Chapter 40 Nearly

40 Nearly

Daphne tried to stifle a moan as she felt his lips tickle the sensitive skin on her neck, pressing kisses over every inch of her exposed skin.

"Please... Atticus...please..." Daphne didn't know what she was pleading for. For Atticus to stop, or for him to continue?

Her body made the decision for her. Her hands instinctively wrapped around Atticus's broad shoulders to pull him closer, her head tilting to give him better access.

"Sunshine... you're killing me..." Atticus groaned out, his eyes hazy with lust as he saw the exquisite picture his wife was painting beneath him.

Her fingers were slim, but they felt like hot irons even through his tunic, his back forever branded by her touch. Rational thought had all but left his mind, and he leaned back down to kiss her lips, already swollen from his earlier kiss.

Daphne arched her back as she pulled him closer. She knew she should stop him, but every breath she took spurred her on. She wanted― no, she needed more of him.

'Dear God, if you want us to stop, you should send me a sign!'

Maybe the heavens finally took pity on Daphne. Maybe her guardian angel had given up on her and finally decided to seek help from higher powers. Whatever it was, her prayers had indeed been answered.

"Oh my god!"

"Stop!"

SPLASH!

Without warning, cold water splashed over both their heads, causing Daphne to scream in surprise. She had been so immersed in this little bubble she and Atticus had built that she hadn't even noticed the door to the room had opened and someone had stepped in.

Atticus took the brunt of it all since his body was hovering over hers. Even still, she did not entirely escape from the sudden cold shower. The chill penetrated the bones of her arms that were wrapped around Atticus's body, creating a tingling feeling.

The intensity of the cold provoked an involuntary gasp, her breath catching in her throat as the cold liquid met the warmth of her skin.

It effectively snapped her out of her trance. The heavens could not have made things clearer; they were meant to stop! Daphne felt relieved, but there was a tiny, yet very vocal part of her that wanted things to continue.

Meanwhile, Atticus was feeling more anger than disappointment or relief.

"What the fuck! Who dares to interrupt?" Atticus cursed, the shock loosening his tongue. He immediately turned to glare at the intruder, his magical aura flaring up at the unforeseen interruption― only to quail as he was met with Jonah's unimpressed face and a bucket of iced water.

Jonah even decided to empty the last of the water on his head! Atticus's eyes squeezed shut for a second as the final droplets trickled from his hair down the sides of his face. When he was sure there was no more, he finally opened his eyes and glared hard.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Your Majesties," came Jonah's familiar voice. "But I'm afraid it's time to wake up before you do something you might regret."

"You ass!" Atticus was a king, so he did not shriek like a maiden. But he came quite close to it. "That was cold!"

His body felt like it was pierced by a thousand frozen needles. Time seemed to stand still as Atticus felt the cold water drip down his body, the icy sensation traversing from his scalp to the soles of his feet.

Every nerve ending in his body was awakened, and they were all screaming at him.

"That's the point," Jonah said, sounding incredibly non-apologetic. "According to Sirona, the fastest way to counteract the aphrodisiac is a sharp shock to the body. It was either ice water or I hit you on the head with a battering ram."

"Should I say thank you for not giving me a possibly-fatal concussion?" Atticus grumbled.

"No need, your skull is so thick, no hit will register," Jonah replied impishly, to which Atticus's glare only worsened. "Hence, only the freshest iced water for you, freshly gathered and cooled down from the snow on the lawn."

"Gee. I feel so honored." Atticus grumbled, but the sudden splash of iced water had done its job. The heated haze he found himself wrapped in suddenly dissipated, leaving him fairly more clear-headed.

It was as though the fog had finally parted so he could see the sun.

Then he remembered what happened, what he was about to do. n)-o-(V/(e.(L)-b--I--n

What <nulli>they were about to do. They were so close to...

He stared down at Daphne, who could only blink wordlessly up at him, her face red with embarrassment as she realized the compromising position she and Atticus were in. To make matters worse, they had an audience!

Not only was Jonah there, Healer Sirona and Maisie were also present! Daphne was so embarrassed, she wished the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.

Instead, she could only close her eyes and cover her face with her hands, trying her best not to scream.

'This is a dream, this is a dream,' Daphne chanted to herself. 'When I open my eyes, all this will be over...'

Atticus saw this and wanted to laugh. It was incredibly cute! Maybe the aphrodisiac hadn't completely disappeared. After all, those lips of hers still looked very inviting.

"Might I suggest getting the Queen off the soaked sheets?" Sirona suggested. "It wouldn't do for her to catch a cold."

"I'm not included?" Atticus complained. "Isn't this bias a little too much?"

"It's what you deserve," Sirona said with a severe arch of her eyebrow.

Atticus remembered she was helping him lie to his wife, and so he meekly kept his mouth shut and moved away as Maisie helped a blushing Daphne up.

"Use this to keep warm, Your Highness," Maisie said, placing a warm towel across her shoulders.

Daphne immediately grabbed the fabric, tightening it around herself as she shivered from the cold. With Maisie's help, she quickly got to her feet. Even though she wasn't soaked through like Atticus was, there was still a fair amount of water that clung onto her dress, making it heavier than before.

"Wait, let me―" Atticus instinctively reached for his pocket only to find nothing there. He had forgotten that through the award-winning act that he had put up for the night, the sunstone that he usually kept in his pocket had been thrown to who knew where.

Jonah scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Maisie, please take care of Her Highness."

"Of course." The bubbly maid nodded, this time, with much worry etched on her face.

Daphne was then promptly led out of the room. As the door of the room slowly closed behind her, she turned around just one last time. Her eyes found Atticus's and they locked gazes for a second. A rush of emotions burst forth from his expression, but they weren't anything that Daphne could immediately recognize.

When she looked again, the door had slammed shut.