Chapter 85

When Kit opened her eyes, it took her a moment to remember whose she should be looking into. Jate was staring at her, a twinkle in his hazel eyes, and she couldn’t help but smile. “Please tell me you haven’t been up all night.”

The sunlight streamed in through the window behind him, letting her know it was well-past time for the morning meal. “I slept. Some,” he said with a boyish shrug. “Watching you sleep was far more entertaining.”

Kit hoped that didn’t mean she’d done anything unbecoming while she was out. She decided he wouldn’t be smiling so broadly if she had. “Well, then, perhaps I should just go back to sleep and let you watch me a little longer.”

“You can, if you’d like,” he said, his fingertips trailing down her bare shoulder. “But I had something else in mind.”

Gooseflesh rose up wherever his fingers lingered, despite the heat he brought to her skin. His eyes had shifted now. No longer amused, he was looking at her with an intensity that only meant one thing.

Kit turned further onto her side so that she was looking at his broad chest. Just a smattering of light brown hair stood between his pectorals. She ran her hand through it then slid her palm over his muscles, stopping to tweak his nipple with her thumb and first finger. He let out a small groan at her touch, and Kit moved closer to him. Her bare leg brushed up against his thigh, and his arm slipped beneath the blanket to her waist, pulling her nearer to him.

Jate’s mouth crushed down to envelop hers. He had been waiting for hours, it seemed, and could no longer hold himself back. He tasted fresh, like mint and cool water from a stream, while Kit was certain she likely tasted of stale wine, but he didn’t seem to mind, and his tongue played over the top of hers, darting against it, teasing, before plunging deeper, and she found herself wiggling her hips closer to his.

He flipped her over onto her back, running his fingers through her hair, which had mostly come lose in the night. His teeth found her neck, her ear lobe, his tongue flickering off of her flesh on its way down to tease a nipple, which instantly pebbled beneath his touch. His hand was on her other breast, bringing it to life, and Kit moaned his name as his kisses wound their way further down her body.

She eagerly spread her legs for him, let him explore her with his mouth and probe into her with his tongue. He had a lot to learn, but she didn’t mind being the one to help guide him. When he discovered how pleasurable it was for her when his tongue flicked against her nub, he lingered there, sending chill after spine tingling chill up Kit’s body until she was calling out his name again and again.

By the time he had a new sheath on, Kit was eager to feel him inside of her. Jate was more than ready, and when he first entered her, Kit thought he might have already spilled his seed, but he stayed perfectly still on top of her long enough to regain his composure, and then slowly, he worked his hips back and forth, rocking further and deeper into her body with each pass until they moved as one, building up friction with each thrust. Kit was almost there, near the peak of ecstasy, when Jate’s body began to spasm on top of her. Once done, he slumped onto her chest, resting his head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said in defeat. “So close....”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “Don’t be sorry,” she insisted, squeezing her waist between her thighs and reaching up to stroke his sweaty hair. “That was wonderful.”

“But you didn’t....”

“That’s all right,” she assured him, kissing his temple. “I won’t every single time. Not with anyone.” That wasn’t exactly true—Cassius had certainly never let he down. Neither had Terrowin, back during her Exploration. But she’d gone to sleep unsatisfied enough times to know that it was difficult for a man to pleasure a woman every time without exception.

Jate didn’t seem convinced, but he was appreciative of her kindness. He shifted so that he was looking up at her. “If you give me another chance—eventually—I promise I can do better.”

The seriousness of what he was asking wiped the smile off of her face, and she realized just how important it was to the Representatives for her to be open about how she was feeling. “Jate, you needn’t worry about that. I’ve grown quite fond of you already. There’s no reason for you to fear me sending you away over... that.”

A look of relief washed over him. “Good. Thank you, Princess. If you were to ask me to leave now, I don’t know what I’d do.”

She understood what he was saying perhaps more than he did. “I can’t imagine ever sending you away,” she admitted, no longer able to look at him. Her eyes wandered up to the ceiling. “Or Cassius. Or Reeve.” The list could go on, but she stopped there. She imagined the last thing he wanted was for her to name her other lovers while he was still lying on top of her.

Jate moved to her side, and Kit dropped her eyes to look at him. “I wish there was some way you didn’t have to choose,” he said quietly. “That is... I would love to be the last one, the one you marry. But only if I thought I alone could make you happy. We’re all so different, Kit. Cassius is so outgoing, funny. He’s massive. Reeve is introspective. Strong but quiet. And your commander—we all know you would never send him away, Kit. He’s a leader of men like none I’ve ever seen before. It’s too bad you can’t keep us all, if that’s what makes you happy.”

Kit drew in a deep breath through her nose and shifted so that she was on her side again now, facing him. “I know. I wish I could, too.” She’d thought the same thing more times than she could consider. “But the crown demands I choose before I can reign.”

He nodded; he knew that, of course. They all did. “Well, you should know that I will serve you in any capacity I may be able to, Princess. We all feel the same way. Those I’ve named—and more.”

His comments touched her heart in a way she couldn’t put words to. Thinking that these men would give up everything for her, even if she couldn’t choose more than one of them, brought a tear to her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him softly before saying, “Thank you, Jate.” There was much more she wanted to say, but words escaped her, so she leaned her head against his broad chest, and took in some deep breaths, trying to remember there were weeks and months between now and the time she’d have to make her ultimate decision. Maybe by then, it would seem easier, but something told her that wasn’t the case. If anything, time would just make her decision even more difficult. She forced the thought from her mind and rested, feeling safe and secure in the arms of a man who’d just promised her his world.