A Dove's Tale

Chapter 170

"Ivetta, wake up."

Chevalier's voice floated through the fog of sleep to me, coaxing me to wakefulness, but I shook my head. "Just a few more minutes..."

"The carriage is here, Ivetta."

I opened my eyes reluctantly. The room was unusually dark, but the light shining around the curtains was enough for me to make him out, propped up on his elbow beside me.

When had he drawn the curtains?

He chuckled and brushed the hair back from my face. "You shouldn't have had that last glass of wine."

"Well, you shouldn't have encouraged me," I muttered, burying my face in the pillow again. I didn't have a hangover, but thanks to that glass, we'd stayed up later than we probably would have otherwise.

"You were too cute." His fingers skimmed across my back, pushing my hair to one side before his lips pressed into my shoulder, and then the heat of his breath moved up my neck to my ear. "With your flushed cheeks and all that giggling..."

And this was why we'd stayed up late. I squirmed as his lips followed his breath, showering my ear and cheek with kisses. "Chevalier..."

"We can delay another hour, if you'd like," he breathed in a low, husky voice. "But we won't be sleeping."

"Chevalier," I chided, rolling away from him and onto my back. I stretched my arms above my head, my voice stretching with them. "You're awfully wide awake for someone who isn't a morning person," I remarked, finished with a contented sigh as I dropped my arms onto the pillow.

"I heard the carriage arrive," he replied, taking a lock of my hair and twirling it around his finger.

And that was probably when he closed the curtains, I realized. "So, you're back on alert."

"You didn't expect that to change?"

I shook my head. "No, I guess not." I yawned and sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Just so long as we don't have guards outside our room all the time."

He sat up, too, and wrapped his arms around my waist. "The rules are still the same," he said, leaning in to kiss my neck. "You're safe when you're with me."

"I'm not sure about that." I put my hands on his upper arms in a semblance of pushing him away, but I was giggling too much to actually do it. "We have to get ready."

"We're the king and queen. If we want to take our time, nobody can complain," he reasoned. His arms tightened around my waist as he added light nibbles between his kisses, his fine hair tickling my skin with each movement.

"Chevalier..." My weak protest did little to stop him, especially since I wasn't exactly putting up much of a fight until I felt a targeted nip on my neck, harder and almost painful. "Hey! Don't you dare leave a mark," I warned him. "The last thing I need is—"

His smiling lips cut me off for a kiss, and my meager resistance deflated. He kissed me again, and again, pressing in a little harder every time as my hands drifted up to his shoulders, then his neck. A tug on my lower lip told me he wanted more, and I let him in easily, our tongues meeting and dancing to the tune of soft sighs and mingled breaths. Each shift of his body against mine and each slight change to the angle of the kiss stirred and warmed the butterflies in my stomach more. He caressed my back as he leaned into me, and when his hand came to my shoulder, applying gentle pressure, it was tempting to comply, to lie down again and let this continue.

"Mm, Chevalier, no," I said, pushing him back reluctantly. "We really need to get ready."

There was no disappointment on his face, just a smile on his wet lips and a spark of mischief in his crystal blue eyes. "The servants are making breakfast," he said, his thumb rubbing back and forth across my shoulder.