“Stop moving.” Bryce’s wide eyes glinted inches from mine, sparks reflecting off his irises.
“Or what?” I spat.
“You’ll get yourself hurt.”
Fireworks crackled.
“Is that a threat? You couldn’t. Youwouldn’t.” My mouth twisted, and I lifted my chin. Orange light bounced around the room. When I next spoke, my voice was grave. “Do it, then.”
“Would youshut up?” Bryce bellowed.
Startled by his unusual display of assertion, I did, indeed, shut up.
“Look at the damn sword.” He jerked his chin down. “It’s not even pointed at you.”
I carefully looked at the sword. To be fair, it wasn’t pointed at me, the sharp edges aimed up and down.
“Now look at the million-pound shelf currently wedging me against you.”
And okay, the shelf was hard to miss, tipped over the top of us, Bryce’s back the only thing keeping it from crushing me. The elbow of Bryce’s sword arm was braced against the shelf by my shoulder, which meant the blade, by default, extended across my neck.
Bryce grunted as he struggled to hold said heavy-looking shelf. “On three, help me push.” His expression was hard and unreadable. “One. Two. Three.”
Gingerly, I reached around him, avoiding the sword, and pushed the shelf. For a moment, nothing happened, but then I dug in my heels, and Bryce chanted a deranged string of curses under his breath, and it gave, swinging upright, where it almost seemed like it would stay before it decided not to. It plummeted backward, smashing to the floor in a mess of flying jewels, splintered wood, and shattering glass.
When the last pearl rolled across the floor and the last shelf creaked and settled to a new resting place against the marble, Bryce turned to me, jaw set. He threw the sword to the side. It knocked over an important-looking display case holding a very large crown, which promptly joined the rest of the priceless artifacts littering the floor. It was a good thing the fireworks concealed all the clanging and crashing, otherwise, someone might barge in to see what the commotion was about.
“You think I followed you into a weird magical world, almost had sex with you, and SAVED YOU FROM AN UNDEAD SKELETON, only to decide tokill you?”
I pressed my lips together and nodded. “When you say it like that, it does sound like there are some logical steps missing.”
“Somelogical steps missing?” he repeated, a vein throbbing at his temple. “If logic were a Fitbit-wearing suburban mom competing with a bunch of other Fitbit-wearing suburban moms to see who could collect the most steps in a day, she wouldfucking losebecause she wouldhave no steps.”
“None? That’s a bit harsh. I don’t think you should shame logic like that. Exercise can be a very triggering topic—”
Bryce crossed the floor, jewels crunching under his boots. Strobing light from the fireworks show bounced off his body. Reaching me, he grabbed my chin, firm and gentle all at once,blazing eyes boring into mine. “I’d never hurt you. I stole the sword to give to you because being a hero used to be your dream.”
I was way too drunk for this. “Okay,” I squeaked. “That’s… neat.”
“I was trying to be nice,” Bryce said, gentler.
There he went again, poking at my heart with a stick—or in this case, a sword. “You really should betray me,” I said meekly. “It makes sense.”
“I will never abandon you, you donut. Also”—his eyes flicked down—“your no-kissing rule is annoying.”
He released my chin.
Before I knew what was happening, I followed after his retreating hand. Slotted my feet between his. Wove my fingers in his shirt. In the back of my foggy mind, I wondered what on earth I was doing. At the forefront, I heard only Bryce saying not kissing me was annoying, and that felt like the least annoying thing he’d ever said.
“If you don’t like the rule,” I said, “then break it.”
A challenge, a challenge that scared me far more than when I’d told him to “do it” a few minutes ago when he held a blade to my skin. I lifted my chin, pulse points in my neck pounding.
Without hesitation, he grabbed my waist, cupped my jaw in his hand, and pressed his lips to mine.
My stomach dropped to my toes. His lips caressed mine, once, twice, and all my thoughts fluttered away. The world was topsy-turvy, wibbly-wobbly, completely perfect, and utterly frightening.
I didn’t expect him to kiss me like he did, hard and slow all at once, like he could go on just kissing me forever. His hand found the back of my neck, pulling me closer, angling my head and coaxing my lips apart. The ring in my lip clicked lightly against his teeth. Sweet champagne lingered on his mouth, and I pulled his bottom lip between mine, gliding my tongue acrossto taste it. He shuddered and sighed—a ragged sound of sweet, blissful torture. My heart twisted in anguished relief. All my pain and worries melted away.
