Once Upon a Forbidden Desire, page 43
She didn’t trust this sudden reprieve. Didn’t believe it would last. Knowledge of the kind of spell that had transformed her tickled at the edges of her mind, but the information stayed out of reach, in the foggy recesses of her memory. “If the curse is broken, why can’t I remember anything?”
“Then will you turn into a frog again tomorrow?”
“I think so?” She had made a bargain for three days and three nights for a reason, even if the exact details eluded her. It would be surprising if they broke the curse before then.
He rolled over with a sigh, his weight causing the bed to dip. “Well, at least I won’t need to find clothes for you. It would be difficult to explain a naked woman in my rooms.”
“You don’t often have women spend the night?” she teased.
“No.” He chuckled. “Especially not a stranger. You’re not here to attack the kingdom, are you?”
“Of course not.” None of her instincts urged her to harm anyone. All she wanted, all she needed, was to get her memories and her body back.
“I hope whoever cursed you didn’t follow you here. Will you be in danger if they find you?”
“I doubt it. I expect my curse is punishment enough. Otherwise, I’d be trapped in a fishbowl in some wizard’s tower, don’t you think?” She shuddered at the very idea. Swimming around in the cold pond was bad enough—she couldn’t imagine being held prisoner by the person who’d done this to her.
“Do you remember anything before the pond?”
“No, why?”
“Well, doesn’t that mean you were cursed somewhere here in the castle? Did you anger one of the wizards?”
“Would they have let me loose in the pond if I had?”
“No, I don’t suppose so, but then, who could have done it? Who would have been so cruel as to turn a lovely woman into a frog?”
She had to smile at his flattery since the room was as dark as pitch, with not even a banked fire or hint of moonlight. “What makes you think I’m lovely?”
The bed shifted again as he rolled toward her. “I’m sure you are. You’ve got a lovely voice.”
“How very kind of you to say,” she said with a hint of amusement. She didn’t care what she looked like, honestly—it was enough to be in her proper body again.
“Don’t you think you’re lovely?” he pressed, sounding confused by her attitude.
“I have no idea one way or another, honestly. I have no memory of ever admiring myself in a looking glass.”
“But you remember what a looking glass is?”
“I do,” she said slowly. “My memory is such a strange thing. I can speak and remember the words for all kinds of human things, but anything of my life, of who I was before …” Her past was shrouded in fog, any answers hidden in the misty recesses of her mind. “I remember nothing.”
“Don’t despair.” His hand landed clumsily on her shoulder. “I’m sure your memories will come back. When the curse is truly broken, as you said. Hold on to hope for a little bit longer.”
“I do. I will.” She covered his hand with her own, savoring the human touch. “Thank you for giving me hope.”
“Me?” He shifted away, even as she clung to his hand. “I haven’t done anything.”
“You’ve let me into your home. Without you, I would be no closer to breaking this curse than I was yesterday. Because of you, I can hope my instincts are correct. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be myself again soon.”
“Feeding you is really no trouble at all.” He squeezed her hand, as if to reassure her. “Do you know how long you were in the pond?”
She sighed. “It’s all so unclear. I feel like I’ve been trapped forever, yet the actual passage of time is hard to track.”
“Maybe once you’ve got your memories back, we can figure it out.”
“Maybe.” She really hoped she hadn’t been a frog for long.
“For now, we should figure out how we’re going to sleep?”
“You need to learn how to sleep?” she teased, though she herself was too excited by her transformation for dozing. Part of her didn’t want to waste one moment of her precious time as a human in slumber.
“No, I mean what we’re going to do.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “There is only one bed.”
He sounded genuinely worried. Had the man really never shared a bed with a woman before? The idea was intriguing. It was all too tempting to kiss him and see what happened.
Liesa laughed again, a low, sultry sound. She couldn’t help it—her joy and relief at regaining her proper skin could not be contained. “Your bed is large enough for two, Prince Nathaniel. I’m sure we’ll manage somehow. Besides, you promised to let me sleep in your bed. I’m not going to let you back out now.”
He made a skeptical noise but didn’t argue. The mattress and blankets shifted as he settled down. His toes brushed her leg again before he jerked them back.
“I don’t mind if you touch me,” Liesa told him, trying to sound matter-of-fact, though in truth she longed for a little human warmth.
He made a frustrated noise. “Just remember this was your idea, if my tossing and turning keeps you up all night.”
She chuckled again and snuggled into the pillow. “I’m willing to risk it.”
BY THE LIGHT of the morning sun, Liesa was once again a frog. Nathaniel tried not to be too disappointed. In many ways, it was for the best, since he could hide a frog in his rooms more easily than a woman. And she was good company, even as a frog. Spending the day reading and playing games with her would be so much better than being alone, which was what he had expected during the Fairfell visit.
After they shared his breakfast, Nathaniel set up the backgammon board once more. Liesa sat on the windowsill and peered down at the castle grounds.
“Will we have to spend all day up here?”
“I’m afraid so. Trips to the courtyard are too risky.”
“Really?” She sounded disappointed and maybe something more.
“Do you need to go down to the pond?” he asked. “Now that you’re a frog again?”
If she couldn’t survive without swimming in the pond, then he’d find a way to sneak her down there, despite his sore leg and the king’s orders.
“No. It’s not that.” She jumped from the windowsill back to the table and peered up at him with her strange unblinking eyes. “Are you always locked in like this?”
“No, I usually have the run of the castle and the grounds too.” He sighed slightly and rubbed his leg, which felt stiff from holding his body away from hers all night. “I’ll miss going out on horseback. The king has excellent steeds.”
“I should like to see it. I bet you’d look very fine up on a horse.”
He tried to smile at her hollow flattery, but it came out as more of a grimace. Changing to a more palatable subject, he explained the situation succinctly. “The king has made it very clear: I’m not to leave my room while the Fairfell ambassador is in residence. And the king is not a man to defy lightly. But I won’t be forgotten. We’ll be well fed, don’t you worry.”
“I’m not worried about starving.” She huffed, the exasperated sound very odd coming from a frog. “I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine, especially now that I’ve got you to keep me company.” He rubbed his leg again, trying to ease the stiffness. “It would be harder to feed you in front of everybody in the great hall. I don’t even want to think about what my brother would do if he saw you.”
Was it his imagination or did her wide froggy eyes get even wider? “Would he hurt me?”
“He might try,” Nathaniel admitted.
“And no one would do anything to stop him?”
“He’s the crown prince, the king’s favorite.” He rested his chin on the table so that he was eye level with her. “But you don’t have to worry about him. I’ll protect you, and you’ll be perfectly safe here in my rooms.”
She met his gaze steadily, her head tilted in consideration. “Why do you live here if everyone is so awful?”
Nathaniel shrugged, uncomfortable with the question, as it was one he had been asking himself more and more of late. “I’m secure here, with all my creature comforts and free run of a vast library.”
He stood up and limped over to the window. He never tired of the mountainous view of the windswept grounds falling away below the palace walls. “This is my home. I’ve never lived anywhere else, never done anything else.”
The frog jumped up on the windowsill and peered out with him. “There is a whole wide world out there. You could run away.”
He rubbed his leg again and laughed ruefully. “It’s hard to run at all on this leg. To be honest, I’m not sure I could even handle the stairs today.”
She stared at him, and he might have imagined it, but her eyes seemed luminous, seeing more than he wanted to reveal. “Maybe tonight, if I’m human again, I can rub your leg.”
“You don’t have to,” he said quickly, his voice rough as he imagined all the other, more interesting, places she could touch him. His every wicked, eager thought was probably written across his face.
Liesa was at least kind enough not to comment on it.
“I want to,” she replied simply, as if that settled it.
He cleared his throat. “Well, it would be very nice of you.”
It would feel good to have her massage his leg. Almost too good. He flushed hot at the idea of her hands on his thigh.
She met his gaze again, and he had the odd sense of drowning in her eyes. “That’s me. Always the soul of kindness.”
LIESA WAS HONESTLY shocked at how enjoyable she found their quiet day in his room. He was a good reader with a natural sense of timing and rhythm, which enhanced the fanciful stories he selected. When his voice gave out from reading, they played backgammon and shared the belated dinner tray delivered by a surly guard.
There was the distinct sound of a bolt being thrown when the guard left. It made Liesa jump. She didn’t like the idea of being trapped in these quarters, as luxurious as they seemed.
“Is it really necessary to lock us in?” she said peevishly.
Nathaniel shrugged casually as he picked out choice bits of his meal for her to try. “Nighttime is a logical time for me to try sneaking around the castle.”
Irritated on his behalf, she snapped up a piece of flaky fish with her tongue, the movement entirely instinctual and a little unnerving, though Nathaniel didn’t react. He’d apparently gotten used to having a frog as his dinner companion. “Do they think you are going to accost the ambassador in his rooms in the middle of the night?”
Nathaniel grinned at the idea, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Maybe.”
“It would serve them right if you did.” She sniffed and snagged another bite of fish. “You should let your father’s allies know how he treats his own son.”
Nathaniel sobered in the face of her righteous anger. “Honestly, I think they are more worried I’ll run into the princess of Fairfell.”
Something twanged inside her at the mention of a princess. Something painfully like jealousy. Did he want to be sneaking around with this princess rather than trapped with her? “Are you having an affair?”
“With the princess?” He laughed easily. “No, of course not. I’ve never met her.”
“Then why would they worry about you visiting her rooms?” He would never be so rude, Liesa was sure of it.
“Father wants to make a good impression.” He sighed and rubbed his leg, a habitual gesture he seemed to make more and more as the day wore on. Liesa wished it was night already so she could rub it for him and relieve some of his pain. He grimaced, though she didn’t know if it was at his leg or his thoughts. “Father doesn’t want me doing anything to embarrass them. I’m not exactly a prime example of masculine prowess, with my bum leg and tendency to natter on about things no one else cares about.”
“I think your father is afraid the princess will choose you instead,” she declared fiercely.
He laughed with open amusement. “Why would she do that when she has my strong, handsome brother right in front of her?”
“Because you’re kind and genuine,” she said hotly, feeling protective and defensive on his behalf.
He chuckled, clearly unconvinced.
“And handsome,” she added, because it was true. His warm, brown eyes had been what attracted her attention from the start.
His laughter died and an entirely different look stole over his face. “You’re the one with the soul of kindness.”
She’d claimed to be kind earlier, but it wasn’t true. She felt hot and wicked when she looked at him, eager to do harm to anyone who overlooked him.
He reached out and ran a gentle finger down her back. His touch felt odd on her froggy skin and she wished for darkness to fall. She wanted to spend time with him as a woman again.
Her appetite for food gone, she hopped up onto the windowsill. The world outside was painted pink with evening light. Her heart buzzed with anticipation. If only staring at the sun would make it set faster.
Nathaniel leaned against the stones next to her, also watching the sunset. “Will you turn human again when the sun goes down?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I hope so.”
Nathaniel sat next to her in companionable silence. As the sky darkened, he moved away from the window to light a lamp.
“What are you doing?” she asked softly.
“I’d like to see you. As a woman. If it’s all right.”
Desire and something more coiled through her. She hoped to kiss him, and maybe more, tonight. “I’d like that, too.”
He returned to the window and held out his cupped hands. “Shall I take you to the bed?”
“Yes, please.” She hopped into his hands, feeling cherished and safe as he carried her across the room and placed her on a pillow.
He situated the lamp next to the bed and then stepped behind a screen to undress. She heard a gentle splash and imagined him washing his naked body, the water sliding over his smooth skin. She closed her eyes and wished with all her might to turn into a human again.
The light from the window was nearly gone by the time he came around to the bed, and still she was a frog. He slid under the covers and lay next to her. He stroked her again with one finger, his calluses rough on her smooth skin. He smiled softly, his gaze hard to read behind his spectacles.
“I want to touch you back,” she whispered, her voice full of the longing in her heart.
“Soon.” He rested his cheek on the pillow next to her.
Liesa sighed. She’d thought him handsome before, with his kind eyes and perfectly tailored clothes. Now that she’d spent a day in his company, his face was even more appealing. She shifted, her skin feeling too tight. She wanted to kiss him and touch him and explore the desire blossoming between them.
But perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. They stared at each other for an interminable period. The sun had long since set, the room dark beyond the glow of the lamp, and still she remained a frog.
“I’m sorry I won’t be able to rub your leg tonight,” she said at last, finally admitting defeat.
His face softened, though there was no hiding the disappointment in his eyes. “It’s all right. I’m glad I got to spend the day with you.”
He carefully folded his spectacles before blowing out the lamp. The darkness was sudden and complete.
She gasped as her limbs slid across the sheets.
“What is it?” he asked in alarm.
“I’m human.” She threw her arms around him, awkwardly bumping into him in the dark.
He grunted, the sound pained.
She pulled back. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to squish you.”
“It’s all right.” A feather-light hand brushed her head. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
She reached for his leg, exploring his body on the way. “Now I can give you that promised massage.”
There was something delicious about running her hands over him in the dark, where every touch seemed richer and more satisfying. She found his leg and pressed deep, loosening tight knots above his knee.
He moaned deep and low, as if he’d never felt such pleasure. “Oh, gods, Liesa, the way you touch me—”
“Can I kiss you?” If she didn’t taste his lips, she just might die for wanting.
His body went rigid under her hands, and she cursed her hasty words. For all that Prince Nathaniel had been the soul of courtesy to her, she was still a frog. Of course he didn’t think of her romantically—
“You want to kiss me?” His voice held a lifetime of wonder and surprise.
“Of course I do.” Unable to resist touching him, she stroked his leg in a way that had nothing to do with his injury and everything to do with desire. “I’ve been imagining it all day.”
“I’ve never kissed a woman,” he confessed.
“I promise to make it worth the wait,” she replied, deliberately keeping her voice light and flirtatious as she buried all her anger at the women who must have snubbed him in the past.
“All right, then.”
Her heart beat like a drum and she wondered if she’d misheard.
“You can kiss me,” he said, his intent clear. “If you want to.”
“Oh, I want to.” Liesa carefully reached out and touched his arm. She wanted to make this perfect, which was a bit of a challenge in the dark. She slid her hand up his arm to cup his cheek. His skin was smooth and warm against her palm. Heat spread through her, sparking wherever they touched.
She stroked her thumb over his bottom lip to orient herself.
His breath hitched, the tiny sound loud in the stillness of the room.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. They were every bit as soft and delicious as she imagined.
With a groan, he opened his mouth, his tongue thrusting and eager.
She trailed her lips along his jaw. “Easy there. We have all night.”
“Do we?” He sounded a little panicked, a little crazed. His hands squeezed her sides restlessly.
“Yes, we do,” she assured him, before swirling her tongue around the shell of his ear.
