Chapter 50 Train your maid
BRYNNE
Finally. I have Soma alone to myself. It’s time to test my theory, but she rips her hand from my grip, flinching almost immediately. For someone who bravely stood up for her maid, she lets too many useless people get away with hurting her.
With the curtain back in place, the noise of the class fades to a dull hum. She tries to limp away, stubborn as always, but I don’t give her the chance. My hand wraps around her wrist, dragging her back until we reach the red velvet couch tucked against the wall.
“Sit,” I command.
She doesn’t, which I expected. So I push firmly enough for her injured foot to buckle and tip her balance. She lands with a small wince, but it doesn’t stop her from sliding back. Her spine hits the armrest, and she curls into herself, knees tucked tight like she can ward me off by shrinking small.
Dropping onto the cushion beside her, I grab her ankle and drag her leg onto my lap. Her body jerks like I’ve burned her, but I ignore it, studying the foot she tried to walk off as if it’s nothing. My thumb presses along the bone, the tendons, and the soft muscle beneath.
Her voice is a whisper. “What are you doing?”
The first step is proximity, so I wait for that familiar flicker or spark. For fire to lick at my veins. But nothing happens, only a strange warmth simmers at our contact.
Since it seems I need more intense contact, I knead the muscle, working it loose until her breathing shifts. I’ve done this many times with my brothers to know the right way to treat her injury. She doesn’t fight me, only watches with curiosity and awe as I fix her.
When I release her, she lowers her foot to the floor and whispers, “Wow.” I raise my head, my smirk intact, and she begrudgingly adds, “Thanks. It’s… much better.”
An uncomfortable silence settles over us, and I push to my feet. “I told Ms. Vale we will be practicing. It’s time.”
“But there’s no music,” she grumbles. I tilt my chin toward the curtain, and she sighs. “It’s not loud enough.”
“We’ll manage.”
The music drifting faintly from the other side of the curtain is enough to set the rhythm. She rises slowly, cautious on her feet. When I take her hand, she stiffens, but the dance doesn’t allow for distance. I pull her flush against me, feeling the heat of her body as we move through the first step. Again, I try to summon the flame, to call it from wherever it hides inside me, but it’s futile.
“You’re warm,” she breathes, almost to herself.
My mouth twists into a smile. “Train your maid. Father would have had her head for speaking out of turn, but I was merciful. And here I am again, being merciful, saving you from the clutches of your ugly and dreadful cousins.” I tighten my grip on her waist, forcing her closer. “Wouldn’t you like to repay me?”
Her refusal is immediate. “No.”
A low chuckle escapes me. I spin her beneath my arm, pivoting so her back collides with my chest. Before my head dips, I catch the shock on her face in the mirror.
But I don’t let her dwell on it.
“I disagree,” I state, my lips brushing her ear. My hands climb, cupping her breasts and squeezing through the thin fabric. She inhales shakily, and I chuckle. “Kindness should be repaid with kindness.”
“Don’t,” she counters, but my grip doesn’t falter. Without a bra, her nppls awaken beneath my expert fingers. She’s so soft, especially in the right places. “Kindness isn’t kindness if it has to be repaid.”
Soma gasps when my hand lowers. My fingers trace the line of her thigh, and she jerks away from me. Sadly, she’s not fast enough. I pin her against the mirrored wall, caging her in. If she’s the key to recovering my flame, then I must find out the truth.
“Your Highness,” she snaps, breathless.
Fire stirs in my chest, alive and taunting as it responds to her call. Our proximity isn’t enough.
I need more. I need to break it free.
Soma must have sensed the shift because her next words spill in a shaky whisper: “I don’t know what you’re planning. But don’t. No.” She doesn’t need to know. She needs only to succumb, and I’ll reward her. “Don’t look at me like that. Get away from me.”
“And if I don’t?” I ask. My head drops, and our breaths nearly become one. “Consider this payback for not killing your maid.”
The words are a snarl against her lips before I crush my mouth over hers. It was meant to be a test. One kiss to draw the flame out to the surface.
But she’s fire and defiance and sweetness all at once, and I lose myself. I seize her thigh, dragging it up against my hip until she’s off balance with no choice but to lean into me. She makes a sound of protest, and I shove my tongue into her mouth, groaning with the urge to taste her. To know what it is about her that sets off my magic.
Her plea trembles against my chest. “Please. Stop.”
The words slice through me, yet it’s the way her body shivers under my hold, the way she clings to me, that keeps me from stepping back.
“Tell me yes,” I demand.
Hello lovelies,
Thank you for reading and adding this book to your library. If you’re enjoying TAUL and you want to read the full story, kindly join my subscr𝕚pt𝕚on on lnkitt or Ream: maramartha. For a token of $5/month, you get to read the full story, gain access to other ongoing stories, and also receive a free PDF/ebook copy once the book is edited.
Also, by joining my Faceb𝕠𝕠k group: Maramartha’s Book Babes, you can interact with fellow readers about this world. I post silly, random, and even fun images from this world there. You can also ask me or the characters questions directly. So I hope to see you there ;)