5.5 - Under the Ice Blades (18 page)

His entire face flushed with embarrassment. She shouldn’t tease him so, but once she’d gotten over being stunned by his confession and worried about what a
relationship
might entail, she’d grown quite enthused with the idea of enjoying his company in a horizontal capacity. She’d caught herself grinning more than once during her recovery, waiting like a schoolgirl smitten with her first crush for him to visit each day. Any woman would be delighted with a king’s attention, she supposed, but he’d truly won her regard when he’d realized that the best place for her was out in the field, not grounded here in the capital. He understood her. What more could a girl want?

“Do you have a nickname?” Angulus asked. “Since I know you don’t care for—”

She pressed a finger to his lips before he could utter her first name.

He raised his eyebrows, a hint of indignation entering his eyes. Not used to being shushed by commoners, was he? She turned the touch into a caress, tracing his lips, then trailing her fingers up his jawline to push through his hair and rub his scalp.

“I’ve had a handful of nicknames,” Kaika said, “but since I’m picking one for you, maybe you want to pick one for me.” She moved the basket out from between them and set it on her other side so she could scoot closer. “Let me give you some ideas.”

This time when his brows rose, his eyes glinted with intrigue. She leaned in close, rested her hand in his lap, and gave him a kiss designed to curl his toes. Her own toes did some curling too. When the fliers came in to land, the view was probably spectacular, but they were too engaged in other matters to notice.