Page 44 of King Foretold
His long legs eat up the distance in what feels like a blink. And too soon, he sets me down in front of the palanquin, holding me steady by my arms.
“Will you be okay to stand on your own?” He studies my face with tender concern, and my chest becomes a squishy mess. “I need to get in first.”
To compensate for the blush staining my cheeks, I roll my eyes extra hard. “Just get in.”
Ethan gives me one last worried glance before quickly ducking inside. After a moment, he reaches his hand out from the shadows. “Okay. Your turn.”
I stare down at his hand, worrying my bottom lip. I can’t see his face, but he sits cross-legged with his back pressed up against the wall. He made enough room for me ... to sit on his lap. My heart takes off in a gallop. It would be much too easy to settle my ass on his legs and melt against his broad chest. The hard part would be pretending to be immune to the effect he has on me.
“Is everything okay?” Ethan leans out of the shadows to peer up at me, and I catch sight of the bloodstain on his dopo. I’m too upset by it to feel relieved at the perfect excuse to stay off his lap.
“You’re hurt.” How could I have forgotten? I can’t believe I let him carry me. “I don’t want to aggravate your wound.”
“What wound?” He tugs down his shirt far enough to show me his shoulder.
I release a sigh of relief, my stomach unclenching. A small, puckered scar is the only evidence left of his injury. He heals even faster than I do.Thank gods.But ... now what do I do?
With a frustrated growl, I duck my head inside and poke lightly at his injured shoulder. He blinks and glances down at my finger without so much as a wince. I back out of the palanquin in defeat and watch him put his clothes to rights.
He extends his hand once more, arching an eyebrow. I can do this. It takes less than thirty minutes to get to Jihun’s estate. Surely, I can endure half an hour on Ethan’s lap without making a fool of myself. Pressing my lips into a determined line, I take his hand and step into the palanquin.
“Sorry.” I turn to face the door, unavoidably shoving my voluminous skirt in his face.
“You’re good.” Placing his hands lightly on my hips, he guides me down onto his lap. When he speaks next, I can feel his voice vibrating against my back. “Is this okay?”
“Uh yeah.” I shiver. “It’s cool.”
It is in factnotcool. It’s actuallyverywarm in here. And it gets scorching hot when Ethan rests his palms on my thighs. I can’t even yell at him to put them on his own thighs because my ass is currently occupying that real estate. In the tight confines of the palanquin, he doesn’t have anywhere else to put his hands, unless I make him raise them in the air like I have a gun trained on him.
It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine.I sit with my back straight so I don’t snuggle into him like he’s my favorite recliner.One minute down, twenty-nine more to go.
“You can relax,” he grits out, frustration threading his words.
“Iamrelaxed,” I snap.
The gama levitates off the ground and begins moving forward with a subtle jerk—oh my gods, we hadn’t even left yet—and I tip back into his chest. I squirm frantically to regain the one-inch space between our bodies.
“Stop,” Ethan rasps, clamping his hands around my waist. “You need to stop moving, Sunny.”
I freeze mid-wiggle because his gravelly voice sounds more pleading than commanding. Once I’m still, I notice his hard length pressing against my ass even through the layers of fabric between us. I squeeze my eyes shut, biting back a moan.
“Ignore ... this.” His breath comes in uneven pants, rustling the hair on the top of my head. “I just need a minute.”
I don’t respond—not to be an asshole—but because I can’t speak. My heartbeat thunders in my chest, echoing in my throat and temples. I use every ounce of my willpower not to tip my ass up and grind my aching core against his thick, steely erection. Liquid heat seeps out of me, making me slick with desire.
My nails dig into his thighs as I fight for control, but I can’t stop the choked whimper that escapes my lips. I was wrong. Ican’tendure thirty minutes on Ethan’s lap without making a fool of myself. I can’t even last five minutes before turning into a wet, writhing mess.
“Sunny? Do you need ...” Ethan finishes his question with a slight tilt of his pelvis. I moan so loud that I have to clap a hand over my mouth. His hands flex around my waist, and he exhales a shaky breath. “Let me help you blow off some steam, like you asked last night. It’ll be purely physical.”
I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to him.
“I don’t expect anything from you. Just ...” He pushes open my wraparound skirt with a rough snap, then pauses, giving me time to stop him. “Let me give you this much.”
Fuck.I grow dizzy with anticipation, and our coarse breaths fill the small space of the palanquin. It’ll be purely physical. He said so.
I don’t stop him. And when he spreads apart my petticoat, I lift my ass, urging him to pull up my underskirt. He wraps one arm tightly around my waist and grabs a fistful of the undergarment with his free hand. I whimper when he pauses again.
“I need you to say the words,” he growls in my ear. “Tell me to touch you.”
