A Princess and a Thief
Wren
The door creaks open as Ledian steps into the dark room grabbing a match. He lights a small candle then steps around the room lighting others of varying sizes, shapes, and colors until the room is flooded with a golden hue.
I stand in the doorway soaking in the bare room. Only a small mattress on the floor and a few bags of what looks to be food and clothing occupy the space.
Ledian gestures to the room, “Welcome to my humble abode.”
“This is where you live?” Shock vibrates through me at the poverty he lives in.
His lips part in an uneven, yet perfect smile. “Yeah, used to be a storage unit for the hotel but I talked them into letting me rent it and I take care of any… unruly guests.”
Picking up my skirt, I usher myself into the room. My hands come up at their own accord and rest on his chest as I meet him where he stands.
“Ledian, let me help you.”
With a heavy sigh, he reaches up and grabs my hands, his fingers rough and calloused. His beautiful green eyes close as he shakes his head.
“Wren. No. I’m not a charity case. I’ve taken care of myself up until now, I’ll be fine!”
Each beat of my heart, a dull ache pulses and forms into an uncomfortable knot in my stomach. How? How did he survive all this time by himself?
“I could get you a real bed … Some new clothes, shoes … you really need new boots. Oh, a dresser maybe. A warm meal, of course. Perhaps I could even get away with enough that you wouldn’t have to steal to eat.—“
“Wren!” His voice is strained, red seeping into his cheeks, “You aren’t listening to me. This … this is nothing. This fight for your life, steal to live, scrounge to eat. This is me.”
“I just want to help you,” I whisper. Pulling away, I drop my hands and step around him to look further into the room. Maybe, maybe he is right. Maybe it’s not so bad.
The cringe that fills my features can’t be stopped. Dirt dusts his floors and the noise of scurrying feet from the rodents that share the room is all I can focus on. I nod at the worn floorboards.
“Not everyone needs your help. I don’t need to be saved.”
Ledian’s grasp meets my waist, his strong confident movements spin me around to face him. His fingers lift up my chin leaving a streak of dirt behind.
I hate how handsome he is. I hate how easy it is for him to get under my skin. I hate how much I think about him when he isn’t around.
“Why are you so stubborn?” The annoyance I feel begins to creep into my voice. “If you could stop acting like an arrogant basta—“
His rough lips meet mine with a force that’s hungry and needy. Gasping in surprise, my lips part and his tongue rolls against mine.
Warm hands roam and settle back along my waist. The taste of his lips stirs a warmth that begins to settle between my legs. Slowly I pull away and shrug off my heavy cloak, letting the dark fabric flutter to the dirt on the floor. My palms get clammy, nerves building knowing where this is heading. Knowing where I want this to head.
He studies me for a moment, his gaze serious for once. Slowly he reaches up and pulls away the clip holding my hair.
As pieces of dark waves fall over my shoulders, Ledian pushes himself against me. The hard planes of his body skim my soft curves. He takes a few hurried steps, pushing me against the thin wall.
Tugging against the laces, he undoes the corset of my dress. His quick movements remove the thing in record time. Eagerly he follows suit with my underclothes as if he’s unwrapping the gift he’s been waiting for since the day he laid eyes on me in that grimy bar. My layers of clothing now laying at my feet, while he’s completely clothed.
With a fake confidence, I kick off my boots. My eyes hold the glint of the dagger on the floor at our feet. My heart skips a beat at the sight of it but Ledian’s gaze doesn’t stray from my body.
My hands skim under his shirt, meeting his smooth skin, pushing at the fabric until he pulls it off. Energy soars through me from the feel of his skin against mine. My fingertips roam, tracing each hard, defined muscle. Thin scar lines meet my touch; smooth imperfections against a perfect body.
Exposed to him, adrenaline pumps through me with every frantic heartbeat.
His hard body meets my soft curves. His warmth seeping into me. His tongue dances along with mine. I savor his taste. Savor his breath on mine.
The fullness of his lips work down my neck and I gasp as his hot breath hits my cold skin. His rough hands cup my breast, gently tugging on my nipples.
Moaning into him, heat pools between my legs. I let my hands wander until my grasp finds his length.
A groan escapes his lips and he quickly shimmies out of his pants, his legs kicking them behind him. The smoothness of his length presses against my stomach, swirling an energy through my core from the feel of it.
My hands settle back onto his lean hips, praying he’ll take the lead.
I’ve held power all my life. In this moment I’m controlling Ledian’s wants with just a flick of my tongue against his.
A sharp breath parts his lips and he stares at me. Into me. His eyes searching mine for something I don’t understand. He smiles, the sweet look filling his features. His hands skim down my stomach, across my hips and settle firmly under my thighs. I gasp as he picks me up, his hips meeting mine perfectly. Ledian makes his way the few steps to his small bed. Gently he sets me down among his worn sheets.
He licks his lips.
“God, I never thought I’d say this.”
“What?” My breath is coming in heaps.
“This all kind of got away from me. We … don’t have to do anything, Wren.” He holds my gaze, gaging my reaction.
Pushing off from the mattress, I lean up until my fingers grip the back of his neck. My lips seal against his and he smiles against my mouth as his tongue meets mine.
His weight settles between my legs. A coiling feeling tightens within me at the feel of him poised against me.
He wastes no time pushing into me. Biting my lip I contain my discomfort as I lose my last piece of innocence. The warmth of his palm tightens on my thigh as he slides into me once more. Our hips begin to roll together, a glorious grinding that leaves me gasping.
He wraps me in his arms. His solid muscles frame my delicate shoulders. In this moment, I am what he needs, all he needs.
Pulling my hair into his fist he tugs, until my head is tilted enough that my neck’s exposed. Ledian runs his tongue along my jaw, kissing down to my collarbone. The rough way he slams into me mixed with the sweet way his tongue flicks across my skin, makes the feeling within me combust.
A tremor shakes through me.
Ledian’s rough. Ungentle and unapologizing. Our frustrating banter has led us here. He groans above me and I seal my lips perfectly against his, my tongue rolling against his as he stills.
It’s then that I realize I knew this was coming. I just didn’t realize I wanted it so bad.