Page 27 of The King's Bodyguard
Slipping my arm around his shoulder, I gently guided him to the dining table, where I had set out a bowl and plate. Landisimmediately took a seat at the table. He exclaimed over the stew I poured out and heartily chewed on the fresh bread I cut for him. I sat down beside him, and over the meal, I told him my story.
By the end, Landis’s face was pale. His bowl sat before him uneaten. I understood. No catkin felt comfortable knowing that a dagger was hovering in the shadows over his head. At the same time, it was crucial for Landis to keep his strength up. I couldn’t help but cover his hand now lying on the table with my own in comfort.
“I know it’s... it’s difficult to believe, but someone clearly wants you dead. Lord Morne, perhaps? Or some other rogues in the country who still hold to your siblings’ banners.” I shook my head.
“I-I—“ Landis stared down at the stew before him sightlessly. “I can’t believe it.”
“Out of the options, it makes the most sense,” I pointed out.
“I suppose…” Landis shook his head slowly. “I knew that my cousin disliked me, and I always thought that perhaps he had some ambition for the throne, some hope that no one would be left after the war but him. I just simply did not wish to face the truth.”
Landis’s golden head bowed, ears drooping and tail hanging limply.
“He’s the only family I have!”
My heart clenched in my chest.
“I’m sorry, Landis,” I said sincerely. “If it is any help, know that you will never be alone. There will always be Hugh and Gareth... and me.”
Landis inhaled a shaky breath, and he wiped away a few tears. He nodded forlornly and whispered a thanks. Forcing himself to finish dinner, Landis barely managed to empty the bowl. When I placed the dishes in a tub of cold water, I realized that Landiswas making his way back to his room. His slender shoulders looked even smaller than ever.
I couldn’t allow him to be alone. I knew then what I had to do. I rooted through the small pack Aileen had left and found, among the bandages and potions, a small bottle of oils. The minx. Then, I followed him into the room. Landis turned suddenly, wrapping his slender arms around me. He drew me into a tight embrace.
“I know I’m not alone.” His voice was muffled against my chest. “But... somehow, I feel...”
“Let me hold you,” I said softly. “I’ll be with you all night.”
“Corrin!”
Landis lifted a tear-streaked face. His arms drifted up to my shoulders and laced around my neck. He stretched out against me, open and ready. I could scent his desperation and desire. It was a heady mixture that I hoped to ease if only a little, if only for this night.
Leaning forward, I pulled him into a gentle kiss. As my lips brushed across his, Landis’s grip around me tightened even further. My hands drifted to his hips, keeping him pinned to me even as he bucked against me. Responding to my kiss with abandonment, Landis’s lips opened. My tongue darted past to seek out the innermost taste that was Landis.
Landis groaned. His tongue could not fight my own. He surrendered into my embrace with soft moans and the most tender of touches. I wanted more. I wanted Landis to feel something even deeper, something that would chase away the pain within his heart.
With each new kiss that I showered on him, my desire peaked. My cock, now aroused, brushed against his belly, and I caught the echo of his desire from the hardness pressing against my thigh. I wanted—needed—to see more, feel more. Landis was already unlacing his breeches.
Between kisses and fumbled groping, Landis and I managed to tear our clothing off until we wore nothing but our smalls. I palmed through the silk black fabric, enjoying the sight of wetness that now smeared the sheer material. Landis arched into my touch, clutching at my biceps. His tan skin was flushed, and his blue eyes had darkened with heavy desire.
Landis fell back on the bed, and I bent over him, mouth on his lips, then his neck, his collarbone, and the hard nub of his nipples. Biting back a cry, Landis writhed in my arms. He gasped as gently bit down on one swollen nipple, nearly coming into my hand.
“Cor-corrin,” he gasped. “I-I can’t...”
“What do you desire, Landis?” I whispered into his ear as I moved back up again to penetrate his mouth once more.
When I pulled back, Landis’s lips were swollen and moist. His tongue darted out to enjoy the taste I had shared with him. His breathing was coming fast and hard, tan chest rising and falling. I watched as his fingers clutched around my biceps. He nipped on his lower lip as a blush rose to his cheek.
“You know what I want, Corrin.”
“Tell me,” I commanded.
Desire thickened my voice to a growl. Landis’s erection now tented his small clothes as he responded to the heat of the moment. His lips opened and closed as if stunned, and then he managed a few strangled words.
“Take me, Corrin,” he whispered. “I-I’ll take anything you can give me.”
“Your wish is my command.” I breathed, silencing his stammers with another bruising kiss.
Chapter 13
