Finally kissing Iris was just as amazing as Caspian had expected it would be. The feeling of her soft lips moving against his, the electrifying touch of her fingers as she intertwined their hands, the thunder of his heartbeat. As he sank into the moment, all thoughts about her condition fled to the back of his mind. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know anything about herself or even that he was just supposed to be helping her find her way back home. Right now, she wanted to kiss him too, and that was enough for him to let go of the lie that he was content with just be friends and start pushing for something more.

By the time she finally pulled back, the prince had lost track of how much time had passed. He inhaled slowly, trying to calm his racing heart as he met her bright blue eyes with an equally delighted smile. The blush on her cheeks endeared him to her all the more, and he squeezed her hand affectionately. After everything that had gone wrong earlier, he was glad he’d decided to stop by her room instead of going straight to sleep. If he had, he never would have found out that she had feelings for him too, and he wouldn’t have discovered what her lips tasted like.

[color=#b97703]“I don’t know where you got the idea that I’m old or stuffy,”[/color] Cas laughed when Iris showered him with a playful compliment. [color=#b97703]“But I should say that you’re not so bad yourself. I thought you might have forgotten how.”[/color] Despite the backhandedness of it, he was flattered that she thought he was a good kisser. Having only dated a few girls in the past—and never long term—he didn’t have as much experience in the realm of romance as most other men his age. If it had been up to him, he would have pursued more relationships or tried to make the ones he’d been in last longer, but his father had successfully stifled every attempt he’d made so far.

At the thought of the king, he cringed inwardly. Atlas was still dead set on making him wait for an arranged, political marriage, even though the concept was outdated in Aspiria. If the monarch hadn’t approved of the women he’d been with before, there was no way he would allow him to date a girl who didn’t even know who she was. For her sake, he couldn’t let his father find out that they’d taken a liking to each other. After all, he wouldn’t put it past the overbearing king to remove her from the Maydestone property to keep them from seeing each other. Until she was reunited with her family, theirs was the only roof she had to cover her head at night.

The feeling of Iris’s gentle fingers on his cheek drew Cas from his thoughts. This time, it was his turn to blush as she described the traits she liked in him. Her list was different than most other women’s too. Usually, physical features made the top as his past girlfriends called him handsome or athletic or hot, detailing the tangible parts of him that they were attracted to. But that was what he liked about her: She wasn’t like other women. A smile pulled at his lip as he held her gaze, appreciative of the different way she chose to look at him.

[color=#b97703]“You’re something else,”[/color] he chuckled incredulously as she planted a warm kiss on his cheek. [color=#b97703]“I’ve never met anyone like you before, Iris. You’re like the manifestation of a ray of sunlight, and there’s just something about you…”[/color] He trailed off, studying her face and then shaking his head. [color=#b97703]“I don’t know what it is, but it’s different. I’m glad I was the one who found you in the woods, because I’ve really enjoyed getting to know someone as amazing as you.”[/color]

Leaning in again, he indulged himself in one more passionate kiss just before his com device rang with an incoming call from security. With a sigh, he pulled back from her lips and casted her an apologetic look. [color=#b97703]“I have to take this,”[/color] he said, disentangling their clasped fingers to remove the device from his belt and then standing up from the sofa. [color=#b97703]“It could take a while, so don’t wait up for me, alright? I’ll see you in the morning.”[/color] With that, he turned to head back into the hallway, using his fingerprint ID to access the security team’s frequency as he spoke into the receiver: [color=#b97703]“Any news on the prisoners?”[/color]