“You really should move,” I told him, even though I liked the weight of him.
“I’m quite comfortable where I am,” he added.
“Well, I’m not.”
“Will you tell me who you are, Princess?”
“Princess?” I repeated. There were no Princesses or Princes in the entire kingdom beyond the Dark One, who called himself such. Not since Atlantia had ruled.
“You are quite demanding.” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I imagine a Princess to be demanding.”
“I am not demanding,” I stated. “Get off me.”
He arched a brow. “Really?”
“Telling you to move is not being demanding.”
“We’ll have to disagree on that.” He paused. “Princess.”
My lips twitched in wry humor, but I managed to stifle the smile. “You shouldn’t call me that.”
“Then what should I call you? A name, perhaps?”
“I’m…I’m no one,” I told him.
“No One? What a strange name. Do girls with a name like that often make a habit of wearing other people’s clothing?”
“I’m not a girl,” I snapped.
“I would sure hope not.” He paused, lips curling down at the corners. “How old are you?”
“Old enough to be in here, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“In other words, old enough to be masquerading as someone else, allowing others to believe you’re another person and then allowing them to kiss—”
“I get what you’re saying,” I cut him off. “Yes, I’m old enough for all those things.”
One eyebrow rose. “I’ll tell you who I am, although I have a feeling you already know. I’m Hawke Flynn.”
“Hi,” I said, feeling foolish for doing so.
The dimple in his right cheek deepened. “This is the part where you tell me your name.”
My lips nor my tongue moved.
“Then I’ll have to keep calling you Princess.” His eyes were much warmer now, and I wanted to see if the pain had eased but managed to resist. I thought that perhaps his pain had gone away. If so…
“The least you can do is tell me why you didn’t stop me,” he said before I could give in to the curiosity and reach out with my senses.
I had no idea how I could answer that when I didn’t fully understand it myself.
One side of his lips quirked up. “I’m sure it’s more than my disarming good looks.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Of course.”
Another short, surprised-sounding laugh left him. “I think you just insulted me.”
Chagrined, I winced. “That’s not what I meant—”
“You’ve wounded me, Princess.”
“I highly doubt that. You have to be more than well aware of your appearance.”
“I am. It has led to quite a few people making questionable life choices.”
“Then why did you say you were insulted—？” Realizing he was teasing me and feeling foolish for not seeing that right away, I pushed at his chest once more. “You’re still lying on me.”
“I know.”
I took a breath. “It’s quite rude of you to continue doing so when I’ve made it clear that I would like for you to move.”
“It’s quite rude of you to barge into my room dressed as—”
“Your lover?”
He raised a brow. “I wouldn’t call her that.”
“What would you call her?”
Hawke appeared to mull that over while still sprawled halfway across me. “A…good friend.”
Part of me was relieved that he hadn’t referred to her as something derogatory like I’d overheard other men do before when speaking of women they’d been intimate with, but a good friend? “I didn’t know friends behaved this way.”
“I’m willing to wager you don’t know much about these sorts of things.”
The truth in his statement was hard to ignore. “And you wager all of this on just one kiss?”
“Just one kiss? Princess, you can learn a wealth of things from just one kiss.”
Staring at him, I couldn’t help but feel…very inexperienced. The only thing I could tell from his kiss was what it had made me feel. Like he was seeking to possess me.
“Why didn’t you stop me?” His gaze swept over the mask and then lower, to where I realized the cloak had parted, exposing the too-thin gown and its rather daring neckline. Honestly, I didn’t know what I’d been thinking when I slipped on the garment. It was almost like I’d subconsciously been preparing myself for…something. My stomach tumbled. More likely, the gown was false bravado.