In one swift movement, Lincoln moves to face me, his mouth finding mine. The Prince’s tongue plays across my lips, quickly driving deeper with need. Heat flows through my veins, pooling in my core. Lincoln’s body shifts as presses me against the wall, the motion just rough enough to make me moan. Damn, that feels good. My legs tremble as I taste him over and over, his muscles flexing and releasing as me moves against me.

Lincoln sets his mouth by my ear. “You’re lucky those Earls can’t hunt worth a damn. I could hear you breathing from across the room.”

I lick my lips and smile. “Lucky me.”

The Prince stares at me for a long moment. “That was the part where I lose control because I didn’t expect to see you.” He shoots me a shy smile. “Next is the part where I say we take things slowly.”

“Thank you.” Although if I didn’t have such an awful reason for visiting him, I’d talk him into returning to the first part.

Lincoln links his fingers with mine, and then leans back. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Our arms swing in a happy motion. It feels insanely good to see him. I smile for the first time in what feels like years.

“Lincoln, what did my eyes look like yesterday?” I stay flush against the wall, careful to keep my head and hood in the shadows.

“Oh that.” He frowns, remembering. “They were changing colors. Brown, blue, red. You said it was from your lust demon awakening for the first time.” He leans in and nuzzles my neck. “Did I mention how much I liked red?”

I laugh. “That you did.” Last night during our walk, we’d take breaks and kiss for a while before one of us would say ‘taking it slowly.’ Over time, it turned into (what else) a competition to see how fast Lincoln could get my ‘eyes to spark.’ Hottie Prince pain-in-my-butt. “No less than six times, as I recall.”

He purses his lips. “As long as I’m consistent, that’s what matters.” He looks at me out of his right eye. “Is that why you came here, to ask me that?”

I fidget against the wall. “No, I came here to show you something.”

Lincoln’s face creases with concern. “Okay. What is it?”

My stomach ties into knots. “What if I were different from who you thought I was?”

His voice stays calm, his face unreadable. “Like how, different?”

“What if I became someone who was a risk, a target?” Nervous energy zings through my body. I have the perverse desire to kick a hole in the feasting hall table. “Someone who needs to disappear for a very long time.”

Lincoln moves closer, wrapping his long arms around me. “And you’re afraid of what exactly?”