Cry Me a River |✔️

Epilogue- A Party in the Garden

~5 years later~
River's POV

Light giggles filled the garden as silken dresses brushed against freshly cut grass. Maids bent down, their dresses falling against greenery as they poured expensive teas into shining cups.

I nuzzled my nose against Alastair's knee as my head laid cradled in his lap. A soft smile pulled to his lips, disappearing against his cup as he took a sip of his tea. His fingers combed through my hair as our royal council laid scattered around us on cushions of their own.

A councilman called Alastair's name with a laugh and Alastair lifted his lips from his tea to reply with a cheerful laugh of his own. A smile lifted to my lips and Alastair's fingers lifted to brush against my cheek before bending down to place a chaste kiss to my lips.

"I love you," he whispered against my ears softly. I chuckled and wrapped my arms around his neck to nuzzle against his neck playfully. A light chuckle of his own fell passed his lips before lifting me into his arms and carrying me to an empty tent on the other side of the garden we had long since built as a result of Alastair's constant impatience.

He bent beneath the open slip to the tent, buttoning it behind us before dropping me on a pile of cushions and blankets and crawling on top of me with a low growl.

I hummed low in my throat, bringing a cushion to my chest with a cheeky grin.

His fingers wrapped around the cushion, attempting to pull it from my tightened grip to unclothe me.

I shook my head and sucked in my lips, containing my laughter at his desperation.

"River," Alastair so much as whimpered, eyeing the pillow blocking him from the buttons on my silk robe.

"Hmm?"

He growled low in his throat, his eyes narrowing in impatience. His fingers dug into the pillow as his head bent down to catch my lips in a searing kiss. A low moan vibrated in my throat before I pressed my fingers on his chest and pushed him on his back. A sly grin pulled to my lips as I crawled onto him.

I discarded the pillow, throwing it across the tent as I began unbuttoning my robe. Alastair's eyes darkened and his fingers pressed into my waist as he watched me. I made a show of slowly dropping the robe off my shoulder, watching as his eyes raked down my body to where the robe laid in a puddle around my hips. His fingers grazed over the silk before pulling it down my legs to the floor beside him. His fingers wrapped tightly around my hips and pulled me forward, granting a surprised squeak from my throat.

"Alastair," I gasped.

A quirked smirk painted his lips as his fingers lightly skimmed the skin of my hips. He bit his bottom lip before shooting forward and knocking me to the cushions behind me. I gasped but was immediately engulfed in a passionate kiss as he hiked my legs over his waist and drew me forward.

"Stop being such a tease and let me inside you," Alastair murmured against my lips.

I laughed lightly against his lips before lifting my fingers to rake through his thick, dark strands.

"Only if you play nicely first," I whispered, slowly pulling away from his lips.

His brow knitted and eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Undress," I raked my eyes down his still clothed body.

He was silent for a moment until finally complying. He untied his shirt and unbuttoned his pants, discarding them both beside my robe until we both sat on our knees across from each other in just our undergarments. He reached toward me and pulled me flush against me, skimming his lips up my neck to my ear where his breath lightly brushed against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.