Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2)(99)

“I’ve been thinking about that night at Castle Asmund,” Sullivan said, his voice once again a low, husky whisper. “Do you remember that night, highness?”

“I could never forget it.”

That was the night when I’d first admitted to myself that I had feelings for him, that was the night when I’d confessed those feelings to him—and that was the night when he had first rejected me.

“I made a terrible mistake then, the worst mistake of my life,” Sullivan murmured, still staring at me. “And it’s a mistake that I’d like to correct. If you’ll still have me.”

My breath caught in my throat, but I forced myself to be cautious. “But what about—”

“I don’t care about Dominic or your engagement or what my father or anyone else thinks,” he growled.

I shook my head. Maybe it was wrong, but those things had never even occurred to me. I had been going to ask about how much I had hurt him, but he didn’t give me the chance.

Sullivan pulled me even closer, his blue gaze burning into mine. “I’ve wanted you for months now, highness, and I think it’s finally time to do something about it. What do you say? Do you still want me too?”

“Of course I do,” I whispered, my heart still hammering in my chest.

“Wait a few minutes, then slip out one of the side doors and meet me at the hedge-maze entrance,” he murmured.

The music stopped, and the dance ended. Sullivan and I stood there, frozen in place. Then he pressed a chaste kiss to my hand, turned, and walked away.

He vanished into the crowd of nobles, all of whom stared at me, whispering about our heated dance. My cheeks flushed at the sudden, sharp attention, but I plastered my benign smile on my face again. Then I turned and walked in the opposite direction from Sullivan.

I did a lap around the room, nodding and smiling at everyone. While I skirted around the nobles, I also looked for my friends.

Bjarni was a few feet away from Heinrich, who was speaking with some nobles, while Halvar was lurking near Dominic, who was talking with Rhea in the corner close to the musicians. Cho, Paloma, and Xenia were all moving around as well, keeping an eye on everyone.

My gaze locked with Serilda’s, and she pointed at a door in the wall. She had obviously seen my dance with Sullivan and was telling me that she and the others had everything under control and that I should go after him. I flashed her a grateful smile.

I did another lap around the room, but it didn’t seem like the Mortans were going to strike anytime soon. Maybe I had been wrong, and nothing bad would happen tonight. I still had my doubts, but Sullivan was waiting for me.

So on my third lap, I walked over to the door Serilda had pointed out, twisted the knob, and stepped through to the other side. A few nobles were milling around on the terrace outside, but I quickly moved past them. The second I was alone, I picked up my skirt and started running.

Even though it was only a short distance away, it seemed to take me forever to reach the gardens. With every quick step and swish of my gown, my heart hammered a little faster in my chest. By the time I made it to my destination, my body was thrumming with anticipation.

Sullivan whirled around at the rustle of my skirt. I slowed down and stopped in front of him. His blue gaze raked over me just as it had before in the ballroom, and heat sparked in his eyes—the same heat that was running through my own body.

He held out his hand, and I took it.

Still staring at me, Sullivan pulled me into the gardens. He led me down a path and into the hedge maze. It was darker in here, but he knew exactly where he was going, and he guided me through the twists and turns. Eventually, the rows of evergreen bushes fell away, revealing the trees and flowers that flanked the gazebo in the heart of the maze.

Just like the throne room, the gazebo had been decked out in strings of gray and white fluorestones that wrapped around the railing before climbing up the columns and spreading out across the roof. It was a beautiful, dreamy scene, and I couldn’t have asked for a more romantic spot.

Sullivan pulled me into the center of the gazebo, then dropped my hand. We stood there, facing each other, both of us breathing hard. My heart kept hammering in my chest, even as more and more anticipation surged through my body, but I didn’t move toward him.

Our last few months together had been building up to this one moment, the one I had dreamed about, and the one I had prepared for by taking all the appropriate herbs and precautions. And now that it was finally here, I wanted to make it last as long as possible.

Sullivan stared back at me, drinking me in the same way that I was him. Then slowly, very, very slowly, he stepped toward me. My breath caught in my throat, and I fisted my hands in the folds of my gown, still trying to make the moment last as long as possible.

He lifted his hand and gently cupped my cheek, his fingers splaying over my face as though he wanted to feel as much of my skin as possible at one time. I sucked in a breath at the warmth of his skin against mine.

He took another step toward me and curled his other hand around my waist. This time, my breath caught in my throat.

He took a third and final step toward me, and I swayed closer to him.

Sullivan stared at me a heartbeat longer, then lowered his head and crushed his lips to mine.





Chapter Twenty-Two


The kiss was everything I had ever imagined.

Everything I had ever dreamed about when I was lying in bed late at night, picturing him beside me.