Page 140 of A King's Oath

“Then why did you keep pushing me?!”

His eyes squinted, as if debating. Then — “I didn’t have condoms,” he answered sheepishly.

Her mouth dropped open. His smouldering vibe changed to pookie in a millisecond and she burst out laughing — “You could have told me that.”

He rolled his eyes.

“I am serious! You could have just said it — ‘Hey, Ava, we need condoms. I don’t have any.’” She tried imitating him with all the laughing going on. Failed.

“Yeah,” he scratched the back of his head. “I think I should have…”

She wheezed. “Open communication, my friend…”

He grabbed her ponytail and pulled her waist closer — “Ok, we are done with that now. No ‘my friend, ‘bae,’ ‘bro.’ You are not my friend anymore.”

“As opposed to earlier when I was?” She rolled her eyes.

“I am serious, Ava.”

“So what should I say now? Open communication, boyfriend?”

“That does have a nice ring to it,” he lowered his ear to her mouth. “You can repeat it.”

She leaned up on her tiptoes, pushing her mouth to the fleshy edge of his ear. Then took it between her teeth and bit. “Ava,” he reared back with a gasp, glancing around the fountain.

“So shy, Kunwarji. How will you even get naked tonight?” She waggled her eyebrows.

“Who said I’ll wait that long?”

“Youwere running away from me, I was ready.”

“Did you have lunch?”

She pouted, hating how he had cut off the most fun and… arousing conversation she had had in her life.

“Ava?”

“I ate a late brunch.”

“It’s 1.30 now.”

“Yeah,” she blinked. “I had coffee and brunch at 12. So almost lunch. You?”

“Same. A heavy brunch after my sessions.”

“So what do you want to do now? The sun is getting too hot to handle. Wanna find a shaded spot?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“Come with me,” he trailed his hand down her arm and took her hand. Her fingers clasped into his and he pulled her along, down the square and up the tiny cobblestone street that led to their hotel.

“Are we going back to the hotel?”

When he did not say anything, her heart rate spiked.

“Did you forget something?”

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