Iris’s lighthearted teasing made Cas feel a little better about the fact that he wasn’t instinctively smooth enough to unhook her bra without taking a moment to figure out the clasp. Movies made it seem so much easier than it actually was. He exhaled against her skin as he felt her hands travel over his back, glad that she didn’t seem to feel like he’d ruined the mood with his awkward fumbling. Even though he was enthusiastic, he was still figuring out what he was doing, so there were bound to be a few bumps along the way. He just hoped that his struggle to finish undressing her didn’t bode poorly for what had yet to come.

Once he focused on the fastening more closely instead of trying to multitask, he managed to pop it open, and he held his breath as he slipped the thin fabric off her shoulders. The sight of her torso with nothing to cover it made his pulse escalate dangerously, and he stopped to kiss her again, trailing his hands over her soft skin before he removed her last undergarment. “God, how are you this perfect?” he murmured incredulously as he slid his hands up her bare back again, in mild disbelief that he was with someone as beautiful as her. Every inch of her body made his mind go blank with carnal desire and his heart thunder on the verge of cardiac arrest.

Unable to hold back any longer, he pulled her down onto the bed with him and captured her lips, tangling with her once more as he gave in to the need to find out just how good it would feel to fit together…

--

True to expectations, it took a little trial and error for the virgin prince to find a rhythm that worked for both of them. However, just exploring new sensations with Iris was exciting in its own way. Cas enjoyed every part of it and even though the experience wasn’t perfectly seamless, he was still thoroughly satisfied by the time it was over. He laid with his arms wrapped affectionately around her middle and a dazed smile painting his lips, still drunk on the effects of post coital bliss. Though he hadn’t expected it, he felt even more in love with her after they’d slept together and was glad that even though he’d waited longer than most, his first time had been with her.

“That was… wow,” he mumbled and then laughed, unable to string a coherent sentence together. He hoped Iris felt the same way, since he’d done his best to communicate and make sure that neither of them was left wanting more afterwards. Drawing her into his chest, he buried his face into her long hair, simply taking in her warmth and sweet scent for a moment before he spoke again, his voice muffled in the blonde tresses, “I don’t think I’m gonna have any leftovers from dinner.”

It hadn’t been perfectly seamless, but that was to be expected when both were exploring new and unchartered territory with one another. What did help was that neither one of them didn’t seem bothered by the fact there had been a few bumps along the way. If anything it only made her heart grow fonder for him because they had taken the time to make sure both sides were comfortable and enjoying the new sensations together as they finally went through with the deed that had been interrupted on many different occasions. It had been worth it, the final release of what had been building up between them over the past couple of weeks and she hoped that Cas felt the same, that she had been worth it for him. Especially as she believed deep down that she could very well be his downfall.

The aftermath was just as blissful, holding onto him using his chest as a pillow as she took the time to rest relishing in what had just happened. Her own arm draped across his chest as her fingers traced gentle soothing circles across his torso listening to his heartbeat. “Left you breathless eh?” Iris chuckled with a gentle teasing tone as she propped her head up to look at him with a smile, her eyes were soft, full of care for him as she soaked in his appearance before her. Unable to stop the soft sigh of content that left her lips she was in a state of bliss, it was like nothing could go wrong now and she had easily forgotten the trauma they had been through recently. Not entirely forgotten, but it was the last thing on her mind right now.

“I definitely could eat, may have just worked up an appetite.” Though as Iris spoke, she couldn’t help but giggle, she honestly felt like some schoolgirl who had finally gotten her crush to notice her. “Though a part of me feels like it would be such a shame having to move. I’m just too comfortable right now.” As if to make her point she laid back down on his chest holding him gently in her arm, enjoying the warmth he gave off as it enveloped her. “Five more minutes?” Mumbling softly as she closed her eyes, she was a little tired as the lack of sleep from the past few weeks was catching up with her slowly.

Taking her time, she laid with him for a few more minutes before she felt her own stomach rumble at the idea of eating, and she groaned softly knowing she should go eat. They both should as they had left dinner to enjoy in some entertainment beforehand. “Alright, come on then. Let’s go get some food. Can’t have you wasting away now.” Pushing herself into a seated position on the bed she felt her cheeks heat up realising she was still exposed, in the moment she hadn’t felt too self-conscious of it but now, she was a little bit more aware of herself. Reaching out her hand found it’s way to his intertwining their fingers together as she gave it a little tug as if to motivate herself and Caspian to leave the bed and get some food.

When Iris spoke about him being breathless, Caspian just murmured incoherently in response. To say he was tired was an understatement. After he’d reached his own peak, part of him marveled that he hadn’t immediately passed out. He was lightheaded from the quickness of his respiration, and his body felt like lead from the chemical dump. As hungry as he was, falling asleep right then and there wasn’t totally off the table. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed, if ever, and he wished he could summon their dinner up to the bedroom without having to get out of bed.

For the first time in a while, all thoughts of his father, Dr. Foster and the asylum had fled completely from his mind, replaced with nothing but bliss and a sense of peace with Iris in his embrace. He nodded faintly when she requested to stay put for another few minutes, more than happy to oblige. He was hungry, but he wasn’t so famished that he felt the need to go downstairs at that very moment. Absentmindedly, he traced gentle patterns on her shoulder with his fingers, drifting in and out of light sleep until he felt her shift against his chest, signaling that it was time to get up.

With a yawn, he opened his eyes and stretched his limp limbs, watching as she sat up beside him. Her perfect body filled his view, and he studied each curve with enraptured silence, committing it to memory. “You’re getting cheeky,” he rolled his eyes when she used the same words against him that he’d used on her earlier. Despite his gibe, he liked hearing her joke around with him. Lately, he’d been able to tell that her mood had been more somber than it had been when they’d first met, and he’d been a little concerned that her threshold for happiness had been low. He loved her and wanted to see her thrive, so it was good to glimpse a sliver of the person she had been before they’d been spirited away to Tongsen by the rebellion.

Forcing his weary body into a sitting position, he smiled as she laced her fingers with his and leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. “Fine. I wouldn’t want to waste away on you either,” he teased, sliding down from the bed and locating his boxers on the floor to put back on. While they were alone, he technically could have traipsed back downstairs in the nude, but he preferred to be wearing at least something while he ate. The thought of accidentally dropping food on his lap unclothed was something he didn’t feel like risking.

“I don’t know why I didn’t think of booking a hotel room sooner,” he mused as they headed down to the abandoned dinner cart. “This is so much better than trying to sneak around at Miles’ place. I missed just being with you… no one else around to bother us.”

“Me cheeky? I think you’ll find I got that from you.” Iris joked back with a smile, for once she did truly feel happy, like nothing was weighing her down currently and it was nice to just feel it once more. As much as she could fake the happiness lately, managing to get by without anyone clocking it she could feel it draining her. That was the problem when she began to box it all up, keep it in rather than talk to someone about it or accept that it was okay not to be strong and get upset over it. Right now, however being able to feel a true sense of happiness and not faking the smile was a wonderful feeling in its own right.

Watching as he started to dress himself once more she forced her own body from the bed and started to put back on her own clothes, though only her undergarments as the dress she was wearing was still downstairs in a heap on the floor. Rubbing her eyes as she fumbled about with her clothing she felt spent of energy, a part of her excited to just get some sleep as she felt comfortable around Cas. Although staying with Miles had been better than the hospital or the prison she still hadn’t let herself sleep properly there, she still feared the nightmares and again opening up wasn’t really her thing to anyone let alone someone who was just barely her friend.

“Well I did suggest it, maybe you should listen to me more.” Iris countered softly as he mused about booking the hotel room, though of course her suggestion had just been a night together hotel or not. It hadn’t meant to sound suggestive at first when she had mentioned it, but she was glad it had been perceived in such a manner because it was something she had wanted after all. “Though you can't deny there was something exciting about sneaking around in the bathroom with potentially getting caught.” Laughing softly as she slowly walked behind him back down the stairs heading towards the sofa where her dress laid on the floor untouched from its removal earlier.

Grabbing the garment, she sat herself on the sofa as she slipped the black fabric back over her body not really wanting to sit in the half nude to eat as knowing her luck she would drop something and then that would be embarrassing. Feeling more comfortable with the dress back on she headed towards the kitchen where the dinning table was placed for occasions to eat, stifling a yawn she moved to the cupboards looking for glasses so they could have a drink with dinner. Opening up one of the cupboards she found an array of fine china stacked ever so neatly, in the next cupboard a line of cups and she grinned locating the wine glasses for them.

Pulling them out she placed them on the table before returning back to the cupboard to grab a normal glass for some water, just in case she wasn’t a fan of the wine. Glancing towards Cas she held up a normal Cas waving it about gently, “Did you want a glass of water too?”

“From me?” Cas made a face at Iris jokingly. “You make it sound like I’m your dad… which would be disgusting and make what we just did very illegal.” Walking over to the cart, he grabbed the handle and rolled it toward the dining table to set their food up properly. By now, there was no doubt that both of their meals were cold and that most of the ice in the wine bucket had melted. It didn’t matter though. Sacrificing the freshness of their dinner had been worth the release of finally sleeping together. The memory of how their bodies intertwined was burned into his mind forever. Even though he hadn’t been able to perform as well as a man who had previous experience under his belt, he felt like being intimate with her had brought them closer. Besides, getting better would just take practice, and he was more than happy to keep trying with her.

“Maybe I should,” he agreed with an amused smile when she pointed out that she’d thought of booking a hotel room before. After everything that had happened with his father, he’d completely forgotten about that. However, even if he’d remembered, he probably wouldn’t have done it sooner. Without the unintentional push from Atlas, he would have kept abiding by his midnight curfew every night to stay on good terms with the king. It was only because his father had threatened to lock him up at Eternity Meadows that he had felt the need to escape. And it was a good thing I did, he thought, glancing over his shoulder at Iris as she slipped her black dress back over her head.

While she retrieved glasses from the cupboards, he set up their dishes on the table. At home, he was used to having maids around to do menial tasks like preparing for supper, so it was interesting to him to need to do the work by himself. He didn’t dislike it though. It was easy enough to do, and he was still relaxed after their tussle in the sheets, so he had no qualms with helping out.

“Sure, thanks,” he replied to her question. He enjoyed red wine, but the fermented beverage wasn’t nearly as thirst-quenching as plain water, so he preferred to have both.

Popping the cork off the bottle, Cas poured the wine into the crystal glasses that Iris had set down, filling both up about halfway before he set the rest back in the bucket to stay chilled. “You know, this is our first real dinner date,” he mused with a grin, taking a seat in front of the dish that contained his food. With the low lights, gourmet food and Spanish wine, it was almost as nice as the ambiance they would have paid for at a five-star restaurant. “I probably should have dressed a little nicer for the occasion, huh?” he added jokingly with a glance down at his own bare torso. While Iris had put all of her clothes back on, he hadn’t bothered with more than his underwear. “At least you can’t tell me this date is forgettable.”

Iris couldn’t help but pull a face at his words as it was disgusting to think of it like that, which was never her intention. Shaking her head to herself she was glad they could joke around like this, that she didn’t feel the need to please him at every second because he was a Prince. More often than not she forgot that he was the crown Prince due to inherit a country and become a leader, it never felt like that for a minute between them and she wasn’t scared to tease or wind him up. A part of her had wondered if that was due to the memory loss and when she first got to know him she didn’t know who he was, if he had introduced himself as a Prince would her thoughts and feelings changed? No, I don’t think it would have.

Turning back to Cas smiling brightly as he agreed he should have listened to her sooner, it had been a nice break to get away from everything and everyone. Not that she didn’t enjoy Miles’s company, but after a while being stuck in that room with only a few options to entertain themselves it had been a relief to accompany him here. That and she enjoyed being able to spend more time with Cas without anyones prying eyes into their business.

As Cas agreed to some water, she filled up two separate glasses and placed them on the table gently, knowing she would probably prefer water to the wine. Settling herself down to the table she watched the cork pop off the bottle as he began to pour them some wine to accompany their cold dinner. “We’ve certainly done things in a bit of a different order then.” Chuckling at his words, it was their first real dinner date which felt odd considering they had already been through so much together that it hadn’t taken them until now to do something like this.

“Well I’m not complaining at your attire.” Iris teased softly glancing at his bare torso remembering just how it had felt beneath her finger’s moments ago. “Nothing has been forgettable with you.” Which was true, they had been through so much that it wasn’t easy to forget everything that had happened between them, the rebellion and now even the Capital. “Though it’s hard not to worry at what will happen next, whenever we have an enjoyable moment together something bad seems to follow.” Musing over her words as she lifted the dish from her dinner looking down at the beautifully crafted pasta on her plate.

“Sorry, that kind of sounded like a mood killer.” Iris shook her head trying not to wince, laughing nervously in hopes they could ignore her little blunder, as much as she did worry about what was going to happen next she knew she should just enjoy this time now whilst they had it. Picking up her fork she began to push the food around on her plate at first, slightly cautious of trying it as she tried to motivate herself for the dish worried that she might not like it. Stop it, stop overthinking it. Chastising herself as she took the plunge and tried the food feeling relieved as the sauce hit her taste buds and it was enjoyable. Relaxing in her chair she didn’t feel as tense now knowing she enjoyed the food, glad at her simpler choice from the menu. “This is really good! How is yours?”

When Iris set the water glasses down on the table, Cas murmured a quick ‘thank you’ and lifted one to his lips to drink. The cool liquid washed over his tongue and throat pleasantly on its way down, quenching a thirst that he’d been too distracted to notice until now. He hadn’t been paying attention earlier, but it had been hours since he’d last had anything to drink. Probably not since lunch at noon, he mused as he tried to do the math in his head. Fortunately, there was a restaurant on the first level of the resort that they could order from almost any time of the day, so they had good food and drinks at their fingertips as long as they stayed in the suite.

“Being conventional is overrated anyway,” he said in reply, setting his water back down to start on his dinner. “We may have skipped all sorts of steps, but I’ve never fallen for anyone like I have for you.” He casted her a fond smile and took a bite of his lukewarm-but-still-good food. While not ideal, going through mutual trauma had a way of drawing two people close together. It felt like they’d been partners for a lot longer than just a few weeks. After they had been on the run together in the districts, he trusted her with his life and was determined to do everything he could to keep her safe too. In a way, he even relied on her more than his own father, whom he had been slowly distancing himself from since he’d gotten back to the capital.

“Well that’s good, I think,” he mused when she said nothing was forgettable when they were together. Truthfully, there were a few moments here and there that he would have liked to erase from his memory, such as the image of the corpses in Bel Bicis that was imprinted on his mind forever. However, when it came to their relationship, he treasured every second. “Tonight is definitely one of my favorite moments for us,” he told her after he swallowed a mouthful of lobster. “No crippling amnesia, no rebels trying to kill us, no hospital, and no Miles.” He laughed at his own joke, taking a sip of his wine. The Spanish red was richly flavored, and he savored it on his tongue.

Her following comment gave him pause though. He didn’t want to think about anything bad happening, but it was impossible to deny that his rebellious move to get away from Atlas could go wrong. He’d never run from the mansion before, so he could have overlooked something important. “We’ll be fine,” he shook his head, trying to reassure her. “I booked this room completely anonymously, disconnected every GPS that could have tracked us here and haven’t told a single person where we are. I’m sure there’s no way anyone can find us. We’re safe until I figure out what to do next.”

When she asked about his food, he glanced up at her again with a half-smile. “Mine is good too.” The ominous feeling of her last comment still lingered inside of him, and he took a breath. He didn’t want to let worries ruin their evening. Even if something happened, there was nothing they could do to prevent it, so there was no sense in stewing over it.

In an attempt to lighten the mood again, he picked up one of the half-shells on his plate and separated the oyster from it with a spoon, then held it out toward Iris. “Here, try this. I’ve been told oysters are an aphrodisiac,” he winked at her playfully. “So is red wine and chocolate... Maybe we can order the molten cake I saw on the menu earlier for dessert.”

Eating her food at a slower pace she mulled over his words already knowing her face had heated up in a rosy blush. Although it hadn’t been conventional in any way shape or form their relationship had somehow blossomed and he was falling for her of all people, just like she knew she had and was still falling for him. It seemed strange that only now where they really having a romantic dinner together like some sort of date, but at the same time it didn’t matter, and it worked for them. Right now, her life was in his hands and she trusted him with it, like he had with her in the districts when she promised to get him home.

“I must admit at first when you spoke words like that to me I was worried it was far too soon, that it was just said in the heat of the moment because we were scared for our lives… now however, it just fills me with happiness.” Speaking softly as she nibbled away at her own pasta enjoying the taste, talking with him as if they were just like any normal couple on a dinner date. “I was also worried I latched onto you because I knew nothing and no one, but I know that’s not the case. I’ve never been more confident in my feelings for you and as you say this is nice. Definitely a favourite moment of mine too because it’s just us without any drama for once.”

Reaching out for her glass of water she began to take a sip not daring to touch the red wine yet, not feeling too adventurous right now as Cas reaffirmed the fact, they were fine. Inside she was grimacing knowing that it was not the best conversation topics to approach, right now she should focus on the fact they were fine. They had somewhere to sleep, to eat and spend some time together before they had to figure out what they would do next. What Cas would do next as the decision was his.

“Sorry, I killed the mood, didn’t I?” Offering a sympathetic smile towards him as he tried to lighten the mood again, eyes glancing towards the oyster that he was offering for her to try. Biting her lip as she looked at the food, she took a breath before she tried it, what was the worst that could happen after all. At first, she wasn’t sure worried she would hate it but when the oyster hit her pallet she wasn’t revolted by the taste. In fact, it was quite enjoyable.

“Oh!” Exclaiming in delight as she grinned at Cas nodding to approve of the food, maybe she wasn’t so plain after all and it was if she had gained confidence as she reached out for the wine now to give it a try. “I should trust you more often with this.” Winking at him as she swirled the red liquid around in her glass before taking a sip finding the flavour complimenting the oyster she had just tried. Sighing happily, she reached out her hand on the table grabbing his, “That sounds perfect.” Happily ignoring the fact, she had nearly killed the mood and glad he was there to help her recover from it.

“Do you want to order that cake? I can tidy this up for us.” Giving his hand a gentle squeeze as the other reached for the wine once more to take another sip.

Cas nodded when Iris said she used to think he was only interested in her because of their circumstances. In that way, they were a lot alike. He’d also been anxious before that she had only fallen for him during their whirlwind escape from the rebellion. Seeing her with Miles in what had appeared at the time to be a flirtatious exchange had only deepened his fears that she’d moved on from him until they’d had a chance to talk about it. Since then, though, he’d felt confident that they were on the same page. Spending the evening alone at the resort had only reaffirmed that belief too, and now he wasn’t worried at all that she would unexpectedly change her mind about them. He loved her, and he knew she loved him.

“Maybe a little,” he teased her with a laugh when she asked if she’d killed the mood. “But you’re cute, so I’ll forgive you this once.” Besides, she did raise a valid point. Even though they were free to relax at the resort, hidden away from all the people who might have been looking for both of them, it was a good idea not to let their guards down completely. He would be careful if anyone came to their door or tried to call the phone in their room. As long as his cell phone was turned off, no one could reach him that way, but on the slim chance that the hotel manager or security guard sold them out to Atlas, he wanted to be prepared to run somewhere else.

He smiled at her reaction to the oyster he’d proffered, glad that she’d liked it. He’d taken a bit of a risk by asking her to try some of his food, since she consistently seemed to like bland dishes better than the gourmet foods he was accustomed to. The gamble had paid off though, and he murmured his agreement when she said she ought to trust him more. “I hope you trust me, because this won’t be the last time I have you try something new,” he warned her with a wink. “But if you ever want plain cheese pizza, just say the word, and I’ll make sure it’s on your plate.”

At her question, he nodded once more. “Sure. If I phone it in now, it should get here around the time we finish our dinners.” At least, he hoped so. Since he’d brought it up, he’d given himself a craving for the warm chocolate dessert. Getting up from the table, he strode over to the phone to put in the order and then came back to eat the half of his food that he hadn’t gotten to yet.

“We’ve still got a lot of this left,” he mused after he’d cleaned his plate, picking up the wine bottle and swirling the contents. There was enough for at least two more generous servings, so he refilled his empty glass with one more. “Do you want another glass?” he asked Iris, glancing at her before he topped off her crystal too. “I think it’ll go well with the cake, and we can always order another bottle if we want more tomorrow.”

“Let me off because I am cute? Maybe I’ll use that to my advantage.” Iris couldn’t help but laugh, happy that he had somehow pulled the mood back for them as she much preferred it being light-hearted as it meant she didn’t have to focus on the negative. Something she had been doing a lot lately without evening meaning too. It was like she was drawn to it and it was easily becoming a daily battle to keep on the positive side, though spending time with Cas was a welcomed break as he made it hard to think about negatives. The charming personality and the way he could cheer her up was exactly what she needed right now.

Smiling herself she couldn’t help but find his own smile infectious, her eyes lit up at the oyster and he seemed happy that she had liked it. Perhaps taking a risk with food isn’t so bad. Mulling over her thoughts finding herself blush at his words and wink following alongside, “What are you insinuating there?” Whispering as she felt a little hot under the collar, whether or not he had meant it in such a way she had assumed his words hinted towards something more private, not just food. “Hey, you would love a plain cheese pizza! Sometimes simple is better.” Finding herself make the statement in a rather matter of fact tone, though she couldn’t keep it up as she found herself giggling as she reached for her cutlery once more to take a few more bites of food.

Nodding in agreement as he went to order the chocolate cake for them she began to eat more of her food enjoying the taste, looking up as he offered more wine she smirked shaking her head, “I hope you’re not trying to get me drunk, I’m not much of a drinker.” Teasing gently as she took her topped up wine glass taking another swig of the drink, he was right it accompanied the food nicely and no doubt would go well with the cake that they were going to have for dessert.

Pushing her plate aside as she had finished, she washed the food down with the wine before looking over at Cas with a soft smile on her face, enjoying the calm they were currently experiencing. “Thank you, Cas, for all of this. I think you can agree when I say we needed this.” Though it hadn’t been part of any plan it was certainly something they needed together. Though she did have his father to thank for that, although unintentional he had pushed Caspians hand to do this and a part of her wondered if that had only deepened the already budding problems between them.

“You better not hog all of this cake though; I have not had chocolate cake in a lifetime, and I can’t wait.” She felt like a little kid again, excited over something so simple but she honestly couldn’t remember ever having chocolate cake before and if she had it was certainly long forgotten either because she had been a child or it was part of the memories the amnesia had stolen away. Rising from her chair she glanced at the plate picking it up, “So, should I wash this? Or put it on the tray to go back? I’m a little unsure on how this works.” Feeling a little embarrassed that she even had to ask such a question, though she knew Cas would not think bad of her for it she still felt the burning sensation of being stupid for asking such a thing.

“You could, but don’t forget that great power comes with great responsibility,” Caspian teased Iris with a smirk. He was so smitten with her that he knew she could probably get him to do whatever she wanted if she really tried. Prompted by a combination of love and the honeymoon phase of infatuation, he wanted nothing more than to make her happy and be the kind of man that he felt like she deserved. So far, it had been difficult to do because of their less than ideal circumstances, but now that they were alone, he had more freedom to spoil her with his time, affection and good food.

When she whispered to him, he twinged pink, only belatedly realizing that his joking remark could have been taken as an innuendo. As much as he would have liked to take credit and say that he’d meant for her to hear it that way, he wasn’t that smooth. After all, he had only even slept with someone for the first time within the hour. “I mean, I was talking about food, but I have nothing against trying other new things too,” he shrugged coyly. “Maybe we can both be a little more adventurous after dinner.” As he spoke, his eyes swept over her hungrily. He could think of at least a few new things he wanted to try with her before the day was over.

At her comment about the pizza, he just shrugged again. While plain food wasn’t his favorite, he had nothing against it. He wondered too if she would like a white cheese pizza that could be a happy middle between their preferences. The toppings were still gourmet, but they weren’t as rich as the kinds of pizzas that he and his friends usually ordered. If they had the chance, he made a mental note to buy one for them sometime, so they could find out if she liked it.

“If you get drunk off just two glasses of wine, I’d be shocked,” Cas said as he took a sip from his own glass. Tipsy, he could understand since she didn’t drink much, but splitting just one bottle over a heavy dinner didn’t seem like it would be enough to make anyone drunk, even if they were a lightweight. Although, wine was such an integral part of capital culture that he supposed he wasn’t the best judge.

“I wasn’t just going to leave you with Miles,” he smiled at her softly when she thanked him. It hadn’t been his original plan to run from his father and drag her along with him, but he did have to agree that it was nice to just have a moment to breathe before he had to face the inevitable storm. Ever since he’d been abducted from the city, the tension inside of him had been slowly mounting. He’d been more stressed than usual and quicker to lose his temper, which was out of character for him as one who tried to put other people before himself. Their evening at the resort was the first time in a while that he’d felt so at ease.

At her question, he picked up his own empty plate and set it down on the cart. “Just put yours next to mine,” he instructed, standing up from the table. “All we need to do is put the dishes in the hallway, and one of the housekeepers will come by to pick it up. As a general rule, you can just assume that while we stay here, we only have to do the bare minimum amount of work to take care of ourselves. They have people for everything.”

“Mhmmm, I don’t have the be the responsible one though.” Iris teased back insinuating that she would in no way be responsible with her new found power and in fact use it to her advantage, well she hinted towards it but in reality she doubted she would do anything other than wind him up just that little bit more. Abusing something like that would never be her style and she knew there was people out there that would do such a thing which was kind of upsetting thinking on it. Cas however, deserved more and she didn’t have much to give him other than her time and affection something she hoped was good enough for him.

Feeling her blush deepen as he furthered on her comment, she felt herself heat up at being more adventurous after dinner, though she couldn’t deny the excitement as the first taste of what they did still lingered. Wanting more was just a desire, but why shouldn’t they take advantage of being alone like this? Already as her thoughts trailed off, she could feel her heartbeat quicken as she briefly glanced at him thinking on what kind of adventurous things, they could partake in. Bright eyes lingering on him as she pulled her mind out of the gutter coughing slightly to avoid any kind of awkwardness.

“Well who knows? There could be such a high alcohol content in this wine I wouldn’t know! That shot we had back with Miles still haunts me.” Shaking her head with a smile as they continued on their idle chatter, following his instruction to place the empty plate on the cart listening to how the housekeepers would just come by to pick it up. It seemed easy enough and the idea that they didn’t have to lift a finger was nice, they could just put them on a tray not even needing to wash them up as the housekeepers would deal with it. Smiling at the idea they had people for everything it made their life easier whilst staying at the resort, food could be brought to them and they probably had some sort of cleaning service too.

It was nice to experience this luxury when she had come from nothing, the districts filled with poverty and famine. Cold because no one had enough funds to even dream of putting on the heating which was no doubt rusted from barely any use. As much as she did enjoy it Iris couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened to the fact whilst she was enjoying this luxury there was good people out there struggling. Like her friend Maisie who she hadn’t even contacted, who was also probably worried about the fact she hadn’t returned. Unless she assumes, I am dead. A grim thought passing through briefly.

Not wanting to dwell on it or think about how depressing things hand been Iris moved over to Cas who had risen from the table and took hold of his hand with a smile. Nudging him gently she took the lead and headed towards the sofa where they could sit together and relax, perhaps even watch some television cuddled up together whilst they waited for their dessert. “Now you owe me some attention. I was thinking we maybe cuddle on the sofa whilst we wait for cake. Unless…” Trailing off a little with a coy smile as she looked away for a split second, “You want to do anything else?” A part of her was worried that they wouldn’t get to spend this time together after tonight so she wanted to make the most of it whilst she could. Not knowing what was due in their future was scary.

“I can promise you that I’ll never subject you to that poison again,” Caspian laughed when Iris brought up the vodka they’d had at Miles’ place. “This wine can’t be more than thirty proof, and I’m pretty sure it’s not even that strong.” He liked to drink and party with his friends, so he had at least a partial tolerance to strong liquor, but even he’d thought that bottle of vodka that Miles’ parents had brought home from their trip was ridiculously potent. It had burned his throat going down and tasted like rubbing alcohol. If he was going to get drunk, he preferred to at least somewhat enjoy the taste of the liquor he’d chosen to drink. Anything over eighty proof was just torturous.

Once she’d added her empty plate to the cart, he wheeled it back to the front door and carefully pushed it out into the hallway, angling his body behind the panel to stay mostly out of sight in case anyone was in the corridor. Usually there were housekeeping teams that would come into the suites to clean up any messes, but he’d given the resort instructions to leave their room untouched until after he checked out. The less people knew he was staying there, the better, so he didn’t want to stumble into a maid who had stopped in the tidy up the living room in the morning. Plus, he needed to keep it a secret that Iris was with him, since she was still wanted.

With the cart removed from the suite, he ambled back over to the table just as Iris got up from her seat. A smile played on his lip, and he laced his fingers with hers, following her over to the sofa. It was obvious to him that she was feeling much more relaxed and free to be herself while it was just the two of them. When they’d been on the run and when she’d been staying with his friend, her smiles had mostly seemed forced or fake. Now, every time she lit up, he was elated to see that she looked genuinely happy. He only hoped the positive change to her mood would be long-lasting, even after they had to leave the Sunset Veil.

“My attention is all yours as long as we’re here,” he told her sincerely, sitting down next to her on the couch. When they were off their feet, he let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her waist, tucking her against his side. “Well, I know what I want to do, but I have a feeling we’ll just get interrupted again,” he said playfully, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “And it was okay to let our dinner go cold, but molten chocolate cakes taste the best when they’re still hot. As gorgeous as you look in that dress—and out of it—I’ll be damned if I don’t eat my piece as soon as it’s delivered to our door.”

Leaning forward, Cas scooped the TV remote off the coffee table and then sank into the plush backrest as he turned the flat screen on. “Do you want to watch anything?” he asked. “We’ve got pretty much any movie on demand here as long as it isn’t still in the theater.” He doubted they would make it through an entire two-hour show, but they hadn’t seen a movie together in so long that he thought it could be fun for them to put something on even if it would just turn into background noise after they finished their desserts.

“I hope not! Honestly that was waaaay to much alcohol.” Iris grinned finding it soothing that they did have some good memories to reminisce on, thankful it didn’t seem to be all doom and gloom for them. Today was certainly going to be something good they could look back on, well for Iris it was and she sure the same would be for Cas, but of course she knew she couldn’t just assume that fact. There was a lot she still didn’t know about Cas and perhaps he had other memories that trumped her ones of them together, truth was she could have some great memories of her past but she didn’t know because so far it had only been the rubbish that had come back to her.

For now her mood seemed to be okay, but she knew deep down that was because she was putting all of her energy into the time she got to spend with Cas fearing that it would be taken away at any instant. They hadn’t talked properly since before coming back to the Capital, she hadn’t told him how she had been feeling not that it was something she wanted to delve into truthfully. A part of her wanting to leave it buried like it never happened, the truth serum, her father and Ethan. All things she would happily forget in heartbeat and whilst with Cas it was easy too, the affection he showered her with and the care he had made it easy to push it aside for the time being even if it wasn’t a long term solution.

“It better be.” Sighing happily as she wrapped her arms around him leaning against him as he tucked her into his side, letting the warmth of his skin surround her as she got herself comfortable. “Ohhh I see, chocolate cake much more important.” Chuckling softly as she relaxed into him making the teasing remark in good jest, she knew he was right though this cake deserved to be eaten whilst it was hot. Excitement bubbled away at the idea of this cake as she had high expectations for it, especially as it was coming from a five-star hotel no less, so it had to be good. Plus, who could go wrong with chocolate cake?

Closing her eyes for a moment as she relaxed against him, she felt him move grabbing the TV remote before sinking back into the sofa. Shifting her weight on him she opened her eyes glancing up at the mention of watching something, a smile spread across her face at the idea. Although she had spent a lot of time with Miles watching movies to TV shows it was different watching them with Cas, they could cuddle on the sofa together and she knew it would be relaxing to spend time like that together. Plus, it also felt like they were a real couple as that’s what couples would do, watch movies together whilst holding one another on the sofa. “Honestly that sounds amazing. I can’t think of anything better than watching a movie, cuddling and sharing that delicious cake.”

Reaching up she placed a kiss to his check before settling back down comfortable on the sofa with him putting herself at his side. “I have no clue on what to watch though, I think I’ve gone through quite a few titles. Maybe we could watch a comedy? If you’re into that. Or maybe we could watch a different genre? I really don’t mind.”

Cas smiled as Iris wrapped her arms around him, loving the feeling of her body curled up against his side. Outside of his immediate family, he’d never felt as comfortable with anyone as he did with her. Though he’d had previous girlfriends, he could admit that he’d never really formed a deep, meaningful relationship with any of them. The few women he’d dated were people he’d thought were attractive, found something they had in common with them and latched onto it in the hopes of getting to know them better and falling in love. There wasn’t anything wrong with that method, per say, since it was how most high borns in the capital met their partners, but because his father had interrupted each one before it could flourish into anything of substance, the wanted rebel he was holding on the sofa now was the first girl to whom he’d ever grown so attached.

“More important? No. Going to get cold if we don’t eat it immediately? Absolutely,” he poked her in the side when she feigned accusing him of caring more about their dessert than he did about her. “Don’t even try that game with me, babe. I’ve been in politics for too long to get roped into your manipulations.” What he didn’t say was that if she tried a little harder by flirting with him or maybe letting the strap of her dress slip from her shoulder, his willpower would almost certainly collapse like a house of cards. He would forget they’d even ordered cake from the restaurant in his haste to whisk her back up to the bedroom for a second round in the sheets.

Flipping through the options on the movie channel, he nodded when she suggested that they could watch a comedy. “That sounds good to me,” he agreed, kissing her cheek in return as he opened up the menu for comedy movies. Action flicks were his personal favorite, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a fan of other genres too. The only suggestion he probably would have made a face at was romance. There were a few good romance movies that he’d seen, but for the most part, the genre was riddled with cheesy movies about couples that were either way too perfect and happy or depressingly sad. He tended to avoid them altogether as a rule unless someone he knew and trusted recommended it to him.

After going through a few different titles, he found a comedy he thought Iris would enjoy. “Ever seen Like It or Not?” he asked, glancing down at her with a smile. “It came out about a year ago, but I’ve seen it a few times since then because it’s pretty funny. It’s about a kindergarten teacher who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up being mistaken for an undercover agent. He’s terrible at the job but plays along with it anyway because he found out it pays great, and he needs the money to make up for blowing his kid’s college savings at the tracks while he was drunk.”

Just as he finished relaying the description of the movie, there was a knock at the door. “Perfect timing,” Cas mused. He slipped out from Iris’s grasp and picked up the tray that had been left in the hallway for them—checking to make sure the coast was clear before he opened the door, of course. “These already smell amazing,” he grinned as he set the tray down on the coffee table in front of the couch. Taking one plate off it for himself, he uncovered the chocolate cake and picked up the fork that had come with it, sitting back down next to Iris to dig into the hot, richly flavored treat.

Iris couldn’t help but let out a squeal when he poked her side, the surprise of it coupled with the fact she was a little bit ticklish had caught her off guard. “I mean I think I am more important than some cake going cold.” Huffing to make her point but it was only in jest because she couldn’t keep a straight face and ended up laughing, “Hang on a minute, I am no way manipulating you. I think you’ll find you want to give me attention so I wouldn’t consider you getting roped into it when it’s what you want too.” Smirking as she settled back down as if she had won her point, watching as he began to flick through the channels mentioning the different the movies they could watch.

“I’ll be honest I have only just started watching all of your blockbuster hits, I don’t think I’d really seen any of your movies or TV shows before I was hauled up with Miles nothing else to do but watch them.” Iris laughed looking at the image of the film shown on the screen, glancing over to Cas as he explained the film. “Ohhh sounds interesting, sure! Let’s give it a try. I’m sure we won’t finish the movie anyway.” Casting him a coy smile accompanied with a wink as the honeymoon period clearly not over, the part of her that desired more of his touch and the feeling of him in between the sheets.

Sitting up on the sofa as she heard the door go signalling their cake she couldn’t help but grin feeling like a child who had just been given their favourite food, eyes lighting up as he brought in the tray that held their chocolate cakes on. Taking in the scent she could smell the freshly baked goods and the excitement just grew at trying them out, clapping her hands together as he placed it on the coffee table uncovering the goodness from the dome. “Oh, wow that looks so good!” Not waiting any longer, she followed suit grabbing a plate herself and a fork to take a bite, looking up at the screen as she started to pay attention to the movie briefly.

The cake was wonderful, it was unlike anything she had ever tried before, and the sickly-sweet taste danced on her tongue as she enjoyed the treat smiling. A part of her agreeing to the fact that this was so much better hot as it just complimented the cake itself. “We definitely have to get this again; this has to be the best thing I have had from the Capital so far. Much better than that pizza and even the carbonara.” Finishing off the cake swiftly before she placed her empty plate accompanied with fork on the coffee table, “If only I could live off of chocolate cake, but I think it may get a little too sickly.” Joking to Cas as she reached for her wine glass to wash down the remnants of the hot chocolate taste.

It was such a nice feeling to her, to be able to feel somewhat happy again. Fully fed, somewhere to sleep in the warmth and safety of another. Iris didn’t want that feeling to end and even though there was still so much going on around them it didn’t feel like it, not when they were coped up together in a hotel suite able to spend their time together like they were a normal couple. Though a part of her deep down doubted how long it would last, the saboteur of her mind telling her how something was bound to go wrong.

“I want to give you my attention, but you’re trying to get me to choose between you and chocolate cake, and that’s just not fair,” Caspian laughed, enjoying the banter between them. It was the first time he’d been so relaxed since before he’d been abducted by Ethan and his goons. Ever since then, it had felt like one thing after another would go wrong; and technically things weren’t all right now, but for the moment, it was easy to pretend like they were off in their own little world where the biggest worry they had to face was finishing their desserts before the cake went cold. It was a vacation he hadn’t known he’d needed but was eternally grateful for now that they were at the resort.

Pressing play on the movie, he leaned back into the sofa once more and propped his plate on his lap to eat while the first scene began. “If you end up liking this movie, we can always rewind it later,” he pointed out with a sideways smile at Iris. He was equally convinced that they wouldn’t make it to the end, especially as his eyes drifted from her face a little lower to take in the contours of her lithe body. Now that he knew what she looked like underneath the little black dress, it was all but impossible for him to imagine going to bed for the night without exploring her one more time. He bit the inside of his lip at the thought.

For now, though, the intoxicating aroma of chocolate demanded his attention, and he cut into his piece of cake with his fork, watching with delight as the hot, melted fudge on the inside oozed onto the plate. He lifted a forkful to his mouth and savored the sweet taste on his tongue. “We can definitely order more tomorrow,” he nodded his agreement after he’d swallowed the first fluffy bite and scooped up the next. “I’ll have to remember that you’ve got a sweet tooth… There are a lot of other desserts on the menu here that we can try too if you want.” Personalized diet be damned, if she wanted to indulge in all the sweets the Sunset Veil had to offer, then he’d buy every one and stuff himself right along with her. They were already living like there was no tomorrow, so adding one more objectively poor decision couldn’t hurt anything, after all.

Falling quiet, he shifted his attention back onto the movie while he worked slowly through his piece of cake, taking his time to finish it both because he was getting full after dinner and because the flavor was so satisfying. He laughed intermittently at the fast-flying jokes in the film and, once he’d finished his dessert, set his empty plate back down on the table and threw an arm around Iris’s shoulders to hold her close while they enjoyed the movie. His interest in it didn’t last long after his food was gone though.

Dark eyes flicking away from the screen to look at her, a mischievous smile crossed his lips, and he leaned in to plant a sultry kiss on her neck. He was full from his dinner, but he wasn’t too stuffed for a little light exercise. Snaking his other hand across her lap, he wrapped her in his arms as he teased her warm skin with his lips and teeth, pining to steal her focus away from the TV as well.

“I still can’t believe you’d choose chocolate cake over me.” Iris chuckled as she tried to sound hurt over it, but she found it too funny to take even remotely seriously. “I think I might just like the movie more than you at this rate.” Unable to stop her giggles as she started to watch the movie thinking of ways, she could tease him more, enjoying the pleasant evening with him without any sort of drama getting involved. Though it was bound to happen at some point she was just glad right now they could focus on them and not anything else.

“It seems so, who doesn’t love chocolate? Though you can’t let me go overboard. I would honestly stuff my face with all those goodies and that can’t be healthy at all.” Patting her stomach insinuating that she would gain weight if all she ate was sweet treats and nothing else. Not that she had much weight on her from not a very nutritious diet in the districts, but she didn’t want to overindulge as that was just as bad.

Turning her attention back to the movie she found herself laughing alongside some of their jokes, the humour being bad in places, but it was the kind of bad that made you laugh so it was at least enjoyable. It wasn’t a terrible choice in movie to watch either as she was content, but then she knew it was partly due to the company. Sighing happily to herself she leaned into his side as she felt his arm move around her shoulders, both plates now empty on the coffee table from the chocolate cake and she settled in to watch the movie with Cas.

It hadn’t lasted too long, their attention drawn from the movie and she felt the kiss against her neck already setting her skin on fire as she tried not to react. Iris could still feel the remnants of his touches from their last encounter in the sheets and it was safe to say that he excited her to no end, the idea of rekindling what they had done earlier in the sheets. It was hard to not just melt into him, to respond with hot kisses and gentle touches across his skin, but a part of her did want to tease him. A mischievous smile spreading across her face as she kept her eyes on the TV acting as if the movie was more important than him, payback for the chocolate cake remarks.

“Hmmm, I’m enjoying this movie.” Turning to face him briefly as she whispered in his ear, leaning her body into him as she placed her hand on his chest. The smirk not leaving her face as she dragged her fingers down his muscles lingering at the hem of his pants before she let her hand drop and she turned her full attention to the movie playing on the TV, trying to hold in her giggles as she teased him to no end feeling slightly victorious even if she knew she was about to crumble.

“Wow,” Caspian rolled his eyes when Iris feigned disinterest in his attempts to win her over. He’d come at her in the hopes of enticing her to come with him upstairs again, but instead he shuddered at the feeling of her hot breath on his ear and the burning trail her fingers left as she traced them down his bare skin. In one move, she’d reversed their roles, and now he was the one squirming with desire while she pretended to be calm and collected. He bit his lip and curled his fingers restlessly against her hip. Her game of playing hard to get just made him want her more, and he leaned into her as he decided to press a little harder.

Somewhere in the distance, he could still hear the movie playing, but he’d lost track of what scene was running on the screen as he impulsively pushed her over onto the sofa with the brunt of his weight. He laid on top of her, propping himself up on one forearm, and grinned playfully before planting a kiss on her forehead, her nose and then her jawline. “We can rewind the movie later…” he crooned into her ear, trailing his free hand sensuously down and up her side. “Give me your attention now.” The feeling of their bodies tangled together on the couch only escalated his already quick heartbeat, reminding him of how it had felt to have her in the bed without the pesky dress between them. He wanted another taste of the ecstasy that she’d introduced him to before they’d taken a break for dinner.

Determined to break down her weak attempt to pretend like she didn’t want the same thing, he pressed his lips to hers and shifted his weight to lean up just enough to pull her dress away from her skin. Her tongue still tasted like chocolate, which only drove him to kiss her more fervently until he had to break away to slip the gown over her head.

If his father had known that he’d started up an intimate relationship with a former rebel, it probably would have given him an aneurism right then and there. The king wasn’t opposed to him sleeping with a woman before his marriage was arranged, per say, but he there was no doubt that he would have frowned upon the prince’s choice of partner. Somehow, knowing that only spurred him on though. Maybe it was because of their recent fight that he felt the need to rebel or maybe it was because of how controlling Atlas was on the whole, but either way, the knowledge that what they were doing was “wrong” in the eyes of his father made it that much more enjoyable to the crown heir.

He took her bottom lip between his teeth zealously, relishing the feeling of their bodies moving against each other on the horizontal surface. “Still enjoying the movie?” he asked her with a joking, breathless smile. “I bet you can’t even tell me what’s going on anymore.”

Trying not to giggle as she watched him roll his eyes over her pretending to have more interest in the film than him. To her it was the best payback for the chocolate cake, not that she minded they ate the delicious treat as it was by far the best thing she had tasted. Still to her it was funny that she felt like she had all this power over him as she denied him all for the movie that she really wasn’t paying attention to anymore. Though she couldn’t let him know that when it was clearly having an affect on him, one that she was finding all so amusing with a hint of excitement.

Holding back the gasp as she felt the weight of him push her down to the sofa she looked up at him trying not to smirk as he smothered her with attention, a kiss to her forehead, nose and then jawline and as always it was enjoyable feeling his lips against her skin. Biting her lip as she felt the sensual touch to her side her body squirmed beneath him still sensitive to his touch as she felt herself shudder to his words. “Is that an order?” Barely able to let out a feeble whisper as she began to crumble wanting nothing more than to enjoy him once more, the desire pushing aside the teasing as she tried to keep her cool.

Drawn to him like a bee to honey she couldn’t help but respond to the kiss, relishing in the attention as she couldn’t help but deepen the kiss completely smitten by him. Iris was so focused on him and what they were doing that she barely noticed the rising of her dress, the fabric brushing against her skin until he broke the kiss to remove it. A low whine escaped her lips at the loss of contact from the kiss and she pressed her hands against his chest fingers tracing circles against his warm skin as she felt her heartbeat quicken wanting nothing more than to just disappear to the bedroom with him once more and experience the high feeling he gave her.

Right now, nothing else mattered to her, not the film, not all the drama from his father or her own turmoil that she was trying to deal with. All she wanted was to enjoy herself, to ignore it all for that moment of bliss with Caspian. Looking up at him she could feel her chest rising and falling quickly, caught in the heated moment with him as she snaked one of her hands to his back as the other slowly dragged up his side pouting as he brought up the movie. “I am really enjoying this movie.” An utter lie because she hadn’t paid any sort of attention to it for a while as he had stolen all of her attention in a good way of course.

Leaning up she pressed her body against his as she captured his lips in a deep kiss, both hands moving to his back as she scratched against his skin in a teasing fashion hoping to make him crumble just as much as he had made her weak. “I bet you can’t either.” Breaking away to whisper in his ear before she used that time wisely to place hot kisses down his jawline all the way to his shoulder, “Let’s see that adventurous side of yours.” Unable to stop the purr that left her lips as she tried to tease him, tried to regain some sort of power back.