Caspian just shrugged when Iris claimed that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her. It would definitely be difficult now that they had taken the first small steps from being friends to being more than that, but he had enough self-control to keep his distance if he had to. After all, he’d managed not to chase after her touch throughout the entirety of the past week even though his crush on her had developed early on. He liked to think his track record meant that he would be able to keep it up for a few more days if she kept her word about not kissing him again unless he gave in to her request.

Prepared to follow the comment up with a stubborn reminder that she couldn’t change his mind, the prince parted his lips and then paused when she spoke first. The change in approach caught him off guard, and he stalled by taking a sip from the second drink Martin had brought to their table, glossing over the fact that the amnesiac had ordered another round when he’d told her he was only going to have one that night. She did have a point that the terrorists’ top priority was probably getting out of the capital with their lives. He also supposed that if he left the mansion, they wouldn’t necessarily know he had left the safety of the royal family’s security team. Merely driving out to the woods and back wasn’t the same as traveling around the city. [color=#b97703][i]But it’s still more dangerous than staying put,[/i][/color] he told himself firmly, trying to cut the threads of doubt that had begun to worm their way into his mind.

His efforts were derailed one more time when Iris took him by the hand. Cas stared at her in surprise, a hot flush coloring his skin as she met his gaze beneath hooded lashes. All of his confidence in keeping away from her suddenly began to waver, and his heart hammered in his chest. She had flirted with him in an innocent way before, and he’d liked her sweet charm, but the way she behaved now elicited a far different response. He felt both desired and desirous, and the temptation to close the distance between them grew prominent in his head. Struggling not to squirm against the gentle circles she traced on his sensitive palm, he bit his lower lip. [color=#b97703][i]I’m going to need a cold shower after this,[/i][/color] he thought with a slow exhale.

[color=#b97703]“I…”[/color] he started and then trailed off, unsure what to say. It was hard for him to think straight when she had him under her spell. Part of him still wanted to hold fast to his decision not to leave, but another part of him was wondering if it would be worth it to cave. The danger wasn’t really that great, and now that she’d appealed to his attraction to her, he didn’t want to wait for the soldiers to catch the rebels before he could kiss her again. He wanted to kiss her now.

Flustered, he picked up his glass to down the rest of his second drink and wrinkled his nose slightly as the strong liquor stung his throat. [color=#b97703]“Fine,”[/color] the word escaped his mouth before he could stop it. He glanced furtively at Martin and leaned toward Iris, squeezing her hand in his as he went on in a lowered voice, [color=#b97703]“We can go tomorrow night, but it’ll have to be quick. No more than twenty minutes tops. After that, we have to come back here whether we find your ID or not.”[/color]

Holding her gaze, his serious expression was broken as the thought of kissing her flickered through his mind again. He swallowed, and a smile formed on his face alongside the blush in his cheeks. [color=#b97703]“I agreed to your terms,”[/color] he said, shuffling sideways to get up from his seat. Bolstered by liquid courage, he sat down again next to Iris on her side of the booth and turned at the waist to face her. The drinks helped to mask his nervousness, but his heart raced a million miles an hour as he murmured, [color=#b97703]“That means you’ll kiss me, right?”[/color] Then, he chased the question by leaning in to meet her lips.