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CHAPTER THREE
Her mother had always told her to never eavesdrop on people. It was rude, and un-ladylike. But as a young woman, she had learnt that it was sometimes necessary.
"So, what do you propose we do?" She doesn't recognise the man's voice, but he sounds older than her, than them.
"We kill him. Did you have another plan in mind? If so, I would love to hear it." Her husband speaks and she grimaces, noticing the way Jackson places his hands on his hips with a frown.
"What about the girl?"
She frowns at Jackson's response, "She will never find out."
What was he going to do now? Kill someone who didn't appreciate him or his family? Kill a peasant who couldn't afford a debt? She had always assumed that he may be kind-hearted deep down, that he may be able to find a soft spot for certain people or certain things, but maybe she had been wrong.
Judging by his attitude with her in the morning, she was now under the assumption that he was a spoiled rich boy with too many rights and too many men under his watch. No one with a kind heart and a good soul was that disrespectful.
No gentleman would ever use her for her body, would ever trick her and fool her into bed, though she was technically already in his bed by law.
She ducks her head back behind the wall when he turns towards her, her hands gripping the concrete. It feels cold beneath her fingertips and she sighs, closing her eyes in relief when she hears them move away.
Thank the Lord and Saviour.
She had been following throughout most of the day, listening in on conversations with his Guard, and peeking around corners whenever he was alone.
She was suspicious of him to say the least, and she didn't trust the future of her country to be placed in his hands, however perfect and soft they may first appear.
April opens her eyes then, gathering the skirt of her dress and she heads down the steps leading into the kitchen.
This is her home now too, she may as well make the most of it.
The size of the kitchen at her House back in the North barely scratched the surface of this one. It was immense, perhaps too much for a room that baked and served food.
Spotting a tray of fruit on the counter side, she quickly picks up a couple of strawberries. They're fresh and ripe, and she smiles. They had always been her favourite fruit and essence.
"What are you doing, Milady?"
April turns around at the woman's voice, seeing a taller brunette stood behind her. She's holding a basket full of freshly cooked bread and she eyes the redhead curiously.
"I was... feeling peckish, you see." She sheepishly grins and the brunette, who she remembers goes by the name of Jo, nods with a wink.
"Sure thing." The younger woman drops the basket on the counter beside the fruit and grabs her apron from the wall beside them. She ties it around her waist as she speaks, fingertips tying loose knots behind her back, "Your husband said we aren't supposed to serve any food before dinner tonight."
April shrugs, tugging the corner of her lip into the smile, "You didn't serve it, I helped myself." She retorts, licking her lips after she pops the first strawberry into her mouth. "What he doesn't know won't kill him."
"Oh, really?"
The redhead stills, almost dropping her treasured fruit when she hears him. Why the heck did he have to pop up everywhere?
She turns to face him, and Jo quickly nods before she hurries away, grabbing the bread as she goes. Clearly no one liked being around him that much. That, or they weren't allowed to.
April swallows a breath. She's not scared of him, or afraid of what he could have done to her. She's angry, and peeved and she wants nothing more than to hit him, to slap him across the face.
But if she did, her future reign would be over and she would be left for dead.
"And here I was thinking that you would like to see me killed." Jackson steps closer, eyeing the fruit in her hand.
"If I wanted to see you killed, I would do it myself." She informs him, terribly honestly and he smirks when she takes a step away from him, bottom meeting the old wooden counter.
She scratches the back of her arm tiredly when he nears her, nerves gripping her skin. She isn't too fond of being trapped in close quarters with him anymore.
He grips her wrist, pulling away from her arms roughly and holding it down, "You should finish that." He blinks and she catches his dropped gaze.
April glances down to the strawberry in her other hand and mildly blushes, biting her lip before she raises her free hand, dabbing the fruit across her lips. Why should she not be allowed to torture him a little bit?
"Eat it." Jackson sigh, ignoring her innocent grin as he continues to stare down at her mouth.
She licks the edge of the red berry softly before she squints and pulls it away, "Are you sure you don't want it?" She opens her mouth and tilts her head back, raising the fruit to his lips. She possesses at least some soft of power over him.
He traps her against the ledge, hand still holding onto her wrist tightly and the other resting by his side. She leans into him, chewing on her bottom lip when he refuses to taste it.
"Please."
She already knows how to frustrate him, how to rattle his cage, how to get on his last nerve but she wants to make him explode.
She wants to see him, his anger and his pride and everything in between, erupt.
She wants him to be ruined.
She hates him.
And she's already learning how to kill him.
"I hear strawberries are an aphrodisiac."
She traces the ripe fruit back and forth against his lips, barely and gently.
Jackson stares down at the fruit with a slight smirk. "Are you trying to test me?"
"I'm trying to arouse you." She smiles, tossing her red hair behind her shoulder and taking a deep breath. She's still almost inexperienced. She's still shy at heart. "Is it working?"
He doesn't reply, instead just opens his mouth and grabs half of the fruit between his teeth, scraping her fingertips on the way and she pauses when he sucks on the end, as though he was emptying the juices.
He swallows the bite and raises a brow at her stunned look, "Would you like some?"
April falters, eyeing back and forth between his lips and his eyes. Damn him.
Before she can respond again, his mouth is attacking hers, tongue slipping past her willing lips and teeth biting her flesh. She drops the half-eaten berry when he moves his hands to her waist, gripping her tight and pushing the low of her back into the strong wooden table.
She moans at the pressure, back arching and fingers scraping at his neck when he picks her up, a small gasp escaping past her bruised lips. His thumbs dig into her covered skin and she knits her brows together when he steps between her legs, hands moving to her thighs.
She moves a hand out when he grabs her wrist, accidentally pushing the tray of fresh fruit to the ground and he laces his fingers through hers, pinning her hand down.
His other hand slips past her dress, roughly grabbing the layers and pulling them up her legs. She parts her legs again, shuffling to sit on the counter when he lifts her up.
Cupping the sides of his face, she pulls him closer by tossing her legs around his waist to drag him in.
His free hand leaves her side to slide across her neck, thumb brushing her carotid as he traces down her chest, carelessly tugging on the front of her dress to snap the buttons. She softly cries when his lips leave hers to follow her skin until he reaches the top of her breasts, teeth scratching and tongue drawing against her flesh.
He softly suckles on her skin, staring up at her face as he does and watching with a wicked grin when she closes her eyes with a pleasurable sob.
Her hands roam across the counter she leans against, until one finds her hair and she softly pulls on the red strands when he slides a hand beneath her dress, finding her modest underwear.
April jumps when he pulls the small cloth aside, slipping a finger between her folds as his other hand grips her waist to hold her.
She can't help but enjoy it, despite her conscience telling her that's it's wrong for a man to be so cruel towards his woman.
She bites her lip again, feeling her back ache and her chest pant against his lips, but she gasps in shock when he backs away from her.
Stepping away, Jackson licks his lips and pulls his hands out from under her dress. She quickly flips the gown back down her legs and sits up, breath slowing and eyes wide.
Damn him.
He watches her gulp, in heat and want, and maybe something close to lust.
April drops her gaze to his hands covering his pants and a soft crimson colour rises to her cheeks when she spots his clear arousal.
"How was that aphrodisiac?"
Jackson smirks, lifting a hand to her face and pressing his fingertips to her lips. "Bite." Was he asking or demanding?
She complies, teeth pushing into his finger lightly, tongue carefully trailing along the pads. She tastes herself on him, gently sucking on his fingertips as he runs a hand through her hair.
"You tell me."
She hates him.