Page 16 of All the Chaos of Constellations
Her cheeks were flushed pink and so was her nose. Damp lashes framed her swollen, red-rimmed eyes.
She’d been crying.
And he would kill whoever was responsible. “What happened? Did someone hurt you?”
“No.” Novalise shook her head and droplets of the iridescent water slid down her neck and arms. She stuck some of the damp strands behind her ear and looked away from him. “I got caught by a thorny bush.”
“A bush,” he repeated, arching a brow.
“Yes. With thorns.”
“So, no one attempted to…harm you?”
“No.” She ran her fingers beneath her eyes, clearing away the smudges of kohl. “No one hurt me.”
“Good.” Asher let his hand fall away from her face. “I’m not above seeking revenge, but I’d prefer to avoid it.”
“You prefer to avoid everything,” she muttered, toying with some of the crystals dotting the sleeves of her gown. “And everyone.”
“Don’t pretend to know or understand me, my lady. My reasonings are my own.” He hooked her chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Just because we’re bonded doesn’t mean I owe you an explanation for anything.”
“I’d expect nothing less.” Novalise jerked free from his hold and a familiar flame of indignation ignited in her eyes. “I can think of plenty of other places where my company is both desired and appreciated, and none of them involve you.”
“Is that so?” Asher countered. He hadn’t realized she was full of so much fire.
“Yes. That’s so.” She crossed her arms with a sigh of indifference, turning away from him. But all she did was wriggle that perfect ass of hers right against the seam of his pants. His cock pulsed to life, and he swallowed a groan.
Asher clamped both hands on her hips to still her.
“Then why,” he asked, leaning closer, his lips hovering above her ear, “are you still sitting in my lap?”
At once her mouth fell open, but just as quickly she snapped it shut.
Shoving away from him, Novalise struggled to her feet.
“There.” She sniffed. “Problem solved.”
Asher stood, raked his hands through his hair, and climbed out of the fountain. He didn’t miss the way her eyes roved over the damp shirt molded to his abdomen and chest, or the way they widened when her gaze dipped lower still. Her heartbeat quickened, echoing in his ears, matching the pace of his own. He was acutely aware of her, of everything about her. Of the celestial magic flowing through her veins, calling to him like a siren’s song, of the way her full lips barely parted, like she was waiting to be kissed.
He held out his hand to her.
Novalise scowled at his proffered hand.
“I don’t need your help, my lord. I am perfectly capable of exiting a fountain on my own.”
She clutched her skirts, lifting them to reveal miles of silky flesh. Then she hiked one leg over the ledge of the fountain. Planting both hands on the edge, she teetered back and forth, on the verge of falling back in, before she finally heaved herself out onto the path. Her breath left her in a rush and she staggered forward, but one of her heels wedged itself between the crevice of the stone pathway. Sighing, she slipped her foot out, and abandoned the shoe completely. She looked half-drowned, like she’d been dunked into a tub of water or washed up on the shore after a shipwreck. The sodden gown clung to her, leaving little to the imagination, and her lavender hair fell around her, plastered to all of her curves. Kohl was smeared beneath her eyes, but the glimmering water made her look as though she’d been forged from the stars.
She cast him a withering glance over her shoulder, and when she realized he was staring, her gaze sharpened.
“What?” she asked, thoroughly exasperated.
Asher shoved his hands into his pockets to keep himself from dragging her against him and kissing that scowl off her pretty face. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
“About whether I want to kiss you again or…” He closed the distance between them in two strides. Her answering gasp was near breathless and when her starlit gaze landed on his mouth, it took everything in his power to keep him from devouring her whole.
“Or?” she prompted softly, her tongue darting along her bottom lip, causing Asher’s blood to burn.
