SIXTEEN

Word Count: 1526

I knock gently on Tai's door, glancing over my shoulder to make sure the hallway is still empty.

The door opens, so I slip through, pressing it closed tightly behind me. It feels sinful sneaking up to his room like this, so late at night, even if my intentions are just to come up here to speak to him.

His room is bathed in moonlight, the milky beams shifting the usual colours of his room to something else entirely. Otherwise, his room is perfectly simple, despite being oddly shaped. This may be his childhood room, yet nothing in here suggests it's ever been lived in.

"I'm sure every possible maid saw me come up here," I breathe, the amusement in my tone fading slightly.

Tai's lips tilt up slightly, eyes glittering as if he enjoys the idea of that quite much. I'm mortified at the thought of it getting back to Kailor, especially when he thinks I was a mistress of Tai before we were engaged.

"Let them gossip," he mutters dismissively, waving his hand. "We were meant to marry, right?"

"That was months ago. So much has changed," I sigh, raking my hand back through my hair as I wander to the middle of the room, until my body and clothing are doused in moonlight.

"Here, put this coat on," Tai says, handing me a grey coat lined with fur. "It's warm outside, but I want to take you somewhere special."

For once, I don't protest, knowing I want a moment alone with Tai to completely relax.

"I'm excited," I murmur, shrugging the coat on before following him out the room.

+

Tai doesn't tell me anything as we stalk across the grounds. He holds my hand, leading me down a dirt path that cuts through the forest. For a moment, I'm convinced he's leading me out here to sit beneath the trees and talk, however eventually the trees clear, revealing the most bizarre sight.

A lake.

It's not a large lake, although perhaps I'm mistaken, as they are so rare in the Jade Province, I've never seen one in person. It's quite ethereal at this time of night, the surface smooth as it reflects the moons magnificent rays, quivering slightly with the slight breeze.

"Wow...This place is stunning," I breathe, hardly able to believe I'm looking at this right now.

"I used to come out here at night to see the moon's reflection on the water," Tai says, his voice sweet like the wind. "It was the perfect escape whenever my father was pressuring me."

Still holding my hand, he leads me out toward a small dock, the lush reeds rearing up through the cracks, brushing against my feet until we come to sit over the edge. The moonlight really is magnificent, so it's not strange to assume Tai would come out here often as a boy. It turns the surface pale white, rippling magically.

"How has it been, being back here?" I ask him, pulling my shoes off so my toes can trace the surface of the water.

Tai braces himself back on his hands. "Strange...You being here makes everything a lot better."

I focus on him, admiring how beautiful he looks tonight, with the backdrop of the forest behind him, the same dark shade of emerald as his eyes. I don't stop enough to realise how lucky I am that I was with him through all of this, whether he is one of the most attractive men I've ever seen.

"I want to thank you for everything that you've done. Bringing me here has saved my life, when you easily could have abandoned me," I tell him earnestly. "You're way too good at saving my life."

"I'm tied to you, Akara, don't you get that? I'll never leave you behind, ever," he assures me, the seriousness in his eyes taking me aback.

I smile softly. "I'll pay you back one day."

He shakes his head at me playfully. I look back over the lake, at the sprawling trees that surround it. I could sit here all day, my toes only slightly submerged under the surface of the icy cold water.

"You look breath-taking," Tai breathes.

I stretch, smothering my smile. Tai complimenting me immediately consumes my body with warmth, as I know he is being honest, speaking his mind rather than trying to impress me. Bracing myself on my palms, I slide closer to him, until our legs are touching.

"You're making me blush," I asset, grateful the moonlight likely isn't hiding my flushed cheeks. I forgot what it was like to be in a quiet, intimate situation with Tai.

"That's the idea," he notes, biting the edge of his lip to compliment his intense gaze. I'm already nervous, and he's making it worse. "It's okay to be complimented. I want you to know how I feel about you."

"I wish I was half as confident as you are with my feelings," I admit, looking down at my hands.

If I were honest with my feelings, I would have given myself over to Tai long ago. But I've been so frightened of ruining of everything, especially since I rely on him so much for my safety. Being with him would make me happy, but with Marek stalking me, I can't decide if it really is that great of an idea.

"You just have to relax," he murmurs, resting his hand on my thigh.

The heat from his hand surges through me, chills fluttering down my back. My throat dries as I dare look up at him, holding his gaze. The air between us is tense, although Tai doesn't lean toward me, as if he is waiting for me to make the first move. It makes sense, since I'm the one who told him to hold off.

I clench my jaw, nodding at him slightly, suddenly unconcerned about what this could mean. Who cares about that now. I want him to touch me, to feel his lips on mine.

His lips tilt up slightly, as he leans toward me, brushing my hair away over my shoulder in an effortlessly movement, fingertips brushing my skin. I watch him curiously, until he leans forward and kiss, resting his palm on the side of my face.

The moment his mouth touches my skin, my toes curl under the surface of the water.

I don't give him much of a chance to continue kissing my neck, pulling his head up so his lips meet mine. Everything melts into place, the warmth of him, his scent homely and comfortable, similar to the scents of the forest and the lake around us.

His tongue glides into my mouth just as he lays me back against the dock, the sound of small waves lapping against the posts accompanying the rest of the nature around us.

All rational thought has flooded from my head. All I can concentrate are on his arms braced over me, his hair brushing against my face as we kiss. My hands find his face, holding him, as if he's going to disappear.

My entire body lights up as his own presses down onto me, resting between my legs.

Tai pulls his mouth away from mine, allowing me a single breath before he's kissing my neck, a rush of pleasure coursing through me in response. My hands find his back, grabbing the fabric of his shirt, pulling it up enough until I can touch his bare skin.

The moment I pull his lips back to mine, the kiss is even more intense. He deepens the kiss, hand delving under my shirt to grab my waist, pulling me closer to him. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer, if that's even possible.

I pull away for a moment, breathing in deeply. "Woah..."

"Everything okay?" Tai asks, eyebrows furrowing as he looks down at me, assessing to see if I'm offended that he kissed me.

"How are you such a good kisser?" I breathe.

The tension vanishes from Tai's face as he smiles, relieved I'm not having second thoughts. I've decided there's no point in running from what is clearly between Tai and I. For once, I don't care about Marek, Kailor or anything else that wants to get in the way of this. Tai has wanted me this entire time, I've just been too frightened to allow myself to want him back.

He leans forward again, glancing down at my lips. "Let me show you more."

I don't protest, as his lips meet mine again.

🤍••🤍

If you guys want to read ahead, you can read more of KING'S SEDUCTION on Radish! It's chapters ahead of Wattpad (:

You'll will find it under KING'S POSSESSION on Radish, as season 2!

🦢••🦢

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radish! It will be following the same storyline with the same characters, but with revised scenes and some new ones!

I love Jasper's story so much that I wanted to go back and rewrite it. I hope you guys will enjoy it, you can find it now on Radish (:

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~Midika 💜🐼