Ariella smiled at his words, “I know you are,” she chuckled lightly, kissing his jaw lightly, “I have no doubt that you could talk yourself into—or perhaps out of—just about anything,” she added sweetly. She thought that he could probably do anything he set his mind to. The problem being that he had little interest in many things. But if he wanted to, she didn’t think there was much he couldn’t do, and she would have—would still—support him in any endeavor he wished to pursue.<br/><br/>“Three whole days, huh?” she mused, a mischievous smile playing across her lips. It wasn’t a lot of time, but it was more than she had expected, and she would make sure to enjoy them while they lasted. “Well, then I suppose we should make the most of them.”<br/><br/>Perhaps she should have felt guilty, but she knew that Jalice felt nothing more for her than she felt for him. Their marriage was political, not romantic, so there was little to convince her to ruin her temporary happiness with such emotions. Especially knowing that he probably felt the same way, and she would bet anything that he would be sleeping with Rosalie anyways, so she had no reason to tarry on such emotions.<br/><br/>She let out a pleasant sound against his lips when he lifted her nightgown and she felt his hands slip beneath the thin material. His skin felt cold against her own, but it didn’t bother her at all. She’d never really minded it, but she’d grown used to it, and she enjoyed his touch, so even if the cool bothered her—it did not—then it was more than worth it.<br/><br/>She took in a sharp breath when he broke the kiss, his thumb and fingers lingering on her breast, massaging the nipple between them. Her eyes followed his movements as he pulled away from her, sitting back on his knees to slip out of his shirt. She was surprised to find scars across his chest that she knew hadn’t been there before.<br/><br/>She reached out and traced her fingers over them lightly, her eyes shifting up to meet his. She was about to ask what had happened, but his soft finger against her lip staved off the question, telling her that he would explain later. She nodded, accepting his promise without question. She trusted him to keep his word.<br/><br/>When he moved to remove her nightgown, she easily repositioned to allow him to do so. She’d been somewhat clumsy at undressing in the beginning, but she’d grown used to it now. Likewise, she’d grown used to him seeing her this way, no longer feeling timid or embarrassed as she once had.<br/><br/>Her gaze remained on him as he dipped his head, his tongue and then his lips finding her breast, sucking the flesh softly when his hand massaged the other breast. She held his gaze with none of her previous embarrassment, instead enjoying not only his touch, but also everything she found in those eyes of his. She didn’t mind letting him know when she enjoyed the things he did to her with soft moans, happy sighs, and even the sounds of her breath.<br/><br/>Soon, he was trailing soft, suggestive kissed down her abdomen and she couldn’t help but smile, biting her lip gently in anticipation of what was to come. She giggled just a little when he came to her belly button, as if suddenly remembering the feeling of him tickling her, but this time he continued without teasing her this way. He had only done it to try to make her more comfortable and less embarrassed, which wasn’t an issue anymore.<br/><br/>She took in a slow but unsteady breath as his kisses trailed across her underwear. As his tongue trailed across the thin fabric that covered her sensitive flesh, her breath hitched before she moaned softly, her right hand grasping tightly at the sheets while her left tangled in his curly lilac hair, as she loved to do. The fabric did little to lessen the sensation, although she still found herself wishing there was no barrier between them.<br/><br/>It seemed that he wasn’t in any particular rush, though, so she relaxed a little, hoping that this meant that they could enjoy their time with little concern for interruption. If he wasn’t in a rush, then she wasn’t either. She was more than happy to allow him to take his time and enjoy her as he pleased, and she had every intention of enjoying him, and their time together, too.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Rosalie relaxed just a little when Kera assured her that Angry Kera hadn’t meant what she had said. She then added that the other Kera’s weren’t invited, before producing a ring. As soon as she had slipped the small piece of jewelry onto her finger, the other two Kera’s suddenly vanished.<br/><br/>She recognized the ring as one that had been crafted by her father for Kera. Yep keep her emotions under control and prevent her from splitting as she tended to do. She might not be able to wear the ring for long periods of time, but it would at least make things a little quieter. Not that she generally minded the other Kera’s, but three was already a crowd, and she knew Jalice wasn’t necessarily a big fan.<br/><br/>She could tell that Jalice was frustrated, and she could understand why. This was supposed to be their time to be alone together. But maybe they could still have some time to themselves? Kera wasn’t an unreasonable person, after all. And they were both clever, right? They could find a way. They had to.<br/><br/>She was about to reach out to Jalice, to ask him if he was okay, but he was already walking off to grab his backpack, heading off without a word. She couldn’t hide her disappointment at this reaction, her gaze lingering on him until Kera spoke up.  She looked up at her as she apologized, promising to keep the ring on as long as she could, and telling her why she was here.<br/><br/>“It isn’t your fault,” she sighed, releasing some of her own frustration with the breath. “Thank you. I know you don’t like to wear it for too long,” she said, appreciating that the woman was willing to do what she could, even doing something that might ultimately hurt her in some way. “Just don’t hurt yourself too much on my account,” she added in, not wanting her to push herself too much.<br/><br/>She frowned at Kera’s explanation as to why she had been sent here. Why would her father think that Jalice would hurt her? It didn’t make any sense. There was no way he would do that. And anyways, she could take care of herself, so it was annoying that he was treating her like some kind of child. She wondered if there was something else he was worried about?<br/><br/>She didn’t want to waste too much time thinking about it though, so she let out another irritated sigh. “I don’t know what he’s thinking,” she muttered before grabbing her bag. “Whatever. It’s not worth wasting my time thinking about it. Let’s just go,” she said, gesturing for Kera to come along as she walked off in the same direction that Jalice had gone. She was ready to get on the road, still clinging to some hope that they could still spend some time alone together, somehow.