Rosalind's fingers curled slightly against her lap as his words settled heavily over her. Her heart was racing so fast she could hear it pounding in her ears, yet she forced herself not to look away from him.
She had been asked to start seducing him.
How was she supposed to manage that when she could barely breathe under his gaze?
Her lips parted although no words came, and for a moment she simply sat there with her body frozen beneath his stare.
Alaric's eyes darkened further. "Well?" he prompted softly, although the impatience beneath his voice was clear.
Rosalind swallowed before she finally moved, slowly and hesitantly. She did not seem confident in what she was about to do, Alaric noticed, but she proceeded anyway and that alone was enough to please him. Little by little she would get there, he thought inwardly.
She shifted closer to him on the bed with careful movements, uncertainty etched in every step as if she expected him to stop her at any second, and her hand lifted, hovering briefly before she finally let it rest against his chest.
The contact made her breath hitch. Alaric's body was warm beneath her palm while his chest felt hard and sturdy, and the awareness of it sent a strange heat curling low in her stomach. She couldn't help but notice the slight thrum of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips, quickening at her touch.
Alaric didn't move. He simply watched her with a smirk now curling on his lips, and that only made things worse for Rosalind.
Her fingers pressed slightly against his shirt before they stilled again, as though she did not know what came next. Her gaze flickered to his lips for the briefest second before she forced it back to his eyes, and she remained there awkwardly, feeling foolish yet unable to do anything else because she was inexperienced.
Alaric's hand moved suddenly as he caught her wrist before she could pull away, and his grip tightened just enough to make her breath catch again.
"That's your idea of seduction?" he murmured in a low voice. His eyes gleamed with amusement, yet there was something darker beneath his tone.
Rosalind's cheeks burned red, but she couldn't retreat. His arm had already slipped around her waist from behind, clamping her in place while making it clear she had nowhere to run. He wanted her to finish what she had started, and so she swallowed and tried again.
Her other hand rose slowly, and this time she let her fingers trail along his shoulder. She noticed how firm it felt beneath her touch before her hand continued upward toward his neck.
While she did this, Alaric made sure to keep her gaze fixed on him because he knew she could barely handle it. She swallowed again as her fingers trailed slowly down the side of his neck.
Alaric's gaze never left her face, yet something in his expression sharpened and darkened although Rosalind remained unaware. She was too busy trying to gather the courage to continue and to survive this strange task he had given her.
Rosalind leaned closer this time, close enough to feel his breath and close enough that if either of them moved, their lips would meet. Her lips hovered just above his, and he could feel her breath fanning against his mouth.
Was she going to kiss him?
Alaric wondered inwardly with amusement. Way to go, my little rose, he thought as he waited to see what she would do next, while his arm tightened around her waist possessively. She could only belong to him.
But Rosalind did not close the distance as he expected. Instead she released an unsteady breath and moved her lips slightly, brushing them softly against his skin.
Her lips hovered near his jaw as she slowly trailed them along its line. She was still trembling and still unsure, yet Alaric's lips parted subtly in surprise. He had not expected that from her. To think she managed to stir something in him not by kissing him, but by letting her lips drift across his jawline.
His Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously.
"Your Majesty?" Rosalind called softly, sensing the shift in him.
Alaric's eyes darkened with a rough and consuming desire to claim her completely. In that moment he wanted to break her in the harshest way possible.
When he didn't answer, Rosalind pulled back slightly so she could study his expression. What she saw stole the breath from her lungs. His face had twisted with a dark hunger while his eyes appeared deeper and his jaw had tightened.
"Did I seduce you?" she asked cautiously, her hazel eyes widening as she looked at him. In that moment she seemed so innocent and so different from the usual Rosalind who defied him at every turn.
He grabbed her chin and forced her head upward. "What do you think, Rosalind?" he asked quietly.
"I believe I've seduced you already," she said, although uncertainty lingered in her voice because she had felt the way his breath shifted when his lips parted.
A low chuckle escaped him. What did she even think she had done? She hadn't done anything…
"And how do you know that?" he asked.
Rosalind's gaze trailed to his neck and she lifted her hand to touch her own. "This thing," she said, gesturing lightly, "it went up and down. You have been seduced." She looked far more certain now, and that confidence caused something dark to gleam in his eyes.
"Is that so?" he murmured. "How bold of you to assume that a flimsy kiss is enough to seduce me." He held her gaze while he spoke, his tone calm but laced with amusement. "If you truly want to seduce me, you will have to try harder," he stated.
Rosalind's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously because she was certain of what she had seen, and she believed Alaric was simply lying to her.
His hand moved again, slowly rising to caress her cheek."Go and learn how to seduce properly, Rosalind. You may ask the other women how they did it or do your own research," he said while his eyes lowered slightly as he studied her. "Because the next time I call for you, do not think you will only be touching me and breathing on my face," he added.
Rosalind swallowed. He was planning to call her again? Absolutely not! She was already exhausted from what had just happened because he had placed her in such a difficult situation.
"And if you still do not understand how to do it, I will teach you myself," he continued while a smirk slowly curled on his lips. "Although I promise you will not be able to handle it." Then he released his hold on her.
"Now go back to your quarters."
Rosalind did not need to be told twice. In fact, it seemed that she had been waiting for those exact words. She quickly rose from the bed and almost stumbled before she steadied herself, and then she curtsied lightly before turning and hurrying toward the door. Her hand trembled while she unlocked it, and when she stepped outside she was breathing heavily with her face flushed red. She shut the door sharply behind her.
Even as she slammed the door behind her, her heart still raced and her mind couldn't stop picturing him.
Alaric watched little Rosalind as she left. He noted how quickly she fled, and that was better than having her linger in his chamber. His gaze shifted as he reached down and pulled the pillow away from his lower half because earlier he had placed it there before Rosalind leaned against him.
He watched his erection shoot up like it was aiming for the sky and he cursed under his breath.
It had been a lie when he told her she had not seduced him. Rosalind had not needed to do much at all. Her innocence was enough, especially the way her fingers had trailed across him, and the soft brush of her lips against his jaw had been enough to stir lewd thoughts in his mind.
[Look at what you've done, Rosalind]
Fortunately, she had not noticed anything. If she had realized the truth, she might have caught on to his lie...and perhaps even fainted from the shock of what had happened to him.
Alaric leaned back slightly while exhaling slowly. His hand moved towards his hardened erection and he wrapped his hand around it, stroking his length up and down gently while picturing Rosalind in his mind and then his pace accelerated. Sharp grunts escaped from his lips as his pace became even faster than before... until... and until... his fingers were covered in a burst of warm liquid and he came down from the heights.
He ran a hand through his hair and muttered under his breath, irritated at himself.
"Damn it."
He knew Rosalind was different from others the moment he saw her. No other woman had been able to do this to him.
And for that alone, he decided she would have to be punished. She had no idea what was coming for her, and he would make sure she remembered the cost of making him lose control.