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"I can't believe you, Eugenides!" Shouts Attolia, as she storms into his room. "Why do you insist on poking my barons with a stick until they bite at you, and then run to me for help?"
Eugeneides groans, and drops his head over the back of the chair to look at her upside down.
"Technically they're my barons too, and you came to my rescue, I didn't ask for it."
"But you needed it." She shoots back, walking toward his wardrobe. She takes out one of the lighter dresses that she keeps there and hangs it on the door.
"Not that one." Eugenides whines, "I like the blue one better."
"Only because you had it made for me."
"No..." He mumbles, getting up and walking over to open the doors of the balcony to the warm summer evening. "You make it look good."
"So you care about what the dress looks like, and not me?" she questions, giving him an amused smile, when his face flushes.
"That's not what I said!"
"Actually, it is."
"I was trying to say that the dress complements you, and you complement the dress."
"Then why didn't you say that?"
"I was trying!"
"Were you?"
"Yes!"
Attolia shrugs her shoulders and turns back to the wardrobe, flipping through the dresses until she finds the one the Eugenides so dearly loves. She too perfers it above any of her other dresses, but why would she give him the satisfaction of knowing that? She pulls it out and slips the other dress into the back of the closet where she didn't have to look at it. It was one of the dresses that Nahuseresh had brought with him. She had purposely pulled it out to see how Eugenides would react, he'd done quite nicely.
Attolia heard wood scraping against wood and glanced over her shoulder to find Eugenides pulling his chair back toward his desk, he seemed to puposely be making more noise then necessary.
"What is it?" She asks, replying to his too obvious plea for attention.
"Well..." he says, spinning his chair around on one leg and sliding it back under the desk, then slowly walking up to within an inch of touching her, he leand down and whispered seductively in her ear "I want you to stay here tonight."
She opens her mouth to protest, but her reaches up and places a finger on her lips, efectivly cutting her off.
"I know your probably going to say 'no', but at least give it some thought."
He then pulls away, and she can feel the absence of his warmth, just like she can feel the absence of his hand any time he's near her. Eugenides walks back over to his desk and opens the bottom droor, riffling through it until he finds what he's looking for: his hook. Attolia watches him with a pained expression as he untwists the wooden hand and replaces it with the hook. She knows it kills him that he will never be able to do what he used to. Scale shear rock cliffs, swing into trees from the back of a galloping horse, climb her palace walls, his palace walls, to reach her room. He can get there but not the way he used to, not with the excitement of being caught. Every waking moment she wishes she can take what she did to him back, every time she sleeps with him and he wakes up screaming her heart crumbles. He only has nightmares because of what she did to him, even at night she can't get away from the guilt.
She sighs and turns back to the wardrobe, reaching behind her to undo the buttons on her heavy court dress. She gets the first two undone before she feels a warm hand on hers. The hand guides her's back to her sides, then starts undoing the buttons. She can feel Eugenides breath on the back of her neck. How does he make her feel this way? All jittery, like an adolescent girl? He is close now, pressed up against her back. He touches his lips to her neck, and she arches against him, a slight moan escaping her mouth. He finnishes unbottoning her dress and reaches up with his hand and hook to slide it of her shoulders, letting it pool around her feet. Under it she's wearing nothing but a simple, almost floor length slip. Normally she would feel exposed around men with just this on but with Eugenides, well, she dosn't know. He's like the calm in the storm that's her life, he's the peace in the war that's always raging around her, he's the bed to fall into after a long day, he's the reason she can't breath right now, he's the reason her life was turned upside down, he's the reason she let herself love again.
He has her heart in his hand, even if he dosn't know it. Even if she dosn't know it.
Eugenides spins her around to face him. She sees a hunger in his eyes, one that she knows he won't follow through with unless she gives him permission, and she loves him all the more for that. A mischievous smile plays across her face, and he takes this as his permission. He leans down, capturing her lips in a kiss that is both tender and urgent at the same time. She slides her hands over his velvety coat before pushing it of his shoulders. He places his hook gently on her hip, and slides his other hand up to tangel in her hair. She moans against his lips, and he pulls back, grinning at her.
"What is it, My Queen? Is there something you want?"
She glares at him, he knows exactly what she wants. And so he gives it to her. He backs her against a wall, pining her hands above her head with his right fore arm so as not to hurt her with the hook, and placing his hand low on her hip. He moves his lips from her mouth to her neck, sucking, licking and nipping at her until she's uncontrollably moaning and writhing under his lightest touch. She feels the slip slide up her leg, first exposing her calf...then her knee...then his hand is against her bare thigh. She gasps at the feel of his warm, calloused hand against her smooth, tender skin. Her first husband had never been this gentle or loving in his movments, they were always harsh and demanding, nothing like her Eugenides.
That had been part of the reason she'd poisond him.
Eugenides slips his hand under her thigh, hiking it up and around his hip, so he could step closer to her. Just then the door flew open and in walks Phresine.
"Your Majesty, I wa..." She abruptly stoped when she saw the queen's hands trapped above her head, the king's face in her neck and her leg drapped around him.
Of all times to walk in, she thought to herself, why now.
"I'll just be going." She mumbles, a small smile playing on her lips as she gives a slight bow and starts to back out of the room. The king gives a low chuckle, pulling away from the queen and letting her slip fall back down.
"Phresine?" The queen calls to the retreating lady-in-waiting.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" She answers, keeping her gaze on the floor.
"You didn't see this."
"See what, Your Majesty?" She says, finally meeting the queens gaze, and leting her smile slip out.
The queen gives a light laugh and dismisses her. She then turns to Eugenides with a blazing anger in her eyes.
"Are you out of your mind? Be glad it was her and not someone else, or this would already be spreading through the castle!"
"Please," he says, rolling his eyes and smirking at her, "I don't care what people think of our relationship, besides, you know you liked it."
She sighed and let go of her anger, how did he do that to her? After a moment she smirked back at him, because she had, in fact, liked it.
"You should probably put that dress on so you can go back to your room." he says, after leaning over to give her one more kiss.
"Why would I need to go back to my room?" She asks, frowning at him.
"Because you have to get ready for bed."
"Walking back here in my night gown would be no different from walking there in my slip."
"Why would you need...?" Then, understanding dawned in his eyes. She was staying here tonight.
"Well if that's the case..." He says, lacing his arms around her waist, "then we might as well finnish this."
With that, he captures her lips, his kiss full of love and passion and desire, like nothing she's ever felt. She can feel the cool metal of his hook through the thin cloth of her slip, his hand splayed, low on her back. She finnaly caves, asking him for entrance. At first he's surprised that she's the one that asked, but then opens his mouth to her. Feeling his wet tongue dule with her's is like nothing she has ever experienced in this world. What does he do to her? She finally lets him win, and he explores her, tasting every inch of her mouth, something he's never done with anyone.
She pulls away, taking in gasps of breath. He smiles at her, one of his genuine smiles, not one of the smirks he usually sends her way. He pulls her in to an embrace, full of tenderness, and they stand there for a minute, not saying anything, just enjoying each others closeness. He pulls away slightly, looking her in the eyes, and she sees that hunger again, the hunger she loves so much. She gives him a little smirk, and he presses his lips to hers in another passionate kiss, him asking for entrance this time. He wins, yet again, but this time he starts backing her up until she hits the edge of the bed, falling on to her back with him on top, pressing against her. He brakes the kiss, just long enough for her to get all the way on the bed before returning to kissing her. He put almost all of his weight on her, making her feel trapped in an amazing way. She slowly starts to unbutton his shirt, pausing to look in his eyes and confirm that it was ok. She knows how much Eugenides hates people seeing his many scars, especially the ones he got in embarrassing situations. He gives her the ok, then leans over to press his lips tenderly to the spot just below her ear. She gasps and tightens her grip on his shirt, momentarily stunned by the feeling.She finnaly gets his shirt undone (why do his attendants put so many buttons on his shirts? Don't they know he can't undo them? Yes, they probably do kow, and do it just to make his life harder). His shirt falls open, displaying his well toned muscles. He sits up, pulling it off him, and tossing it to the floor, then he grabs her hips, pulling her on top of him and kissing her once more. She runs her hands over Eugenides chest, feeling his hard muscles and scars of all shapes and sizes. He pulls away, inhaling sharply when her soft fingers touch the still tender flesh of where the assassin had cut him.
"Does it still hurt?" She asks worriedly, climbing off him so as not to accidentally touch it again.
"No." he says, peering up into her beautiful eyes. "You just surprised me. No one but Galen and his assistance have touched it and your soft fingers..." he pauses to take her hand and kiss the tip of each finger, "were just a new, and wonderful, feeling."
She roles her eyes at his terrible attempt at a romantic sentance, but smiles and curls into his side anyway.
"I don't think I want to understand why I love you" she sighs.
Eugenides huffs "I don't think I want to understand love at all."
She smiles, thinking the same thing.
"Gen?"
"Yes?"
"Wan't there something you were going to finish?"
"Right, I had almost forgotten."
"Really?"
"No"
"Than what are you waiting for?"
"Good question." He says, roling on top of her and pinning her down once again. He knows how much she hates being submissive, but with him he senses it's different.
She looks into his dark eyes, and he grins evily down at her.
Oh, this won't be a night she'll forget easily.