A Dove's Tale

Chapter 185

"Are you sure you want to go so early? We could go later in the afternoon, if you'd prefer."

I smoothed Chevalier's jacket and leaned forward, biting my lower lip teasingly. Everything about him said he wanted to stay here in our room the rest of the morning. His hungry blue eyes, his mischievous smirk, his hand on the small of back; even the way he reclined against the sofa with an arm slung casually across the backrest. An open invitation for me to kiss him—as a start. It wasn't a conversational posture.

And yet, when he'd pulled me onto his lap after breakfast, that was what he started. A conversation.

"The crowd will be at its thinnest now," he replied. "It will be easier for your guards to keep track of you."

It was almost as if he was playing a game with me. Throughout my explanation about Clavis' trap for Jin and Theresa, he'd continued these little gestures, these simple touches that hinted at him wanting more. Right now, he was rubbing my back. And yet he wasn't making a move.

Was he trying to see who would break first?

I could play this game.

I shifted slightly, adjusting my position as I straddled his lap, and dropped my gaze to his chest while I drew circles on the fabric. "Do they really need to come along?"

"This festival draws people from all across Rhodolite. Not all of them are trustworthy, and security is difficult in crowds. Additionally, while most commoners have taken the news about Leon well, there has been some unrest and discontentment with the royal family." He caught my chin in his fingers and leaned in, giving me a light kiss. "Your guards will be out of uniform and scattered throughout the square. You won't even see them unless you look for them."

Well, that ruined the mood, even with the kiss.

"Do you really think there will be trouble?" I asked, searching his face.

He smiled one of those small, warm, fond smiles, the kind that could melt my heart into a contented puddle. "No, but I don't take chances where you are concerned. We should go." He kissed me again. "And finish this later."

And then he smirked, and there was no mistaking the suggestion in his voice this time, nor the intention of the hand he rested on my thigh.

My heart reformed from the puddle and took off racing, but I simply kissed him back and climbed off his lap with an airy, "We'll see about that."

It promised to be a fun day.

Last year, I'd been sitting across from Chevalier during our carriage ride to the festival, nervous and confused about his intentions and the entire situation, but this year, I sat beside him, excited and aware. His feelings weren't a mystery anymore, and yet his reason for taking me to the festival was basically the same then as it was now: he knew I would enjoy it.

"Relax," he said, running his fingers through my hair and down my back.

"Oh, sorry." I was sitting on the edge of my seat, and I slid back, tearing my gaze away from the window to smile at him. "The timing for this couldn't have been more perfect. We all need a break after last week."

"You would have been this enthusiastic regardless of the circumstances." He took my hand and interlaced his fingers with mine. "Do not run off."

"I'm not a child," I teased, leaning toward him.

He closed the remaining distance to give me a peck on the lips. "I'm well aware of that."

Arriving at the festival this early in the day meant the carriage almost made it to the square before the crowds forced it to stop. Chevalier alighted and offered me his hand, and as soon as my foot touched the ground, I noticed another difference. A glaring difference.