Page 7 of A Ring to Claim Her Crown
She looked up, saw the heat in his gaze and wondered if his memory was conjuring up the same illicit pictures that hers was. The same stolen moments of fervent, joyful discovery that she had tried and failed to forget.
‘You can hit me, princess, if that’s what you need.’ He growled. ‘Hell knows, I would deserve it.’
Was that what she needed? Would that make all of these ugly, tangled feelings go back to wherever she’d stored them all this time without him? That was what she’d wanted to do, moments ago. But now...she was staring up into eyes that she had never dreamed of seeing again. Soft lips that had once driven her out of her tightly wound royal shell and shown her what it meant to be just a girl—just Minerva. They hadn’t needed anything else when it had been just the two of them, just each other.
She moved to pull away and felt his hands tighten upon her elbows for the briefest moment, holding her close. She held her breath, fighting to find just the right words that would cut him, hurt him, just as she had been hurt. But as their gazes met and held and that anger within her morphed into something infinitely more dangerous. Her breath seemed too much for her lungs as she waited, wanting everything and nothing all at once. A war waged within her as Liro’s strong hands flexed upon the soft skin of her elbows, his nostrils flaring as he inched closer, only to pause at the last moment.
Something broke within her, splitting the final thread that had held in more than a decade of longing. It was so long since she’d allowed herself to let go. So long...and it was all his fault. She grabbed the lapel of his jacket, roughly pulling him down to her so that she could capture his full, traitorous lips with her own.
She kissed him with fury and a wild abandon that she had thought herself no longer capable of, filling the angry thrust of her tongue and lips against his with all the frustration she’d locked away. She was vaguely aware of his beard scraping her chin and hard, callused hands caressing her neck, trying to soften her...trying to calm the raging storm he had awoken.
But she had no patience for it. She growled against his mouth, pulling his hands down tight upon her waist, showing him what she needed and praying he followed suit. His answering groan was shockingly obscene and he finally gave in. He took control of the kiss, crushing her against him as one hand fisted in her hair to hold her in place.
Yes, the voice within her cried.This.
Liro’s kiss was plundering, wild and infinitely more soul-shattering than any one of her illicit memories of their short-lived affair. He had always had the ability to get under her skin this way, awakening some fragile scared thing that he alone seemed able to coax out. He had always made her feel free. But, as his lips slowed down and her thoughts became louder, she did not feel free. Nor had she realised she was crying until she felt a tear trickle its way down her cheek. Liro’s gaze was unreadable as he reached out to wipe away that single, mortifying drop of moisture from her cheek.
‘I didn’t come back here to hurt you again, Min.’
‘Don’t.’She breathed, taking a step back, the spell of whatever madness had just taken hold of her for those few ridiculous minutes fully broken.
‘Don’t hurt you...or don’t call you Min?’ he asked.
‘Both.’ She gritted her teeth.
He straightened, a shrewd look entering his eyes as he watched a couple exit the ballroom behind them and wave in their direction. Minerva exhaled sharply, realising how close she had come to ruining all of her plans again. How close she still might be if she didn’t get rid of him before scandal had the chance to break.
‘You need to leave.’ She tried and failed to remove the slight wobble from her voice as she stood tall and met his gaze head-on. ‘You should never have come back here.’
‘Is this how you treat all of the eligible bachelors your mother has seemingly rounded up for you in there?’ he asked with feigned nonchalance.
Minerva cursed inwardly. Of course he would have noticed all the suitors who had been invited; it would have taken a fool not to. That her mother had likely invited him as a potential candidate for marriage was a painful irony she couldn’t quite process. Not when she had just kissed him in plain view of anyone that might have wandered out.
‘I think I’m entitled to feel however I like, considering you are the one who walked away from our betrothal without a single word.’
He inhaled sharply, looking away. ‘I thought it would make things easier...’
‘Easier for whom?’
‘For everyone.’ He met her eyes. ‘But mostly for you.’
Hysterical laughter bubbled in her throat for a split second as she took in the sincerity in his features. Did he truly believe that? Did he truly believe that walking away from the girl who had given him her first kiss...her first everything...had been what was best for her? Of all the patronising, self-sacrificing nonsense...
This night felt like some kind of strange fever dream...or perhaps it was a nightmare. Nothing good would come of his reappearance in their kingdom, that was for sure. No matter what riot of feelings he had reawakened within her, she was going to become queen of this country. She had to protect them from scandal, and this man was a walking scandal directly tied to her.
‘You need to leave,’ she said again, harsher this time. ‘You are banished from this kingdom; your very appearance here is in breach of the law.’
‘I have business here other than festivities,’ he said silkily. ‘But, if you wish to have me publicly removed, my identity casting shadow over such an important week, that is entirely your prerogative, Your Highness.’
It was a direct challenge, there was no mistake in it. Her fists balled tightly at her sides but she restrained herself from delivering the strike he had asked for. She would not satisfy him by losing her temper. No... She would give him exactly what he had given her—nothing.
Pulling free from his gaze, she took one final look at his cold, stern expression, turned on her heel and walked away.
Liro watched Minerva run from him, knowing that he could not pursue her. Not after what he had just done. What on earth had he been thinking, following her out here? He should have given her some time and space... He should have walked away the moment she had recognised him. But something within him had refused not to at least speak to her. He had expected anger, maybe even disappointment. But, as far as long-lost-lover reunions went, that had been pretty explosive.
He stood alone in the silent corridor for far longer than was necessary, waiting for his body to relax, for his erection to subside. He had reacted to her like a horny teenager... But it really was not a surprise, considering their history. Being around Minerva had always been like standing next to a flame. He closed his eyes, calming himself and reminding himself that he was not here for her. He had spent far too long training his mind not to think of her, to dream of her. The urges to return here had taken months to pass, months of lying awake at night in the bowels of a crowded ship, his body tight with longing and regret.
He had been little more than a boy when he’d left this kingdom; maybe that was why he had not been able to resist confronting her with the man he had become. He’d wanted to see the look in her eyes when she realised he had made something of himself beyond the impoverished prince she had almost settled for. He had walked away from his title and built his own empire, leaving her here with her precious duty.
