The King's Lover-Chapter 402: Woman In His Arms

Rose adjusted the covers over herself as she tried to get comfortable. It was time for bed; the maids had helped her prepare for the night. Dressed in her usual silk nightdress, the softness was sure to make her fall asleep but Rose found that she could not sleep easily.

Her day had been uneventful, boring, and had dragged painfully slowly. She had spent the entire day by herself, and Rose found this was not something she was used to. She wasn’t sure she missed the Crown Prince, but there was no doubt his absence affected her though she would rather die from boredom than admit this.

She had tried to keep busy. She didn’t have many writing materials, but she had found some books. She couldn’t quite read yet, so they weren’t much help, but she did have fun spotting the words she did understand.

More often than not, she had stopped herself from asking an imaginary Caius a question out loud. She rolled over in bed with a groan. There was no way she was that used to his presence.

They hadn’t discussed anything after he’d told her he was getting married, and it had seemed he wanted her to say something—but Rose hadn’t had anything to say on the matter. Her opinion would be inconsequential, as it had been from the moment she met him. Still, she was glad he was getting married, and she hoped it would get her out of this hellhole faster.

Rose closed her eyes as she forced herself to try to sleep. Worrying about something she had no control over wasn’t going to change anything. She knew that all too well. Rose was drifting off when she heard the sound of the door opening.

Her eyes flew open immediately. She wasn’t hidden—the drapes were open—but that wasn’t the problem; she was certain she had locked the door as ordered. Each time the maids left, she had locked it.

The door shut, and she heard the lock click back into place. Rose didn’t have the courage to turn around to see who it was, but something told her this was no stranger. There were almost no footsteps as they walked over the carpet and stood by the bed.

Rose opened her eyes when she couldn’t take the silence anymore, tired of pretending to sleep. Caius stood in view, his body leaning against one of the posts that made up the four-poster bed. He was dressed in his usual robes, which revealed his chest; his hair was a little wet, and a few strands rested on his forehead. He looked exhausted as he met her eyes in the low candlelight.

"Your Majesty," she called, wondering if she should be scared or concerned.

"Yes," he replied, making no attempt to move from the post.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked as she moved to a sitting position. It was hard not to worry.

"Did I wake you?" he asked instead.

Rose shook her head. "I haven’t been asleep long," she whispered. Her fear had completely subsided by now, replaced by worry.

Caius simply nodded but still remained standing, and Rose realized it was slowly driving her nuts. She would rather he join her in bed and state what he wanted. But it was hard not to take pity on him; it was pretty clear he was troubled. Rose knew it was about his coming wedding.

"Will you join me?" As soon as she asked the question, Rose nearly smacked herself. Why would she even ask that? He could do whatever he wanted.

However, as soon as she asked, Caius fell into bed as though he had been waiting for her to say those words. He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her tightly enough that she almost couldn’t breathe, face-planted into his chest.

He rested his face on the top of her head. "I had a rough day," he whispered.

Rose could feel the fast beat of his heart as they connected, and it slowly started to return to normal.

"That bad?" she heard herself ask.

"Yes. I can’t get out of it. Not the way I want," he mumbled against her hair.

"The marriage?" Rose questioned.

"Yes," he replied.

"Why would you want to? Do you not like Princess Caira?"

Even as the words left her throat, it felt as though she might choke, but she wasn’t going to pretend any longer. It was best to address. Caius clearly intended to keep her here even after the wedding. She couldn’t let that happen; it was time she returned to her father.

Caius stiffened at her words and pulled back to look at her face. He frowned as he studied her intensely, then a flash of different emotions passed over his features—emotions Rose didn’t understand—until they settled on desire.

Rose didn’t understand the Crown Prince. She didn’t get how quickly he went from normal to completely turned on. She doubted she would ever understand it.

Caius was angry. Her question wasn’t out of jest; she was simply curious about why he would want to refuse the marriage. It annoyed him, as it wasn’t something he was willing to admit when the answer didn’t even know.

He was angry, but at the same time, he wanted her more than ever before. Perhaps if he showed her, made her body his so that no one else could ever possess her as he did. Perhaps then, she too might be unable to...

The kiss was so hot it muffled out the rest of his thoughts. There was no hesitancy as their lips met. At first, she was a little shocked, but as soon as he deepened the kiss, she kissed him back with as much heat.

Caius’s mind was in scrambles; he wanted relief, and Rose’s arms provided it for him. As their lips met, he couldn’t remember what he had been so agitated about. It was inconsequential; all that mattered was the woman lying in his arms.