Page 88 of If The Crown Fits
“You’re going too fast for someone who’s apparently never done this before.”
“You would know?” My reply shut her up.
I finally loosened the last part and the back of the dress fell open.
I had meant to look away, had meant to be a gentleman. But something on Lara’s back caught my eye. Scars covered her soft skin like pieces of a scattered puzzle, each varying in shape and size.
“What?” Lara must have noticed me tense behind her.
“Your back,” was all I managed to idiotically murmur.
“Oh.” She breathed deeply. “What about it?” she asked in a way that suggested nothing was wrong.
“All these scars.” I reached out without thinking and lightly pressed my finger to one that skewed across her spine, the length of my forefinger.
“It’s the life of a bandit,” she replied.
“What happened?”
“That one was from a royal guard when I was fourteen. He caught me stealing bread and whipped my back.”
I let my finger graze her skin down to another scar somewhat lower.
“That one was from a knife that one of the girls of the Baruk clan of bandits stabbed me with. Her name is Nora.”
Another one on her left shoulder blade. “That was from a man I tried to pickpocket who caught me. He shoved me into a wall, but there was a nail sticking out.”
I was at a loss for words then, my breath hitching in my throat. Lara had unknowingly fought more wars in all her life than I ever would.
She turned around to meet my eyes.
“I’m sorry.” I breathed out. “You didn’t deserve to go through all of that.” Part of me wished I could somehow go back and undo all the pain of her past.
“My scars don’t hurt any more, Cai.” She held my gaze. “They’re a part of who I am now.”
The corner of my mouth lifted into a slight smile. “You’re one of the strongest people I know.” I took half a step towards her, so that there was almost no space between us.
“If by that you mean I can kick your ass, then damn right I am.” Lara’s mouth curved into a smirk before I closed the distance between us.
Her lips were soft against my own, hesitant at first as if she were unsure of herself. Being this close to her made me wonder how I was ever going to pull away. Everything about her was intoxicating.
I wrapped my hands around her back, fingers getting tangled in the laces of her dress.
My mouth moved slowly against hers, wanting to savour every moment as if we could have stayed in the cabin for ever.
Lara wrapped her arms around my neck, and I trailed small kisses from her jawline down her neck. I spotted it then, the faded small patch of darker skin close to her collarbone. “You have a birthmark,” I noted.
“It used to be more noticeable, but it’s almost impossible to see now.” She breathed deeply.
I thought back to the portrait of Princess Eloisa in Woodsbrook Manor, about everything I suspected. Part of me wanted to confide in Lara but something told me that it would not go down well.
I stood back, leaving her to hold the front of her dress. “Well, I assume you can handle it from here.”
“Yes.” She looked a little confused, wondering why I’d pulled away from her.
I was already out the door when I heard her say, “Thanks for the help, Cai.”
Chapter 25
