Quinn, who had been staring out the windows, walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge near her. “Does journaling help settle your thoughts?”
She sat up and crossed her legs, relieved to resume their normal banter. Just being near him steadied her. It was as if he was a piece that just fit in the puzzle of her life.
“It’s a process,” she replied.
“I know today was unexpectedly challenging, as tomorrow is also likely to be. Is there anything I can do?”
Becka shook her head, a few stray locks swaying in front of her face, freed from the hair tie while she’d lounged against the pillows. “I’d ask you to sneak me out of here, but I suppose that can wait until after this curse or whatever is settled. Like an hour after it’s settled.” She laughed, and hip lip curled in that way she found so fetching. “I miss my home in the city so much.”
“Do you think you’ll take Oriani back with you when all of this is over?”
Becka pursed her lips, considering the question. “I suppose I will.”
Quinn reached forward and tucked the chunk of freed hair behind her ear, and her breath hitched in her throat. His gaze traveled between her eyes and her lips and then back again, their burnished gold shimmering in the dim light of the room.
“I haven’t noticed anyone else being affectionate to him. I doubt the Duchess would mind,” he replied.
Perhaps it was the stress of the day, or her anxiety about tomorrow’s testing, but right now Becka desperately needed a distraction. On an impulse, and before she could overthink things and talk herself out of it, Becka moved forward and up onto her knees, bringing herself nose to nose with Quinn, her lips hovering near his. She breathed deep, his musky scent strangely satisfying.
He arched a brow, a combination of surprise and interest dancing in his eyes. “I get the impression you have a plan,” he said, raising a hand up and tracing the outline of her earlobe to the tip, touching each of her earrings in turn, the contact sending electric thrills across her skin. “But I would caution you, your door is unlocked and there are guards stationed right outside.”
She pulled back a little. Was this his way of gently rebuffing her advances? “If you think it’s a bad idea…”
Quinn’s hand gripped the back of her neck and pulled her into the kiss she hadn’t been sure of. His intensity matched her own, and she pressed herself against him, climbing into his lap and entwining herself around him. His lips were demanding and insistent, and she reveled in the heat of his skin against her own. The cropped hair at the base of his skull tickled her fingertips, and she confirmed that his shoulders were indeed as muscular as she’d intuited under his linen shirts.
After a few moments of bliss, they caught their breath. His gaze reassessed her, while Becka considered nibbling her way down his neck.
“I never said it was a bad idea,” he replied. “But it is curious you picked now to test the waters between us.”
“I wasn’t sure if you were interested?” she asked, her fingers continuing to trace the lines along his shoulders.
He chuckled, running fingers down her back. “You could have asked, but I do appreciate your hands-on approach.”
Becka ran her fingers down his shirt, unbuttoning the top button, eager to bring his shoulders into view. “Speaking of hands-on.”
He laid a hand across hers, stalling her movement. “Do you trust me?”
She frowned. “Uh, yeah.”
“Despite the calls you’ve overheard? I wouldn’t blame you if you doubted my loyalty.”
“I believe your explanations for the calls,” she replied. “You haven’t given me other reasons to doubt you. My gut says you’re safe.”
Becka leaned back in, breathing in his scent, aiming again for the buttons of his shirt.
He cleared his throat, his hands on her thighs. “As much as I would like to press forward, there is wisdom in waiting for a time with a locked door.”
Becka frowned, the heat in her body and mind not interested in his reasonableness. “I suppose there will be plenty of time after the testing tomorrow,” she said, sighing in defeat.
Quinn ran a finger down her jawline. “Thank you for declaring your intentions.”
At his formal language, Becka moved out of his lap, breaking contact. “You know I’m an outcast. ‘Declaring intentions’ doesn’t have the same meaning for me as it would be for some guilded girl.”
“As you say,” he replied, eyes alit with both humor and desire. “Still, thank you for being direct with your interest.”
Becka shrugged, unsure of the breadth of her interest, but she supposed it didn’t matter. She’d be back home in the city in a few days.
She scooted over on the bed to give him room. “Would you lay down next to me while I sleep?”
He frowned. “I can assure you you’re safe. I’m a light sleeper and your guards will rush in if they hear anything suspicious.”
“If you were right here I would feel more,” she replied, searching for the right word, “secure, I think.”
He nodded, and moved up the bed beside her. Becka took his arm and curled up next to him, unsure if she could even sleep next to someone else. But, she did feel safer having Quinn lying next to her.
When sleep finally did find her, Becka drifted in and out between painful images of past tests and dreams of Quinn’s lips tracing down her neck.
To say her sleep was fitful would be an understatement.
Chapter 20
Becka awoke with a start to the sound of her door squeaking open.
“It’s Brent,” Quinn said, standing between her and the door.
At least Quinn wasn’t on the bed next to her for Brent to witness and report back to Vott.
Becka sat up, still wearing her clothes from the day before. At least
