

Ash moved so fast, one of his hands was on my cheek and his lips were on mine before I could even take my next breath. There was nothing soft and sweet or slow about it as his fingers splayed across my face. His kiss branded me within seconds, and I responded without hesitation, without thought. I gripped the front of his tunic and I kissed him back just as fiercely.

He shuddered and then rose, bracing his weight on his other hand as he came over me. Our bodies didn’t touch, but he kept me right there, propped against the mountain of pillows as my senses spun. His tongue rolled over mine, and a primitive sound rumbled from him as I followed suit.

He lifted his head, breathing heavily. “You know what the hardest part is, liessa? I don’t even know why I’m fighting this need. You would have me, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” I whispered without a hint of shame or guilt. It was the truth, even if there was no deal, no duty to be carried out. And that should’ve terrified me.

“I would have you.” His lips coasted over mine. A tremble coursed through me as the tips of his fingers trailed down the side of my throat and over my shoulder. “You would have me.”

Those fingers followed the vee of the robe, gliding over the swell of my breast. “Yes.”

“Then why can’t we?” His thumb swept over the pebbled nipple as he cupped my breast. “It doesn’t have to complicate things. It would probably make this agreement between us easier,” he mused as his hand slipped lower, away from my throbbing breast and down the slope of my belly. “Maybe then I wouldn’t have to worry about you wandering off into the Red Woods.”

“I didn’t wander on purpose,” I said, pulse thrumming.

“No. Just unintentionally.” He nipped at my lips as his hand slid between the halves of the robe. The feel of his cool flesh against my lower stomach caused me to gasp. “Open your legs for me, liessa.”

I obeyed.

“Will this be the only time you actually do what I ask without a fight?”

“Probably.”

Ash’s chuckle teased my lips, his cool fingers slipping between my thighs, wringing a gasp from me. “Fuck,” he rasped, his lips brushing mine. “You are so gloriously wet.” He dragged his finger through the wetness in slow, teasing strokes and then eased it into me. I moaned, tugging on his shirt. “And you make such glorious sounds. They are like a song.”

My body quivered as his finger began to move. I started to move my hips, but his hand stilled. “Don’t.” He lifted his head, and waited until I opened my eyes. “Don’t move, liessa.” He eased his finger back in, as deep as it could go. “You may feel fine, but your body has been through a lot today.”