You just wish you were a crispy waffle with a creamy center, and that tongue was all over you, mopping up every drop of your juices.
Rao struggled with his thoughts, gripping a knife in his right hand until his knuckles were white. Lexi blinked and licked her lips again, and Rao felt like he might actually have a heart attack.
“Rao?” Lexi said, laughing. “Do you need some more coffee?”
“Definitely,” he said, gesturing to a server. “I didn’t sleep well, so I’m a little fuzzy. I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to a performance tomorrow night?”
Lexi took another delicate bite of food. Rao struggled to keep his eyes away from her lips. He’d just end up mesmerized.
“You know, if you use up all your dates in the first week, you’ll have none left for the rest of the month,” Lexi said. Rao nodded.
“I know. But I just can’t wait.”
He could tell by her smile that she didn’t want to wait either. They finished breakfast together, the conversation flowing easily. When it was time to go, Rao excused himself gracefully, reminding himself that she needed her space.
He desperately wanted to taste those maple-glazed lips and sample the whisper of ice cream left on her tongue. It took all his strength to simply squeeze her hand and bow before leaving when what he wanted to do was kiss her so deeply that she never wanted to leave his arms.
CHAPTEREIGHT
LEXI
When Trull arrived, Lexi was standing by the window, looking out over the town. Lexi was glad to see her because she wasn’t sure what to do with herself while she waited for her next date with Rao.
“Good morning,” Trull said, winking at Lexi. “It looks like you’ve had a busy morning.”
“Oh, ha-ha,” Lexi said, rolling her eyes. “It was just breakfast.”
“It looks like King Rao has gone all out,” Trull said as she watched the servers clearing the table. “Although, from what I hear, he tried that last night, and it didn’t go so well.”
“What did you hear?” Lexi asked, alarmed. “Does the whole castle know what happened?”
“No, no,” Trull assured her. “Just the staff who were on duty. Oh, and the kitchen. Not to mention the landscapers and the …”
“All right, all right,” Lexi said, covering her face with her palm. “That means everybody, I’m guessing.”
Trull came over and rubbed Lexi’s arm gently, trying to fold her into a hug. Lexi gave in and wrapped her arms around Trull.
“The people who work in the castle are all very close,” Trull said. “Even though there are hundreds of us, all our jobs are intertwined, and it’s worth knowing everything that happens because it affects all of our jobs in the end.”
“So, according to the grapevine, what went down?”
“You and the master shared a very passionate, loving kiss, and then you fled the rooftop as if he had insulted your honor in the most heinous way possible.”
“That sounds about right,” Lexi muttered.
“It looks like it all worked out, though, if you had breakfast together.”
“Don’t get any funny ideas,” Lexi muttered. “He came to see me early this morning. It’s not like we spent the night together or anything.”
“I didn’t think so, but still, it’s good that you’re talking to him again so soon.”
“He wants to take me to a show tomorrow. A performance, I think he said.”
“What are you doing today?”
“No clue,” Lexi muttered, looking out over the city. In the distance, the pale pink ocean was breaking across soft lines of sand, and in between that distant horizon and the castle, the city was laid out before her.
“Do you want to go shopping?” asked Trull. “In town?”