A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1)(37)

He nodded, and she sauntered away toward the kitchen.

Marth strolled over, sending the barmaid his I-know-you-want-me smile. Her eyes lit up, and I shook my head at him.

I missed the company of other women so much sometimes. Missed my best friend even more. What would Asinia think of me now?

If not for the fact that I was one of the corrupt, she would likely find the fact that I was traveling alone with five men both hilarious and titillating.

“You’re quiet,” Rythos said.

“I’m tired.”

Rythos just nudged me, hard enough that I wobbled on the rickety stool. Lorian sent him a warning look.

The barmaid returned with plates of some kind of meat, root vegetables, and bread, which she placed in front of us. The bread was fresh, and I took a bite, my stomach awakening as the other men sat down and began stuffing food into their mouths.

The barmaid leaned over the table, revealing the tops of large, round breasts, and gave Marth a saucy grin.

She shifted her attention to me. “Now which of these fine men is yours?”

Lorian snorted. That. Was. It.

“Well,” I said. “This is a little…awkward…”

The barmaid’s eyes lit up, and she leaned closer. “It is?”

“It’s just that…they’re all mine.” I surveyed the men as I said it, grinning at their reactions.

A chunk of meat fell from Rythos’s mouth. Cavis’s eyes widened, while Marth choked on his ale. Galon closed his eyes and muttered something that sounded like “young enough to be my daughter.”

Lorian just looked at me, irritation clear in his eyes.

I smiled a smug little smile that was guaranteed to annoy him even more. I had to get my enjoyment where I could find it.

The barmaid’s mouth had fallen open.

“She’s just joking,” Marth ground out, obviously seeing his chances with her going up in smoke. “Tell her, Prisca.”

“Don’t say that, darling,” I crooned. “I promise you’ll get your turn with me eventually.”

I didn’t know what had come over me. From the horror on Marth’s face, neither did he.

I’d expected Lorian to snarl. Instead, he leaned close. So close, my body hummed with awareness. So close, I could barely breathe.

“My wife has a…filthy mouth,” he purred, his gaze dropping to my lips.

I licked my lips, and he leaned even closer. Galon slammed his cup on the table, and I jolted.

Lorian launched to his feet, pulling me up with him. “Are you finished?”

I glanced down at my empty plate and beamed at the barmaid. “I am. That was delicious, thank you.”

The look Lorian sent me made it clear he wasn’t talking about the food. I wrapped both my arms around one of his, determined that he wouldn’t win. He stiffened, brow lowering.

“Let’s go to our room.” I winked at the others. “I’ll see you all later.”

“Enough,” Lorian said, hauling me toward the stairs. “You’ve had your fun.”

I glanced at him. I was expecting him to growl at me. What I wasn’t expecting was the way his shoulders shook, or the way he pulled me close, holding on to me as his chest rumbled with his laugh. “Did you see Galon’s face?”

The older man’s horrified expression flashed in front of my eyes, and I giggled. “His daughter,” I got out, almost folding in two as fresh laughter erupted from me.

Lorian stopped laughing first, his gaze on my face. His expression had turned gentle, almost indulgent. He was so close that I could see the darker green flecks in his eyes. The moment stretched, and my heart began thumping erratically.

“What is it?”

He cleared his throat. “Nothing.” Pulling the key from his pocket, he glanced down at the number. “Let’s get settled.”

I followed him up the rest of the stairs and to the right. Our room was on this floor at the end of the hall.

Lorian swung the door open, taking in the “best room.”

The sound that came out of me was an embarrassing moan of pure want. Lorian stiffened, and I glanced up at him then back at the bath, which had been drawn while we were eating. He chuckled.

“I’ll leave you to bathe.” He dropped his bag on the floor and gently pushed me farther into the room so he could shut the door.

I’d bathed in the river that morning. But that had involved shivering until it felt like my bones would break and cursing at the lack of soap. Now, I could laze in this cracked, clawed tub for as long as I liked.

My clothes hit the floor within moments, and I was stepping into the bath, sighing as I leaned back in the candlelight. The water was almost too hot—just the way I liked it—and whoever had drawn the bath had left behind vanilla-scented soap.

This. Was. Paradise.

I lathered every inch of myself, washed my hair, and leaned back once more.

Teasing Lorian, finally hearing him laugh…had been…fun. I’d thought I’d annoy him—and had been just fine with that idea—but hearing the rough mercenary truly laugh for the first time… Our eyes meeting without the usual rancor…

It had been nice. That was all. A nice, enjoyable moment in an otherwise monotonous travel day.

A moment that had—for reasons I didn’t understand—reminded me of my parents.