“Emilia. Focus.”
“Oh, I promise I am. I am extremely focused at the moment. Enthralled. Or is it enchanted?” I drew my attention up. There were two of him, glowering. I blinked until only one annoyed demon remained. “Why haven’t you seduced me?”
It was difficult to be sure, but I thought he removed his influence.
“If you cannot battle through the haze of alcohol, then it’s best to avoid drinking anything at the feast. You may accept a toast, but only pretend to sip it.”
“You worry too much.” I smoothed the furrow between his brows. “Nonna says all of the steam from the kitchen will keep wrinkles away. Vittoria and I will remain ageless. Like you.”
“Considering you’re not human, I imagine there’s truth in that.”
“You never answered my question. About seduction.” I swayed a little on my feet. His lap looked comfortable enough. I plopped onto it. His body tensed, but he didn’t lift me. I internally grinned at that small victory. “Fauna said the whole court would like to know.”
“Lady Fauna talks too much. Perhaps I ought to insist she visit a distant relative.”
“Don’t take your foul mood out on her; she was only passing along gossip to me. And I’d like to know, too. Maybe I want you to seduce me now.” I leaned on his shoulder and rested my chin in my palm, gazing at him. Belatedly, I realized I must look like a mad person, staring the way I was in our current position. “You know, some believe avoidance is a sign of cowardice.”
“I’m aware of what you’re doing, and it won’t work.” His scowl deepened. “I am not seducing you because I currently do not wish to. It’s as simple as that.”
If he’d stuck me in the heart with a knife, it might hurt less.
I twisted around and pulled the plate of chocolate-covered berries to me. I added a dollop of whipped cream to them and speared one with a fork. I missed. The fork connected with the dish. A berry catapulted across the table. Goddess-cursed things.
It was definitely their tiny, round forms, and not my current state of inebriation.
I took aim and squinted at the plate. Berries were swimming. They were no match for me. I aimed again and another berry went flying. I swore roundly.
Wrath’s deep exhale tickled my bare shoulder as he reached around and took the fork from me. He stabbed a chocolate-covered berry and swirled it into the whipped cream.
He paused with the fork to my mouth.
“If you so much as breathe one word of this, I vow revenge, my lady.”
“Very well. Though I doubt I’ll even remember this extreme act of chivalry in the morning.”
I leaned against his shoulder, head thrown back, and waited for him to feed me the dessert. With only a fraction of hesitation, he did. I swore the food tasted sweeter. I felt like a pampered Roman goddess as he fed me one decadent berry at a time.
“Mmm. I can hardly recall a word of what we were saying already.”
“Liar.” He set the fork down and brought his mouth close to my ear, suddenly taking the lobe between his teeth. Heat spread through me and my toes curled from the sensation. I wasn’t sure if Wrath had done it, but any inebriation I felt vanished. “Then again, so am I. In a sense.”
TWENTY-THREE
Wrath trailed a line of searing kisses down my neck, igniting my desire.
The chocolate-covered berries were forgotten. There was a new indulgence being served. And I’d gladly take my fill of this pleasant delight. I’d asked for seduction, and the prince was delivering. His hands drifted along the silhouette of my body, pausing to rest on my waist.
It didn’t feel possessive as much as it seemed like he was holding himself in check. Or maybe he was contemplating clever ways to slowly torture me. He fiddled with the clasp on one of my necklaces. The excessive strands of diamonds were hardly a barrier, but I wanted them gone all the same. I wanted nothing between us.
He brought his mouth to my body again and my mind emptied of all else.
I tossed my head back, lost in ecstasy as his tongue smoothed over the sharp little nip he’d given me. He pulled me against him, his teeth now lightly scraping where my shoulder and neck connected. Chills danced over my body in the most tantalizing way. This feeling… it was not sinful, as mortals tried teaching their daughters. It was natural. Blissful. If it was socially acceptable for Wrath to take a lover, then the same right should be afforded to me.
After all, there were two people involved in such encounters.
I arched into his touch. I owned this desire, enjoyed it. And it did not make me lustful or wanton. It made me feel human, in control of my wants. Denying my passions no longer.
I braced myself with a hand on each of his thighs, gripping him as he lavished all his attention and kisses on my neck, my shoulders. I wanted to spin around and face him, needing to explore his body as languidly. For some reason, even with my newfound conviction, I hesitated.
“Is there something you want from me, my lady?”
“You don’t have to call me that when we’re alone. There’s no need for a show.”
He smiled against my neck. “Any other requests?”
“I…”
“Assert your wants. You need not apologize for them.”
“Even if I want you to stop?”
“Especially then.”
“Take my diamonds off. Please.”
The prince undid each strand of precious stones, letting them clink to the ground.
“I’m curious.” His voice was velvet soft as he leaned in and removed the final necklace. “About the Sin Corridor. What you experienced that night you called out my name. Tell me.”
There was no magical command or demonic thrall attached to his request. Only genuine curiosity. I realized the feeling of dizziness brought on by drinking was also gone. I was no longer under the influence of anything, save being drunk on my own passions, and hadn’t been since before he first kissed me.
Maybe it was our current position—the fact I didn’t have to see his face—that made my confession easier. Or perhaps I simply did not wish to feel guilt or shame regarding my body and the things I wanted and craved. I gathered up my courage, knowing precisely where this admission would lead. Praying for it to travel that path, really.
“You were… you were behind me, like this. Except we were laying down.”
He rewarded my honesty with a gentle stroke along my arm. “And?”
“I was wearing your shirt and you were unbuttoning it. So slowly I was going mad.”
“I imagine you demanded I remove it.” His fingertips ghosted across my shoulder, then my clavicle, before dipping lower, teasing the skin exposed above my décolletage. My breath hitched as he paused his ministrations, one hand slipping beneath a strap of my gown. Only the thin scrap of silk stood between us. “And I obliged. Is that correct?”
“More or less.”
“Would you like me to do the same now?” With only the slightest pause, I nodded. “I need to hear the words, Emilia. Do you wish for me to stop?”
“No.” My grip on his thighs tightened as if I could keep him there forever. “No, I do not.”
He moved my hair aside and leaned back in his chair, allowing enough space between us for him to lightly massage my shoulders. Gripping one strap in each hand, he pressed his lips to my spine, kissing me there as he slipped the top of my gown off.