Daughter of Tide and Illusion

Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Lyv wasn't asleep. Jai could tell by the small smile that curved at the corner of her mouth as his fingertips brushed along her flushed cheeks, tucking her tangled curls behind her ear, before trailing slowly along her shoulder and down the curve of her spine. She was completely at ease in the early morning light, stretched out on her stomach with her arms beneath her head on the pillow. The sheets were gathered at her waist, the curve of her backside barely peeking out for him to see.

Jai leaned forward, brushing a kiss along her jaw. "Good morning," he whispered in her ear.

"Morning already?" she asked, cracking open one eye. "We haven't even slept for longer than an hour at most."

"And are you tired?"

A smile spread across her lips. "Nope."

"Hungry?"

"Always," she laughed

Jai tried to move from her side so he could go downstairs to the kitchen, but Lyv stopped him with a hand on his arm. She shifted to the side of the bed, pulling the tray from the night before up onto the bed. And with a snap of her finger and a flicker of magic, the empty plates were replaced with ones laden with food.

"Using your magic for good, I see," Jai chuckled as he sat up, the sheets pooling around his hips.

"Exactly, especially when it doesn't require me getting dressed. Because I have plans of not leaving this room today."

His eyes dropped to her bare chest and the planes of her stomach. "I'd be all right with that."

"Of course, you would," she snorted, rolling her eyes.

He really would be all right with spending the whole day in bed with her. He couldn't stop watching her as she ate until she was groaning at how full she was, leaning back against the pillows. There was no chance of him ever getting tired of her, never get tired of kissing her and making love to her, of just being with her as they were in that moment. Even then, he was moving to lay beside her, touching her again, trying to convince himself that yes, she was real and she was his.

Lyv was moving closer to him then to snuggle against his side, face pressed to the crook of his neck as he kissed her forehead.

"We never really got to do this after that first night," she whispered against his neck. "Back in Escarral, I mean. We were always anticipating you leaving, so we couldn't really just enjoy being together. Even once we were back at the palace, we still always had somewhere to be, something to do."

"I should have stayed with you that morning," he said after a long pause. She knew exactly what morning he was talking about as he twisted his ring around her finger. "I shouldn't have gone when the siege began, shouldn't have left without telling you the truth. Then maybe..."

"It's all right."

"No, it isn't," Jai mumbled into her hair. "I should have stayed...or, if anything, should have gone back for you. If there is one thing I regret most in my life, it's that."

Lyv leaned up on one elbow so she could look down at him. "Jai, hush. I've already told you..."

"But I..."

She stopped him with a kiss. It wasn't exactly one that was filled with fiery passion as they were all through the night, though his body still heated at her skin on his, but this one was sweet and simple and filled with promise. She moved her hand to cradle it against his cheek, thumb brushing along the scruff of his jawline. He willingly shut up then as one hand knotted in her hair and the other pressed against the small of her back.