Chapter 33

On the sixth night of the welcoming, her mother declared the next day Kit would be free to speak to the Representatives, and while she was glad to finally have the ban lifted, the proclamation made everything seem much more real.

Kit took refuge in her flower garden, the one place where she still felt at peace. The sun was beginning to set, and two of her guards kept watch for intruders off in the distance, but their backs were turned, and she doubted they were truly paying her any mind.

She hadn’t seen much of Eli, and sometimes she forgot he was back at all until she came across him in the hallway. He’d always smiled and greeted her, and she’d arrange her face so that she might appear to be happy if he weren’t studying her too closely and then go on about her business. She’d always just assumed he wouldn’t be here for all of this, and if she ever saw him again, it would be after she’d already chosen the man she’d spend the rest of her life with, the man she’d love above all others. But now that he was here, she’d have to find a way to get used to having him around, particularly if he was to remain the commander of her guard.

Other men had caught her attention throughout the week, and she was beginning to make a plan as to who she would like to spend time with first. Her cousins urged her to prioritize the Representatives whose company she thought she might enjoy the most so that she could put them on a short list for possible Rooming or rule them out if they didn’t end up being precisely who she thought they were. So far, she had about ten gentlemen she found herself thinking about during the day and at least as many she was certain could be sent home with little fanfare in the next few weeks, though her mother insisted she keep everyone for at least two weeks and never send more than four men home per day, which seemed like rules for rules sake to Kit. She decided to humor her mother for as long as possible.

The roses were particularly fragrant in the late spring air. She walked from one bush to the next taking them in. The weather never got too horribly hot in the evenings in Yewforia, though after spending much of the week outside, she was beginning to think this season would be particularly steamy. Still, there was a pleasant breeze that stirred the leaves and left the perfume scent of the flowers lingering around her. It was calming, and she felt her shoulders start to melt down to their normal level.

A noise in the bushes behind her had Kit turning around, and she gasped in shock when she realized a man had just managed to pull himself up and over the barrier of shrubs that lined the outer edges of the garden. Her eyes immediately flew to her guards at the gate, but they hadn’t taken notice, and when she turned back to see who the intruder was, she realized the outline was a familiar one. She stood staring at him in shock as the shadowy form stepped into the first beams of fresh moonlight, a large grin upon his face.

Jecobian opened his mouth as if he would speak, but she raised a finger to her lips to remind him they were not allowed to talk, not yet, not until the next morning. She moved back so that she was in the shadow of a large blue moon wisteria, and his hands immediately encircled her. At first, his palms lingered on her upper arms, sending tingles down her flesh. His fingertips tickled the backs of her bare biceps and then trailed down her spine to encircle her waist. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, as if he were trying to inhale her.

The scent of musk and pine filled her lungs, and she found her lips parting, her teeth moving to entrap her bottom one as she stared at his handsome face. His jaw was square, his nose perfectly angled, and when he opened his eyes, she couldn’t help but stare into the crystal blue orbs.

His hand moved up to cup her cheek, and Kit leaned into it, moving her own hand to rest on the outside of his. With his other, he pulled her body even closer to his so that she was pressed up against him. His chest was taut beneath his blue velvet jerkin, and she felt her nipples harden just from being so close to him. He hadn’t even kissed her yet, and already, she felt like her head was swimming, and her knees were growing weak. This man certainly had an effect on her.

It was almost as if he was taunting her. He smiled at her, caressed her cheek, held her tight, and she waited patiently, staring up at him, to see if his intentions were what she was craving. Without a word, he slowly leaned in and found her mouth with his. His lips were warm but tasted differently than she’d expected, smoky somehow. It wasn’t unpleasant, just unexpected, and when he used his thumb to press her to part her lips, she did so.

Jecobian’s hand slid up to lightly pull on the loose curls that framed her face as his tongue explored her mouth. He probed gently at first, still teasing, but then, as she wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders and pulled him in closer, the dance became more intense, and she could sense he couldn’t get enough of her either.

After several minutes, they both came up for air, and Kit stifled a giggle, looking at her guards, who still hadn’t moved. She took another step further into the shadows, tugging on Jecobian who did not hesitate to join her. He backed her up into the rough bark of an elm tree and began to layer kisses down her neck, his other hand still cupping her cheek.

Kit was having trouble breathing. The feel of his soft lips on her neck, the occasional nip of his sharp teeth, the sucking on her throat she longed to feel elsewhere on her body, had her reeling. When Jecobian shoved his thumb inside of her mouth, she urgently began to suck it, rolling her tongue around as she would’ve done if it were his member in her mouth instead, and he let out a soft groan.

As if he could stand it no more, he extracted his thumb and replaced it with his tongue, his hands beginning to search her body, and Kit slipped her hands down so that her fingertips were on his muscular backside. Imagining what he would look like without his trousers had her gasping for air, and when he released her lips for just a second, she found herself panting. She leaned in to capture his mouth again as soon as she could, plunging her tongue into his mouth, and his hand grazed against her nipple, teasing it from beneath her thin chemise so that only the thin silk of her gown separated him from her erect flesh.

He moved his hand up, over the top of her gown, and his fingertips brushed against her. Immediately, Kit let out a soft moan, but her hand went to cover his, snatching it out of her dress. While kissing was allowable at this stage, her mother would be infuriated if there was any sort of sexual activity at all, not before all of the Representatives had been cleared by the physician, and only the first round of inspections had been carried out. It was a strict rule, one that, if broken, could cost Jecobian his head--and Kit liked it just fine right where it was.

Though she couldn’t speak without breaking just as stringent of a rule, she shook her head at him, and he choked back a laugh before dropping his hand back to her waist and finding her lips again. His kisses were less passionate now, and Kit imagined she’d killed the fire a bit, but his lips were sweet, and she still felt just as drawn to him as she had the first time she’d met him.

“Princess Katrinetta!”