Page 147 of A Tower of Half-Truths
“Should I place a soundproofing ward?” he whispered, his lips close enough to graze hers.
“No,” she whispered back. “Don’t stop.”
He nodded, then continued his intimate caress. When the pad of his thumb brushed the most sensitive part of her, she arched her back and released another moan; this time, it echoed through the room. Her hand then traveled downward to meet his. At first, he worried he’d touched her incorrectly. But as they locked eyes, he realized she wanted them to work in tandem: her fingers drew small circles while his continued to glide in and out of her.
They quickened their pace together, sharing the same labored breaths. She writhed beneath him, rolling her hips to allow him to touch her more deeply. He did so without hesitation, relishinghow her slick warmth enveloped his fingers, how she trembled around him as she reached her peak. When she began to cry out again, he leaned down and smothered her orgasm with a kiss. Her voice resonated through his body as his pace slowed, helping her ride out the wave. Only then did he ease out of her.
She lay beside him, cheeks flushed and chest heaving as she recovered from her euphoria. All of this had beenhisdoing, he realized with a touch of pride—and relief.
He raised his hand, gazed at his fingers. On impulse, he slipped one into his mouth. Her taste—sharp but with an undercurrent of sweetness—was so undoubtedlyher,his eyes closed as a moan sounded from the back of his throat.
“All this time, I’d been wanting to taste you,” he said, his voice low and rough. “Next time, I’m going tosavoryou.”
He opened his eyes to find her staring at him, mouth agape. A chill ran through him. Had he come on too strongly just now? Of course, not every woman found pleasure in that sort of thing. Perhaps he’d presumed too much.
But then she grasped him by the shirt and pulled him down into a kiss that was all heat and ferocity. Her lips and tongue were clumsy, her fingers pulled at his hair. He kissed her back, though he struggled to keep apace.
No, if anything, he hadn’t come on strongly enough.
When she palmed the front of his trousers, she once again found only slackened fabric. She broke the kiss and took a desperate gulp of air.
“Even after all that,” she gasped, “still nothing?”
He sighed. “I’m afraid so. But rest assured, Ithoroughlyenjoyed watching you come undone.” He placed a soft kiss to her forehead. “The next time we share a bed, I promise we’ll do much more than this.”
“The next time we share a bed, it had better be large enough for two.” She winced as she readjusted her position. “And more comfortable.”
“Yes, that will be nonnegotiable,” he said with a laugh, then sealed that promise with another kiss.
Forty-Four
If Neldren, Ellice, and Evrard had overheard any noise from Alain’s room the night before, they made no mention of it the following morning. The second day of travel continued how the previous one left off, the only difference being that Neldren’s fiery temper had cooled to icy indifference. He remained silent until around midday, when he consulted his map and instructed Evrard to exit the Royal Turnpike and take a back road.
“Are you sure about this?” Mavery asked as they entered a dense forest.
“You want to get to the temple and back in under a week, right?” Neldren said. “This is faster than continuing down the Turnpike. It’s the same route I took last time.”
She gazed out the window, feeling no more reassured. If not for the dappled sunlight on the forest floor, she would have thought night had already fallen. The Turnpike had been wide enough to accommodate traffic in both directions. Here, the way was so narrow, there was barely enough room for the horses to trot two abreast. Instead of well-packed dirt, most of the ground was covered in dead leaves and loose silt. And instead of following a maintained path, Evrard had to guide the horses around roots and rivulets.
About a mile in, they encountered a felled tree branch blockingthe path. With Ellice’s mending magic and Neldren’s muscle, they rolled the branch off the path within seconds. Ellice sauntered back to the coach and wore a smirk as she reclaimed her seat.
“I told you I’d make myself useful,” she said, then leaned out the window. “Are you coming, Nel?”
“Hold on,” he replied. “While we’re stopped, I might as well take a piss.”
Mercifully, he chose to relieve himself behind a tree that wasn’t within Mavery’s peripheral vision—or within earshot of the stagecoach. A moment later, he returned at a jog while buttoning up his trousers.
“Shit,” he said. “We’re about to have company. Highwaymen, from the looks of it, and they’re coming in fast.”
“Highwaymen!?”Evrard cried. There was no window between the coach’s interior and the driver’s seat, so Mavery could only hear his voice. “I’ve heard stories of them, and not good ones. Oh, gods…”
“Damn it, Nel,” Mavery groaned. “I knew this forest was a bad idea.”
“Relax, both of you.” Neldren closed the carriage door as he walked past, then hoisted himself onto the driver’s seat. “You especially, boy. Keep a calm head and let me take the lead. Now, do we have somewhere to stash our valuables?”
“The…the…” Evrard gulped. “The bench closest to us, there’s a compartment beneath it.”
Ellice got on her hands and knees, then pushed on a wooden panel that appeared only decorative. “Found it,” she said. The panel moved aside, revealing a compartment barely large enough to fit all of their packs. Once those were secured, she popped the panel back into place.
