Page 72 of Thrones We Steal

I can feel how much he wants me as I swing my leg over and straddle him. His mouth is hot and possessive on mine, and I cannot believe that I am here, doing this, with him. I take back the curse I issued on younger Celia in the park. She deserves praise instead.

I knew there had to be a reason for everything that happened back then. I’ve been afraid to admit it, but there’s always been a part of me that wanted to excuse him, wanted to write him a “Get out of jail free” card. Because if he had a reason for what he did, then it won’t hurt so bad. The Henry I’ve always known is still there. Everything else is just a facade.

I scoot as close as I can, suddenly unable to get close enough. He groans as I rub against him.

“Baby,” he says. His teeth gently bite my lower lip. “Are you sure?”

I growl at the loss of his mouth and he chuckles, then slides nimble fingers up to the back of my bra. But before he can unclasp it, there’s a knock at the door. We both freeze.

I pull back just enough to meet his eyes. My thoughts are reflected in his face: Maybe they’ll go away.

The knock sounds again, a steady rap, rap, rap. He sighs and shifts me off his lap. “I’ll be right back,” he says before giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

I hold my sweater against my chest while I wait for him to return. He opens the door just wide enough for his still-clothed frame to be seen. Muffled voices float over, but I can’t make out what’s being said.

After a few moments, he shuts the door and walks back into the room, carrying an ice bucket with a bottle of wine. He takes it to the far side of the room and places it on the bar.

He stands with his back to me, head bent, fingers running through his hair. His chest expands with what appears to be newfound resolve, and he walks back to me.

“What was that about?” I can’t control the tremors shuddering through my body if I try.

He remains standing, his hands on his hips. “Nothing. Just a bottle of champagne.”

“Are we celebrating something?”

He doesn’t even look up. “I didn’t order it.”

“Okay.” I drag out the word. The humming just under my skin skids to a stop. “Who did?”

“My father.”

A fuse sparks inside my belly at the mention of William. “We don’t need to drink it. But don’t freeze me out like this.”

“You should go.” He lifts his eyes from where they’ve been burning a hole in the rug under our feet.

“What?” My voice wobbles. A cold disquiet steals over me as I stand, my sweater still gripped in my hands. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I thought I could do this. I realized I can’t.”

Everything snaps into sharp focus. Henry standing there, hard and unrecognizable, not at all the person I once knew. The candles flickering, their glow turned eerie. My bare skin, chilled in a room that has lost its warmth.

I shiver. “You’re right. This was a terrible idea.” I slip my arms into the sleeves of my sweater and pull it over my head. It’s a poor cover for the humiliation crippling me. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking anyway. You and I could never work. This has always been your game.”

He doesn’t say anything.

“I knew you would hurt me, but I wanted to trust you so badly. You broke down all of my defenses, just so you could watch me bleed to death. Some things never change.”

I stalk out of the room and slam the door behind me. Bloody hell. Henry be damned. I never should have trusted him. The man feasts on destroying hearts.

But even with this internal monologue of reasons to hate him running through my mind, my heart is on a different wavelength altogether. It knows the truth.

The truth that I can’t ever seem to escape, no matter how hard I try.

I’m in love with Henry.

I always have been.

And like always, he doesn’t feel the same.

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