Chapter 02

AVERY

When I near him, the man turns his head slightly. I halt, trying to see his features through the hood covering his head but it is impossible.

Shaking the drowsiness from my mind, I approach and slump on the seat opposite him. He picks up his head and casts me a curious look.

My breath hitches. A pair of deep grey eyes peer back at me, as his lips morph into a quirky smirk.

Unconsciously, I hold my breath and stare at him without moving a single muscle. I have seen my fair share of handsome men in my life, but something about this gruff and muscle-packed man screams a certain kind of sex appeal.

I swallow the lump forming in my throat and focus on his grey eyes. I narrow my gaze on him.

“ Are you from the South? ” I huff, my voice coming out slurry.

Grey eyes are the symbol of people from the South, the enemy Kingdom—the same place where I am supposed to be shipped to, a week later.

The people from there reside behind a magical wall that they raised in their defence, and they are not seen in any other Kingdoms. So what is this man doing here of all places? And why do I feel this electrifying pull to him?

His gaze lowers to my lips, my neck, my heaving chest hidden beneath the clothes before sharply meeting my eyes. Heat spreads in my belly as I stiffen in front of him.

“ Does it matter to you, Princess? ” His voice has a deep baritone and holds a hint of indifference.

My body shudders under his penetrating eyes that are sizing me up. “ do you know me? ”

I feel my heartbeat quickening at the thought. My vision blurs again momentarily before I shake my head and regain it.

“ Isn’t that why you are here? ” He leans in and whispers huskily, “ you want me to get to know you. ”

I gulp the uneasiness in my throat and feel my stomach tightening in knots. Alarms are sounding in my head but my eyes are drawn to the rest of him.

Dressed in all black, and wearing a hooded cloak over his clothes, he looks like a grim reaper. I would have distanced myself from him immediately after just seeing his size and his eyes if I had not been so out of my mind tonight.

Yes, that’s right. I must be mad to be here.

He is an enemy. They are not allowed in the territory of the North, but well, who cares?

“ Why do you think that I… that I want you to get to know me? ” I swallow my saliva and lean back in the chair.

That thick lips of his stretch wider. My heart misses an odd beat. Why does he look so tempting? Like a devil?

He rises to his height like a scary statue carved out of rare stones. My mouth dries as my eyes roam his strongly built body. My gaze traces the veins protruding in his arms before lowering to his fingers. How will it feel to have him—

My cheeks flush as I stop my train of thought. I shake my head instantly, trying to regain my rational thinking.

As a Princess, my purity means everything to me and the world. I must not have these thoughts. I have to be pure for the man who is chosen for me.

The stranger strides to my side and rests his hand on the table. His face closes in on me, sending chills down my spine. I hold my breath and turn my head to the right to stare at him.

Closer and closer and closer—

Instinctively, I reach out and place my hand over his chest to keep him at some distance. His lips are already so close to mine that I can feel his minty breaths scorching my face. And it’s making me squirm with a strange mixture of excitement and anticipation.

His other hand reaches for my cheek and he pushes a strand of hair away with the tip of his forefinger. The slight brush makes me gasp. A ripple of pleasure shoots down from my neck to my toes.

What is this?

“ You are here, are you not? Out of so many men in this bar, you have chosen to come to me, Princess. What does it mean to you? ” His finger trails a path down my cheek and caresses my jaw. The feathery touch blinds me to the people and sounds around me.

“ I didn’t— ”

His finger moves to my ear, tracing a teasing path around the shell. I clench my hands into fists, losing my will to fight this.

“ To me, it means you want me to make you feel good tonight. ” His deep voice is a compelling sound that injects liquid heat into my veins.

“ More. ” I whisper, surprised at my request.

What’s wrong with me?

This is wrong. So very wrong.

“ More what, Princess? ” His sultry voice eradicates the guilt.

“ What—Whatever you want. ” I lean into his palm, finally feeling the warmth seeping into my freezing body.

“ You want more of me? ” He chuckles above my lips, drawing my attention to his mysterious eyes.

“ Yes. ” I utter without registering it in my head.

For a night, I can be free. I can just be Ava.

********

After a while, my blood is rushing faster to my head and that’s why I am dizzy, I tell myself. It is not because we are entering a room and the man is right behind me.

His gaze sears my skin which is tightly wrapped in layers of clothes. I gasp every time little electric jolts run up the length of my arm, rendering me unable to process why it feels so good.

His aura is cold and indifferent. In contrast, his skin is warm. It’s enough to make me shudder.

Oh Goddess, what am I doing?

“ You look like someone from a noble family. Are you sure you should be here, Princess? ” He says smugly and tugs me back.

Like a lifeless doll, I stumble into his arm. My head tilts back as my eyes meet the pair of grey eyes again. The alarms blare louder in my head, but the next moment, my eyes are finding his thick lips.

Will it feel good to do it with him?

My hands fall on his chest while I try to fight this line of thinking. There is something about him that pulls me in and the desperation is growing stronger as time passes by.

“ Yes. We should get on— ”

Suddenly, he leans in. I close my mouth as my eyes widen in fear. This is not the kind of fear that paralyzes me. It’s the kind of fear that makes my body buzz with energy. It’s the fear of liking this too much.

“ Tell me something. ” His warm breath ghosts my lips. “ can you even handle me? ”

My cheeks flare in both, embarrassment and thrill. Judging by his build, it won’t be…that easy, right?

Electricity cackles in the air, raising my temperature and speeding my breaths. He waits for an answer, his dark gaze pinning me on my spot and making me restless.

And his lips. I can’t get my eyes off them.

“ I wonder, will you cry when I am deep inside you, Princess? ”

I raise myself on my toes and smash my lips against his mouth. My judgment goes out of the window as the sparks rush to the forefront.

Surprised, I pull away and drop on my heels. What was this sensation just now?

“ I won’t cry. Never. ” I struggle to breathe.

His grey eyes seem to darken under the shadows of the dimly lit room. Like a hungry beast, he drops the act and grips the back of my head harshly.

“ You asked for it. Remember this later. ” He utters, in a voice that is soft but equally dangerous.

I am not thinking rationally. I know. But the moment he pulls me into his body and kisses me like a starved man, my mind shuts down completely.

His lips are not gentle and he has no regard for my pace. I gasp against his smooth lips that devour me and turn my body into liquid heat.

I am no stranger to what happens in interactions like these, but this is the first time a man is touching me so intimately and…roughly.

One of his hands tightens into my hair, pulling at my scalp cruelly while the other roams down my side to loosen the strings keeping my cloak in place.

My nipples harden under the dress I am wearing as the cloak slides down my body and pools on the floor. Momentarily, he detaches our lips. I suck in a few desperate breaths while trying to fight off the lightheadedness.

His kiss has turned my mind into mush and my heart into a horse that is running a blind race with no finish line in sight. His hand drops to my waist as he looks into my wide, surprised eyes. My body is so sensitive to touch that his warm palm on my clothed skin makes me tremble.

“ I don’t do soft. ” His gruff, wild voice whispers above my lips.

I close my gaping mouth, tasting his mint breath over my lips. Our eyes remain locked, making me hyperaware of the height difference between us.

“ I am not…looking for anything like that. ” I utter weakly.

This is happening.

Oh, this is such a bad idea.

But…it feels…

He drags his hand up and cups my left breast from above my dress. The rough squeeze of his big palm causes my head to drop back. An unconscious sound slips from my lips, leaving me an embarrassing mess.

It feels so good.

“ Do you know me, Princess? ” His lips touch mine, just slightly and my thighs clench together as wetness pools between them.