Page 72 of Crown of Slumber

Kissing Fenn tasted just like that night. It tasted like a leap off a cliff, a free-fall into the unknown.

His mouth claimed mine with expert precision, prying my lips open as his tongue slid between them. I groaned into his mouth as I tasted him in turn, unable to help myself, unable to stop the growing need pressing between us. His hand traveled up my neck and tangled in my hair. More curls spilled loose, and he tilted my head, angling me so he could more fully devour me. His tongue ravished me, sweeping through my mouth until I could no longer tell where I ended and he began. We were one, our bodies molding together.

His other hand slid along my waist, inching downward until he grazed the curve of my ass. But the heat between us masked all logic and reason. A small part of me balked at the impropriety of this moment, but it was drowned out by his touch, his taste, his tongue.

He broke the kiss only to gasp for air and dive back in, hismovements more urgent and desperate, as if he couldn’t get enough of me in this moment. As if he would die if he didn’t keep kissing me. His hand cupped my ass, squeezing, and I moaned. He grabbed my thigh and hitched my leg up, his fingers dangerously close to my throbbing core. I wanted to scream, to cry out with need. Even through the thick fabric of my dress, I could feel the heat of his hand, his fingers, inching ever so close…

“Fenn,” I breathed, before he claimed my mouth again, silencing me, drowning out my whispered pleas.

My fingers curled around the back of his neck, tugging at the soft waves of his hair, bringing his head closer. He broke away from my mouth, but then his lips were on my jaw, my throat, his tongue gliding along my neck. I threw my head back, my eyes closing in complete rapture. I wanted him to tasteallof me. Gods, his tongue felt so good.

A soft babble of voices echoed behind me. I was prepared to drown them out, but they only grew in volume until one voice cried out, “It’s simply atrocious!”

My eyes flew open, clarity slamming into me with painful force. With my neck still arched, my gaze was on the gleaming chandelier on the ceiling. I withdrew, lowering my face to stare at the crowd. Even the orchestra had ceased their playing. The guests in the ballroom surrounded us, gaping at our scandalous display. The skirts of my dress had rolled upward with the movement of Fenn’s hand on my thigh, and I quickly adjusted them to cover my exposed legs. My hair fell in messy curls around me, but that couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t exactly pin them back into place, not without a maid’s help.

My heart was already racing, but now it pounded to the rhythm of panic and mortification. Oh gods, what the hell had I just done?

I glanced at Fenn, at his dilated pupils, his lips pink and slightly swollen from our kissing. He, too, was breathless, but he wore a roguish grin that told me just how much he enjoyed the attention. He loved causing a ruckus.

My face burned, and the room suddenly felt too stifling. My chest was in knots as I glanced around the room, searching for an escape.

I spotted Callan, standing by the open balcony doors, his armscrossed and his eyebrows lowered in displeasure. A few paces away stood Tyrone, his face contorted with a mixture of fury and disgust.

I swallowed hard. This was a mistake.

The courtiers continued to murmur, pointing at us with unabashed mockery. One woman laughed, her voice a high-pitched titter. Another sneered at us, her nose wrinkling in distaste.

I was frozen, rooted to the spot. I yearned to flee, to escape from this place, but I couldn’t move. I had never been the object of ridicule and mockery, but as the laughter and voices rose higher and higher, it was all I could hear. I was drowning in it. Falling.

“I think we’ve caused quite a scene, my dear,” Fenn said loudly, lacing his fingers in mine. My hand shook, and he squeezed it as if trying to comfort me. But I couldn’t be comforted. This was not something I could recover from. “We should retire to our chambers, I think.”

He winked at no one in particular and pulled me off the dance floor, guiding me to the doors. The crowd did not part for us. We had to elbow our way through, enduring the askance stares and raucous laughter. My vision blurred as I took it all in, the glares and mutterings, the insults and chuckles. Were it not for Fenn’s hand in mind, I would have fallen, my body barely able to hold itself up.

We reached the hall, where several curious figures drew closer to the ballroom, no doubt wondering what all the commotion was about. It wasn’t until we reached the staircase that I jerked my hand from Fenn’s grasp, finding my voice at last.

“What the hell were you thinking?” I hissed.

“Not here,” he muttered, taking my hand again and leading me up the staircase.

I exhaled in exasperation. “Oh,nowyou’re concerned with appearances? That didn’t seem to bother you five minutes ago.”

“Not here,Aurelia,” he bit out.

My nostrils flared, fury rising up inside me. An array of pent-up emotions surged, fit to burst, and anger was at the forefront. I was ready to explode, ready to unleash it all on Fenn.

He steered me into my chambers, and as soon as the doorslammed shut, I whirled on him. “You are abastard. I can’t believe you did that!”

“I did warn you.” He leaned one arm against the armoire and ran his hand through his hair. I expected a smirk or a smug expression, but he looked worn and weary, as if the incident had drained him.

This only made me angrier. “That was hardly a warning! I didn’t give you permission to touch me like that.”

His face was uncharacteristically sober. “I know. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was touch you without your consent. But… my plan worked. I assure you that after tonight, no one will be talking about your deluded love triangle between the two Autumn brothers. They will be talking about how the Midnight Prince and the Summer Princess can’t keep their hands off each other.”

The heat in my face only intensified. My skin was on fire. “You can’t just decide things like that without discussing it with me first!”

“This was the only solution, and it had to be done quickly,” Fenn said, pushing off the armoire and closing the distance between us. “Those balcony doors were wide open, Aurelia. You want to talk about foolish actions?Thatwas foolish. A private tryst between you and Callan? With Tyrone right there watching?”

“It was not a tryst!”

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