Page 79 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
He arched a brow. “Do you? Because I won’t coddle you if you surpass them.”
I tried to smack his shoulder but missed, and my hand hit his thigh instead. “S-shut up. That proves nothing.”
“Of course.” His tone was drier than the desert.
I flicked his ear. Or rather, tried to. I missed again and hit his hair. My world wobbled, but Kieran reached out and wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me. I bit back a pleased sigh at the touch. “Don’tlet go.” I leaned my head against his shoulder and sighed. “It’s too warm right now.”
I shimmied out of my coat, lamenting when Kieran pulled away. Once I tossed my jacket to the ground, I grabbed his arm and placed it around me. My shirt was so thin and lightweight, it felt like he was touching my hip.More.
“You’re only proving my point, you know.”
“Shut up.” His shadows left him cool to the touch, and it felt fucking amazing against my heated skin. I cuddled up further against him. If he wanted to back away, he could. But he didn’t want to. I didn’t either. I smiled against his neck, a fire kindling in my core.Fuckkk.I needed to focus, or I’d do something I’d regret. Drunk me wasn’t the most sensible. Heaving a sigh, I looked at Nimue and Ben. You’d think Ben was the one drinking, but he didn’t need alcohol to have fun. Gareth watched them with fond eyes, strumming his instrument mindlessly. “I’ve never done this before. It’s nice.”
It was always me looking after my sister, being not just her sister but her mother, her father, and her doctor all in one. There was no time to relax or cut loose. Or even to have friends, really. The closest I’d come to was with Brynn, but even then, I’d been too terrified of losing a sitter for Clara to truly let myself go.
“There’ll be more nights like this when things settle.” Kieran’s grip around my waist tightened. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“You better, Captain.” I pulled back to grin at him. “And I want us all drinking next time.” My gaze lingered on Kieran’s lips. Gods, I wanted him so badly. But he didn’t want me. And I didn’t know if I could trust this man.
“Alright, I’m taking a break,” Nimue said and plopped down next to me.
I jumped and pulled away from Kieran, who let his hand drop. Nimue grabbed her mug and sipped at it. “Fucking gross,” she said and took another drink.
The music stopped. Nimue and I chatted for a while about random things. Kieran remained silent, studying the trees for any potential threats. I turned my head and fought a gasp. Gareth sat in Ben’s lap, shoving his tongue down Ben’s throat. The sounds of their lips smacking together were absolutely sinful. And fucking gods, Gareth was grinding on Ben’s lap.
“Holy Family.” I resisted the urge to point at them. “Since when wasthata thing?”
Kieran snorted.
Nimue laughed so hard she nearly tumbled into me. “Gareth’s a horny drunk. They have an arrangement.”
A loud moan made my eyes widen. Ben swallowed Gareth’s cries, gripping his hair in one hand and his waist in the other. “Shit. Are they going to go to the tent?”
“Eventually.” Nimue snickered.
Before I could respond, my stomach twisted.Oh fuck.There wasn’t a moment to spare. I jumped to my feet and rushed into the woods. The others called me, but I couldn’t focus on them. I had to get away, tomake it in time. My knees buckled, and I vomited into the soil. My stomach lurched, my nose burned, and my mouth tasted awful. I heaved again, spraying more vomit. My eyes watered.
Something brushed my shoulders and then gathered my hair back. Thank the gods. My hair was so long, it would’ve gotten into the vomit. Maybe it already had. But who was behind me?
“You’re absolutely ridiculous,” a familiar warm voice said.Kieran.
I tried to say something but threw up instead. My temples throbbed, and I wanted to get away from the smell, but I was sure if I so much as moved, I’d throw up again.
“I did tell you to control your drinking.” Kieran rubbed my back with his other hand. His cool touch was a balm to the fire that raged under my skin.
My eyes watered. It wasn’t just because I hated throwing up. No one had ever done this for me. Whenever I’d gotten sick, Clara was always sick too. And I had to keep my distance from her, to make sure my illness didn’t worsen hers.
My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. “You can go,” I croaked between vomits.
“Don’t be a moron.” He rubbed another circle in my back. “Of course I’m staying.”
That broke me. An ugly sob wracked my body. I retched a few more times, but nothing came out. All the while Kieran stayed, holding my hair and rubbing my back. Pathetic tears trailed down my cheeks. Hehad no idea how much this meant to me.
“Is it over?” Kieran asked after a couple minutes.
When I nodded weakly, I thought that was it. That he would go back, but those gentle hands pulled me up. I leaned heavily against him, and he wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked back to camp.
I kept crying as Kieran led me to my tent. It was like once I started, I couldn’t stop. I barely processed when he laid me down on my bedroll and handed me my canteen with a soft order to drink. I gulped down the fresh liquid, grateful to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth. “S-sorry.” I wished I could stop crying.
