Page 36 of All the Pain of Promises
In fact, it was unfortunately quite the opposite, and the very existence of such a thought would be her ultimate ruin.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Windsong was a collection of stone and wood cottages clustered together on the mountains overlooking Galefell. Solarius had only ever visited Windsong twice before, both times during the Midsummer season for some wedding he’d been forced to attend, and back then the landscape had been lush with evergreens, wildflowers, and the rugged peaks of lightly snow-capped mountains. The weather had been warm with a cool breeze, a stark contrast to the bitter winter temperatures he and Narissa currently faced. Now the mountains were banked in snow and the icy pines stood frozen against the biting wind. Gilded lampposts burning bright with faerie fire illuminated the cobblestone path up to their assigned cottage, and to be honest, it was grander than he expected.
He took stock of the cozy two-story cottage—a balcony wrapped around the upper level, there was a stone patio off the side with furniture seated around a roaring fire pit, and through the many windows he could make out the glow of dozens of lanterns and candles. A bough of holly stretched across the front entrance, and though it looked large and expansive from the outside, he knew there was only one bedroom.
Not that sharing a bed with his wife would be a problem, but after their little carriage interlude, it had been a struggle for Solarius to stay focused on anything else.
He’d lost track of the number of times he’d imagined Narissa writhing beneath him, but witnessing her do it on top of him was another kind of fantasy altogether. She’d left him stricken and hard as a fucking rock, but stars above, it had been worth it to see her fall apart in his arms. It was like watching decadence unfold—her flushed rosy cheeks, the breathy little sounds she made, the way she clung to him while she rode him, chasing her release. His only regret was that it had been his fingers that brought her pleasure and not his cock.
Now, he was standing outside the cottage they would be sharing for the next fortnight, trying to wrap his head around the fact that his wife had blatantly lied to him.
There had been nothing more arousing than when Narissa was seated upon his lap, declaring all the things she hated about him while simultaneously being edged toward climax. But then she’d started to cry, leaving streaks of saltwater drying down her face, and he’d known she wasn’t telling him the truth. He had a small collection of pearls in a jar on top of his dresser, each of them a former tear belonging to Narissa, each of them also completely his fault. He’d expected a pearl or two to fall in the carriage, but none had formed, which meant those tears weren’t connected to a genuine emotion.
Narissa was lying.
She didn’t hate him. At least, not honestly.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, his gaze sliding over her.
Narissa was bundled into a furry coat that dusted the cold ground like frothy ocean foam. Her nose was pink from the chill outside, but her swollen lips were from him. Haphazard golden waves tumbled down her back, lightly sprinkled with fallingsnow, and her smile was brighter than the moon as she gazed up at their welcoming little cottage.
But that beautiful, beaming smile faltered when she looked over at him.
“Ready?” she asked, an air of indifference in her voice, and Solarius couldn’t read the emotion banking deep in her eyes. She gripped the bronze key tightly in her gloved hand and while he debated sneaking into her mind through the bond, he thought better of it when she huffed out a breath of frozen air and went to unlock the door.
He followed her inside and was once again struck by Narissa’s beauty.
She twirled around in a small circle, admiring the splendor of the room. A massive stone fireplace roared to life, surrounded by comfortable seating and fur-lined blankets. Her heeled boots clicked against the hardwood floor and her eyes danced when they landed on tiny shimmery clear vases overflowing with soft flora positioned on nearly every surface. But it was the way her coat slipped from her shoulders that gave him pause, the way wonder caused her deep pink lips to part on a gasp, how her delight in the natural made it impossible to tear his gaze away from her.
Narissa carefully removed her gloves, trailing her fingers along the back of a leather sofa. She looked up, sighing in contentment when she caught sight of the chandelier that looked as though it was made from the lining of clouds—fused iridescent glass.
“It’s…” Her voice was strangely quiet. “So much more than I expected.”
Solarius swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat and nodded. “Yes. Quite.”
She glanced in his direction then, only to catch him staring at her, and scarlet stained her cheeks. Her lips pressed together in a firm line, and then she forced a long, exaggerated yawn.
“Well,” she declared loudly, “I’m having difficulty keeping my eyes open.”
Not him.
Solarius was wired. Currents of energy were running through him, filling him with a kind of torturous awareness. He couldn’t silence his thoughts. He couldn’t clear his mind. He just kept replaying the image of Narissa on his lap, the one moment she’d been willing to give him, only to have it shattered by her lies. He could have handled her hatred of him if it had at least been honest, but she was hiding the truth of her feelings from him. And he was determined to find out why, because if there was one thing he simply couldnottolerate, it was intentional deception.
He had enough exaggerations and falsehoods surrounding his family, he didn’t want it to leach into his personal affairs with his wife as well.
Solarius waited until the maid assigned to their cottage hauled in their luggage, then made her way to the servants’ quarters in the adjacent building. Once the door closed soundly behind her, he faced his wife and asked, “Tired, Rissa love?”
The nickname did the trick. Her eyes ignited, those pools of green burning away the frost and simmering like an ocean of fire.
“Yes.” She spoke through a clenched jaw, and he didn’t miss the way she held her gloves in fisted hands. “I am.”
“Then perhaps we should retire for the evening?” he mused, shoving his hands into the pockets of his heavy overcoat. He didn’t intend to imply any sort of innuendo or hidden meaning behind his words, but he much preferred her when she was feisty. She spoke her mind then, she never held back. So, if he poked her a bit to get a rise out of her, then so be it.
“Unless you’re afraid to sleep with me?” Solarius arched a singular brow and sauntered toward her.
“I’m not afraid.” Narissa stiffened, and he tucked his hands behind his back.
