Page 43 of Crown of Ashes

“What about pants?” I say, eyeing the fabric of the top and muddling it between my fingers. “Last time I wore leggings.”

“Panties, yes. Pants, no. Trust me. Leather is hot enough as it is.”

Well… awkward indeed.

Stripping out of my clothes, I slip on my top and leave the rest behind, pausing in the bathroom to grab an elastic for my hair.

“Ticktock!” Finn calls and I speed walk into the main area. His eyes find me and widen before dropping quickly to the ground. He clears his throat, waving me over.

“Stop.” I take the leather pants from him and start working them up my legs.

“Stop trying not to look?” he asks, furrowing his brows together.

“Yes. Precisely. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, right?”

His hand drags down his face before he props them on his hips and looks up at the heavens. “Yes. No. Not you, but others, yes.”

Getting the pants over my ass, I spin around, so he can tie the back. For some reason, they didn’t put buttons on the things. As if to test my patience, they used strings.

After a moment, I glance over my shoulder to find him still staring at the ceiling. “Finn.”

“Yes?”

“Are you going to help?”

He clears his throat for the second time. “Yes. I just need a moment. My apologies.”

“Dammit, just lace up the pants.”

“Yes ma’am.” He steps toward me and I spin around once more, giving him my back. Nimble fingers work at the strings, cinching me in. “By the gods, what are you packing back here?”

“My ass, Finn. That’s what’s in there.”

“Well, suck it in.” He yanks on the strings and then tries to squeeze the leather together.

“You can’t just—” I groan. “Clamara never had an issue doing this.”

“I warned you that I’m not good with strings, so don’t you dare compare me to her.”

I hold up my hands in surrender. His boot lands on my ass cheek, nearly knocking me over as he yanks on the strings. “Good God,” I say, grabbing onto the couch edge for support. He jerks it once more, nearly pitching me over as I yelp. “Too much! Too much. Fuck! It’s way too tight.”

“You’ve just gotta bend into it. It’ll stretch. Trust me.” He loops his arm around my waist, and the sound of hinges squeaking open causes him to stiffen. He slowly twirls toward the door, taking me with him. Kai tilts his head, narrowing his gaze as he looks us over. And quite the sight we are. My body is bent over, with my ass pressed to his iron-clad crotch, and from where he stood, it likely looked like he was battering into my pussy, telling me‘It’ll stretch.’

Finn steps back, thrusting his hands up into the air as I scramble to catch my balance.

“I swear, it’s not what it looks…” Finn’s eyes flick to the ceiling for a moment as he pops his lips. “Nor sounds like.”

“I think I’ll take it from here,” Kai says, locking his gaze on me from across the room. My hand sweeps through my curls, brushing them away from my face as Finn scurries from the room. I clear my vision just in time to see the twitch of Kai’s lips, fighting the smirk pulling at them. “I leave you alone for five minutes…”

My mouth opens to speak, then closes, forming my lips into a flat line. There’s nothing I can say that would make any of this better.

“Turn,” he commands, circling his finger in the air. I do as he says, bracing my hands on the couch. His grip yanks my ass backward as he loosens the laces, then ties them up perfectly in no time. Then he slides the corset around my waist, plucking the laces and tightening them until it’s flush against my frame. “Arm.” The cool surface of the metal, along with the dark leather of my shoulder guards, nudges my arm as he secures it and moves to the next.

“You’re much better at this,” I say, hoping to break the tension.

“I’m much better at a lot of things,” he teases, snatching my hips and spinning me until I pitch over the side of the couch. Holding out his hand, my boots slide through the air and lurch to a halt in his grip.

“I can do that part,” I say, lifting to reach for them.

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