Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals #1)(72)

“Let’s walk in the garden.” He rose and offered me his arm.

The two of us began to stroll through the arches of white, blooming flowers. The air was sweetly scented with freesia and jasmine.

“The night air is delicious,” I said softly.

“So beautiful,” he mused, but he was looking at me.

I had to laugh out loud. “Did you practice that line? Maybe with Jaik, or the golden twins?”

He gave me an outraged look, but he didn’t try to deny it. They were very good with the ladies.

“Save your lines for the girls that are impressed by them,” I scolded him.

“Oh, you’re a little bit impressed by my lines,” he teased right back.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Maybe, but ridiculous can be a whole lot of fun.”

I didn’t doubt Talisyn would be fun. That was definitely not the problem I had with

him.

The toe of my slipper caught the uneven edge of a stone. I could’ve caught myself, but in a split second, I decided to let myself fall.

And he pulled me up against his heart, his arm a bar against my lower back. He smiled down at me. “Clumsy Honor. I’m going to think that your hobby of jumping balconies should come to an end.”

“I’ve never been so clumsy before. Perhaps you put some kind of curse on me.”

He grinned at me. “It wouldn’t be a curse, beautiful girl.”

He tilted my chin up, and his lips met mine. His kiss was more tentative than Jaik’s had been, his lips soft and warm. And he tasted of whiskey, an unexpected sour bite, underneath all his sweetness.

Our lips brushed in several soft, sweet kisses before I pulled away.

“Are you allowed to be doing this?” I meant to sound cool and teasing, but my voice came out breathless.

He had more of an impact on me than I wanted to admit.

“I’m not sure that anyone can keep me away from you,” he murmured. “I don’t understand it, Honor, but I do feel something for you. Something that I can’t make sense of.”

“Something you can’t make sense of,” I echoed. “Wow, you seem to be under a curse that is making your usual charm vanish.”

“You know what I mean,” he said, “I’ve never been this…affected…by a girl before.”

“You make me pity all the girls that you’ve left behind before,” I said, then realized it was true. “I might not like the noble girls, but it’s still pretty hurtful that you’re able to bring them into your bed, and then forget their names the next morning.”

“You’re different.”

“I don’t believe you.”

His lips parted, and he dared to look hurt.

“Well, it’s true.” I said, “I don’t believe that I’m different.”

“If I got the chance to be with you, I wouldn’t leave you in the morning.”

I would have to leave him in the morning and go back to being Lucien. The thought made me cross.

“I don’t want to worry about the future. I’ve done enough of that today,” I shot back. “I just want to have fun tonight.”

“I’m always down for fun. We could run away for the night. I could take you to dinner, take you shopping.”

“You want to go shopping?” I asked in disbelief.

“I want you to know that I mean what I’m saying. I’m not trying to make you one more cheap conquest.”

“So charming,” I mused.

He scrunched his face in a way that reminded me of an adorable little boy being scolded, I’d never expected to see it from smooth Talisyn. “I can never say the right thing to you.”

“You’re doing fine,” I encouraged him. “You were pretty smooth earlier.”

“You didn’t seem particularly impressed.”

“It’s not my nature to be impressed by dragon royals,” I said lightly. “After all, I’ve cleaned your rooms.”

“That makes me so uncomfortable,” he admitted.

“Well prepare yourself, because you’re back in my rotation this week,” I said.

He let out a groan. “But then at least I’ll get to see you. I haven’t seen enough of you lately.”

It was strange they weren’t seeing enough of me when I was seeing so very much of them. The dragon royals consumed my days now that I had to pretend to be Lucien. I made a non-committal sound.

“Oh, you don’t miss us?” He tilted an eyebrow my way.

“I miss you, very specifically. Your friends are not particularly warm and fuzzy feeling about me.”

“My friends are idiots, but you have to give them a chance. They’re not who they seem to be on the outside.”

Talisyn walked me out to the carriage that was waiting outside for him, then said something quietly to the driver, who scurried off.

“What’s this?”

“You said you needed to forget your troubles.”

I was confused, but pleasantly so. My trek through the icy water of the conduits felt distant. “I was thinking of something more physical, but I can’t wait to see what you were able to plan, Talisyn, I am so very curious.”

He groaned. “Now I have to pay for my rare bout of romanticism.”