His cough faded into a chuckle. “That wasnotwhat I was expecting.”
Grinning like a fool, she twisted her arm and his brows nearly hit his hairline. Then Dez pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and the playful twinkle in his eyes hinted he pondered the limits of her flexibility.
She didn’t allow her mind to wander. “If you see colours, what do you see when you play that song?”
His playful demeanor shifted to pensive. “I see gold and red intermixed.” He sighed, then turned to her and tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not sure about you, but I’m famished and in dire need of a nap.” His gaze dipped to her lips. “Come rest with me?”
She nodded, though her stomach knotted at the thought of tonight, but she shoved the worry away. And yet so many questions still swam in her mind. Before he could stand, Emmery gently snagged his wrist. He studied where she held him. “Why did you tell me all that?”
“Because,” he started, his voice rough, “I wanted you to know.” His mouth twisted to the side. “I’m not good at this. I can barely even talk to Brennen, but with you—”
He shook his head and blinked a few times. “You’re different. And now you know. You can do whatever you wish with my secrets, but I hope you’ll keep them.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
EMMERY
Emmery swore under her breath after her seventh failed attempt to fasten the corset clasp. Not even her flexibility could save her now, as she contorted her arms into all sorts of ridiculous angles.
Apparently tonight’s affair required this scrap of an outfit to blend in. Never before had she worn sheer thigh-high stockings, narrow heeled shoes, or a corset. Every fiber of her being craved to set this damn thing alight.
She eyed the skimpy, scarlet dress on a nearby hanger like a venomous snake. Next she’d have to wrestle herself into that series of wraps and translucent fabric. While the frilly blackundergarments left half of her backside peeking out, at least the matching corset only revealed a sliver of herShadowheart, and the tip of the scar on her left breast. Although hercavaeandzvezdasat on full display.
On the eighth attempt, her shoulders begged her to surrender and toss the corset out the window.
A soft knock at the bathing room door made her jump.
“Alright in there?” Still a bit rough from sleep, Destonne’s teasing tone bled through the wooden slab. “We’re losing the night, angel.”
At the sound of his voice, her cheeks flushed. After they’d returned to the room and slept side by side on their bed, they’d woken up tangled together like they often did, drawn by some antagonistic, cruel force. She tried to shove the image of his sleeping boyish face out of her mind. How someone so wicked, could look so innocent in rest baffled her. And of course he’d bathed and readied himself in half the time she’d spent wrestling with this outfit.
“Yes,” she grumbled. She planted her hands on the counter and stared at herself in the mirror. Several swipes of her thumb cleared an unsightly smudge of black kohl beneath her eyes, but if a bird soared through that window and claimed her hair as its home, she wouldn’t be at all surprised.
“You don’t sound sure,” Dez pushed. She could practically see him lounging against the doorframe, his perfect lips twitching in amusement. “Do you need help? I can cover my eyes if you’re too shy.”
A sigh wrestled free from the deepest chasm of her chest. “I’m not shy. And I doubt you could work this asinine contraption with your eyes closed. These damn hooks are…” She whined a dejected noise. “They’re impossible.”
“I happen to beverygood with my fingers.”
Her stomach fluttered in a jumble of butterflies and heat as she imagined what those beautiful hands could do.
“Let me help,” he said. “Can I come in?”
The kohl smudged further as she rubbed her eyes and swallowed a scream. At this point her only choice would be to skip the corset and reveal her body through the gauzy dress. Wouldn’t that be a sight?
“Fine,” she huffed in defeat. “But keep your snide comments to yourself.”
She shut her eyes just before the door creaked open, like she could hide behind her closed lids and her body wasn’t indecently exposed.
As the door clicked shut, Dez’s footsteps halted and he hissed something under his breath.
Emmery’s cheeks burned impossibly hot, but she managed to crack an eyelid open. She expected to see him biting back laughter or donning that familiar bored mask, but when she lifted her eyes to meet his, Dez was, of all things,blushing.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, and cleared his throat. “What—uhm, what did you … you needed help with something?”
His eyes locked on hers with respectful intensity, as if to keep from wandering, but his effort bloated the air, thickened it, as each ticking second weighed on him. A small smirk pulled at Emmery’s lips to see the King of Asaella reduced to a bumbling, pink-cheeked mess like any other man.
Emmery spun to face the mirror and gestured to the damn corset barely secured by two hooks, before she braced her hands on the cool, pale marble. Surely at any moment her breasts would win the battle and spring free. She’d have paid to see Dez’s reaction. In the mirror, it already appeared he might keel over at any moment.