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It had been a long exhausting day, and Jude was looking forward to flopping in bed and never crawling out. She hadn’t seen Cardan all day either, and while she never would have admitted it before—she missed him.
Jude nodded at the guards flanking the doors to the royal chamber and made her way into the cavernous space. It was unnaturally quiet, leading her to wonder where the young king could be. After a quick examination, she noticed the steam coming from the washroom.
Creeping on quiet feet, she moved to the open doorway. The washroom was big enough to fit a whole family— its tub more a small pool than anything. In the center of the steaming tub lay Cardan, leaning back against the wall— his back to her. Jude took a quick moment to admire the view of his back muscles rippling as he turned,
“Hello, Jude, it’s not polite to stare,” he quipped, the corner of his mouth turning up as he noticed the faint stain across her cheeks.
“I was not,” she denied, the quick response enough to prove her guilt.
“Oh to be able to lie..” Cardan mused, facing forward again.
Jude made her way to the side of the tub, making an effort not to look down past the foaming bubbles of the tub—to the defined chest muscles, to the single drop of water trailing further down, down to a defined v.....
She snapped her head up as Cardan chuckled at her obvious ogling.
“Shut up,” she hissed kneeling behind him.
“I do love watching you get on your knees, Jude,” he purred, dark eyes dancing.
As Jude took up a shampoo bottle he hushed, perhaps realizing she would go away if he continued to be a dick. Leaning forward she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her lips close to his pointed ear. He leaned into the contact, but before he could react, she shoved him head-first under the water.
He came up gasping and spluttering moments later.
“Jude what the hell,” he cursed, fixing her with a pointed glare, wet curls falling in front of his narrowed eyes.
“Remember you tried to drown me before, think of this as payback. And, I had to get your hair wet, you big baby,” Jude crooned, admiring the black, inky, curls that fell through her fingers. He huffed but settled back against the tub, beringed fingers drumming a pattern on the side of the tub, as she lathered the shampoo up in her hands.
She thoroughly massaged the soap into his scalp, his eyes falling closed as he hummed.
“You’re kind of like a cat,” Jude thought out loud. Cardan’s brow wrinkled,
“May I ask how, dearest Jude?” he questioned.
“I don’t know, the tail, the needing to be coddled...” she trailed off. He smiled and reached up to squeeze her hand, the small, sweet gesture warming her chest.
She finished washing and rinsing his hair in comfortable silence. Seeing him so content, Jude couldn’t resist planting a kiss to his warm cheek.
“You’re acting too nice, have you killed someone important again?” Cardan asked peering up at her through his long dark lashes—droplets clinging to the ends. That was genuine concern in his expression. Jude rolled her eyes, flicking his nose.
“No,” she replied, “I just like seeing you so content. It makes you far more lovable than when you’re snapping at everyone.”
“So you’re telling me I need to be nicer? To everyone?” he asked, scrunching up his nose.
“Sure, start going around kissing all of your court,” she smirked, hands falling to the edge of the tub.
“Very well,” he breathed, reaching up to grab her face, yanking her down to his face. The movement caused Jude to fall half in the tub on top of him, momentarily distracted by his soft lips encompassing hers.
“Cardan,” she snapped, extracting herself from his grasp, “you soaked me.” Sure enough her whole front dripped onto the tiled floor of the washroom.
“What a shame, maybe you should just take it all off,” he teased, winking at her shocked expression. Even though she could tell he was half-joking, Jude couldn’t back down from a challenge. Deftly unbuttoning her dress from the day, and unlacing her corset, Jude let them fall. The garments hit the floor with a wet slap.
Cardan whipped around, eyes wide in shock as he beheld her completely nude. They began a lazy predatory assessment before coming to meet her eyes, his dark with desire. Holding his gaze, Jude hefted herself over the edge and settled down next to him. The frothing bubbles did little cover her chest—which Cardan immediately noticed—as she leaned back, giving him a mocking smile.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, taking her hand in his to interlace their fingers. Jude swallowed the lump in her throat as she climbed into his lap, hands coming to rest around his neck. His hands came up to rest on her hips, tracing circles into her skin.
For a while they just sat there, taking each other in. It was weird, Jude thought, that she could come to love the boy who she once hated.
Slowly, she leaned down to press a soft kiss to his mouth. Cardan sighed into her lips, hands tightening around her waist. She arched into his touch, pressing their bodies closer as he swept his tongue into her mouth. She couldn’t help the small moan that escaped her lips as he shifted to cup her rear, fingers kneading the soft flesh.
Jude moved to thread her fingers into his hair, grinding her hips down onto his obvious arousal. Cardan sucked in a breath, and shifted his attention to her neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses down her throat as she threw her head back. Jude shuddered as two of his clever fingers made their way lower and lower, and dipped under the water to drag across her center. His name might have fallen from her lips, but she wasn’t paying attention as he circled where she needed him most, dipping a finger into her warmth.
“Do you want to take this elsewhere?” Cardan asked, nipping her earlobe.
“No,” Jude gasped impatiently, hoisting herself off of his hand. She placed one hand on his shoulder for leverage, lifting herself up, as the other grasped him under the water, lining him up with her throbbing core.
They both groaned as their bodies slid together—Cardan’s hands holding Jude’s waist, helping her fully seat herself on his cock. She took a moment to let herself adjust before lifting herself up and with Cardan’s assistance, began a steady rhythm.
Every time his hands pulled her back down, she could feel her core tighten—could feel that release build up.
Without warning, Cardan wrapped his arms underneath Jude and hauled her out of the water, laying her on the cool tile. Jude protested as he pulled out of her for a moment, only to throw her legs over his shoulders.
Any complaint died on her lips as he brought that wicked tongue down upon her and licked a single stripe, opening her up. He slowly added his fingers into the mix, building her up to that sweet release.
It only took a final hook of his fingers behind that one sweet spot for Jude to go crashing over the edge. Her moans filled the room, surely loud enough the guards could hear from outside the door.
As she lay collecting herself, Cardan scooped up her still wet body and carried her out of the washroom to set her on the massive plush bed. He made to step away, but Jude reached up and pulled him down to lay next to her. Still wobbly from her climax she rolled over and sat herself upon his chest.
“You’re exquisite,” Cardan whispered, and tried to sit up. Jude pushed him back down, and his brows shot up. They both watched, as she trailed a finger down his chest, tracing designs into his damp skin. Lifting herself off his chest her lips followed her finger, pressing featherlight kisses down lower and lower. Her lips quirked up as his breathing hitched when she took her teeth to his skin, nipping before licking away the pain.
“Jude,” he gasped, as she finally gripped him with one hand. She savored the thrill of power as his hands fisted into the spider silk sheets.
Before she could proceed any further, he reached down insanely fast, tugging her back up and flipping her over to pin her to the bed.
“I wasn’t finished yet-“ Jude began before his lips crashed down onto hers, silencing her. Cardan’s kiss was desperate, his hands pinning her arms above her head as he stole her breath away.
He gathered both of her wrists in one hand, using the other to grip her waist as he pushed into her ever so slowly. Jude tried to push her hips up into his, needing the friction, but his hand held her waist strong.
“Cardan,” she hissed, hating the pleading edge to her tone.
“Yes, Jude?” he replied, looking all too satisfied with himself.
“More,” Jude demanded, nipping at his bottom lip while still trying to move her hips.
Cardan seemed to take a moment to decide how much he wanted to torture her before he found his resolve. He released her arms, pulling out for just a second to flip her over and yank her hips back to him—pushing in one fluid movement until their hips were flush.
Jude pressed her face into the pillow, letting out an embarrassingly filthy moan at the stretch and pressure.
“Is this better?” he asked, just as breathless as her. Jude tried her best to nod into the pillow, focused on the feeling of her core winding tight once again.
“Words, Jude” Cardan hissed, dragging her head up by her hair.
Normally Jude would have pulled a blade on him for a stunt like that—but not now, not when she needed him so desperately.
“Yes,” she panted, and was rewarded as he finally began to thrust in and out at a brutal pace. He pressed her face back down to the bed, pressing her forward, forcing her back to arch until she thought it might snap.
The resulting angle allowed him to hit that damned spot with every thrust, until Jude was near falling apart on the bed. The noises she was making at this point incomprehensible into the pillow. She reached behind her, gripping Cardan’s thigh until her nails broke the skin. His resulting groan was cut off as Jude came for the second time that night, moans and curses spilling out like gospel.
It didn’t take long for Cardan to follow—leaning into her back as he went over. The only sound in the room was their pants and gasps as they regained their breath.
Gently, Cardan moved back, catching Jude as she flopped over. Jude let out a satisfied sigh as they laid down, her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her drying hair as their bodies cooled off.
“I love you,” Cardan finally spoke into the room, “I wish you knew you much.”
Jude finally opened her eyes, looking into his sated ones.
“But I do know, you cannot lie” she reminded him.
“I suppose,” he murmured, too tired to argue, “although you could be lying.”
Jude whipped her head up to meet his pout.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she replied, pinching his arm. His resulting grin was as bright as the rays of sunlight streaming into the room.
“I do love you,” she confirmed, kissing his bicep wrapped around her. At the glimmer of doubt she still could see in his expression, Jude straddled his hips just to prove herself once again.