The lights extinguished magically as he kissed her, his weight assaulting her senses. Vhalla snuck a hand around his neck, holding his face to hers. He tasted of sweet liquor and every delicious dark dream she’d ever had. She wanted to lose herself to him, to give him everything she had. When he pulled away countless kisses later it didn’t feel even close to enough.

“Aldrik,” she sighed breathlessly.

“No, I won’t. You said not tonight.” The prince read her mind.

“But—”

“No,” Aldrik repeated. He scooped her up into his arms and twisted onto his back, pulling her half onto him. “I also don’t want you to think that I take women to bed lightly.”

“You don’t need to worry. I know.” Vhalla caressed up his stomach, feeling the groves of muscle carved by years of duty through the thin fabric of his shirt. “I don’t care how many it has been, or why. I just want to be here now.”

“How many do you think it has been?” He actually sounded amused.

“I told you, I don’t care.” Her movements stilled.

“Ah-ah, Vhalla, I practically invented dodging questions. You’ve much to learn yet.” He tucked some hair behind her ear.

“I don’t know,” Vhalla resigned. She didn’t want to offend him with her guess being wildly off. He was six years older than she was, and judging by his brother’s comments he had been significantly more active from a younger age. “Eight?” She took a stab at a number, thinking it would be too low as it was less than one a year since his coming of age ceremony at fifteen.

His laughter rang out through the darkness.

“Three.” “Three?” she repeated. It was more than her grand total of one, but it was far fewer than she had expected.

“Is that a pleased repeat, my parrot?” He pressed his lips to her forehead.

“I suppose so.” She shifted slightly closer to him. “More than me.”

“I’d assume so.”

“What does that mean?” Vhalla huffed in mock offense.

“I used your lack of experience to throw you off balance right off, remember?” He ran his hand down her arm to intertwine his fingers with hers.

“Two isn’t that big of a difference,” Vhalla muttered, unsure how it had become a contest.

“Two.” The simple math took Aldrik far too long. “You mean, you have ...”

It was Vhalla’s turn to laugh. “The East doesn’t really have your Southern notions of a woman’s virgin blood. Yes, one man.”

“And here I thought I was corrupting you.” Vhalla heard the grin in his voice, and she moved her hand to his cheek, feeling how his mouth curled.

“I’m fairly certain you are,” Vhalla teased lightly.

“You’re right,” he teased back. “I am out to dine upon your still beating heart.”