Page 18 of Emerald Queen
“Fine. Constable,” Drake nodded, “I’ll see you in an hour.”
Drake followed Emersyn out of the office. He could tell she was upset. “Emersyn,” Drake grabbed her elbow, “I promise if there was something you need to know right now, I’d tell you.”
“Whatever.” She pulled her arm free. “You don’t need to follow me. I’m just going to the garden in the center of the maze.”
“I think I’ll stick with you. Just to be sure it’s safe.”
“Jesus. I can take care of myself, Drake. Why don’t you go worry about who killed my parents?”
Drake shook his head as she stomped off into the library. He walked quickly to keep up, as she practically ran outside.
“Slow down, Emersyn.”
Emersyn all but ran through the maze, stopping at the bench to take off her shoes. She tossed them onto the ground and slipped off her socks. She buried her toes into the lush grass, closed her eyes, and inhaled the early spring air.
Drake stood at the edge of the bushes, admiring her body. He wanted to choke her and hug her all at the same time.
“I’m sorry, Drake.” Emersyn whispered into the air.
“For what?” Drake stepped from the shadows, coming to stop beside her.
“For being such a spoiled brat. I know you’re doing all you can to find out who did this to the kingdom. But…” she took a deep breath, “I just miss them so much. Everything has changed so fast and I feel so lost and alone.”
Drake wrapped an arm around her, tugging her against his chest, “You’re not alone. You have Cassie and the other queens.”
“It’s not the same. The other queens barely know me, and Cassie is my friend, but she can’t fill the hole in my heart. I miss having that kind of love.”
“Emersyn,” Drake growled, pulling her chin up to look into her eyes, “you can have that kind of love again.”
“With whom? You?” Emersyn blinked back tears. “You were pretty clear that you didn’t want a relationship with me. I get it. I’m young, my parents were murdered, and a now I’m queen. That’s a lot of baggage.”
Drake brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. He traced her cheek with the pad of his thumb, running it across her bottom lip.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want you, Emersyn. I said your safety needed to be my top priority. But damn if you make it hard not to take what I want.”
“What do you want?” Emersyn’s eyes went to his mouth. She watched as Drake wet his lips with his tongue.
Drake closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to convince himself what he was about to do was wrong. Emersyn ran her hand up his arm and rested it on the back of his neck. Drake sighed, giving into his resolve and pressed his lips to hers.
His mouth was tender at first, his tongue tracing the outside of her lips begging for entry. Emersyn parted her mouth, letting his tongue in to explore. She pressed against him, moaning into the pressure of his mouth on hers. The kiss wasn’t anything that she expected. Her whole body warmed, causing a delicious ache between her legs. Drakes hands found their way to her hips, pulling her body flush to his. The rough feel of his palm snaked it’s way beneath her shirt as he deepened the kiss.
Finally breaking apart, Drake rested his forehead on hers, “Jesus…”
“That was…” Emersyn cut him off, “magical.”
Drake chuckled, lifting his head. It was then that he noticed the garden. There had been an explosion of flowers blooming all around them.
“Wow – Emersyn, look.” He spun her around, “Your magic did this.”
“Oh, damn. Sarifena said my magic was tied to my emotions. Guess making out with you caused this sudden burst of growth.”
“Does this mean you liked it?” Drake smiled.
“Clearly it means I liked it.” Emersyn grinned, pressing her head against his chest. “You know we can explore this attraction and you can still protect me.”
“Emersyn… don’t get me wrong – that kiss was…” Drake pulled out of her embrace and laced his fingers with hers, “more than I expected. But are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Drake… I know my body hummed with pleasure just now. And seeing as I’ve never experienced that before.” She huffed, “I want more.”
