Sofia y on the bed, naked from the waist up, while Natalie ran a tongue around her nipple, blue eyes locked to Sofia's own. Sofia kept her hands by her sides, fingers ched in the sheets, and didn't make any motion to move them—frozen solid as Natalie vished attention on her.

  She tried to make sense of her thoughts. There was the easy-to-uand aspect: the way her body was responding, her breath ing in heavy pants, her heart hammering in her chest. The risihat wasn't just radiating from the parts Natalie was toug, but everywhere else, making her entire body sensitive, if not hypersensitive. The way her legs were g against one ahe growing need betweehighs. All of that was easy, if embarrassing, to aowledge and uand. Because of course it felt good. Of course when she was touched, her body would respond.

  But the iy. Why was Natalie's touch so effective? Why did Sofia feel like she was melting, just by having her breasts toyed with? Like Natalie had said, they weren't even doing much, yet. Not pared to what was ing.

  And that was what made her truly dizzy—what was ing. Where this was leading. More than that, with who it was happening. Natalie. That was what muddled her thoughts. Why could this girl draw this sort of rea from her so? Set her on fire with a few simple touches?

  And why was she being so gehis wasn't an arrogant oppoaking advantage of a hastily made bet, like had beemosphere of previous enters. This was a lover's touch. A lover's lips ed around her nipple, sug and flig the hard nub, holding eye tact the eime.

  "I think the part that drives me crazy," Natalie murmured, lifting up, leaving a glistening nipple exposed to the cool air. "Is how perfect you are, right up until I get my hands on you. Do you know what that does to me? It's just not fair."

  "How ... perfect I am?" Sofia asked, the words catg her by surprise.

  Natalie smiled at her. She held Sofia's betweehumb and forefinger and rahumb over her lips. "Oh, don't py coy with me. You know how amazing you are." She leaned forward and brought her lips to Sofia's, so close that when she whispered, they brushed against each other with each word. "Or are you just fishing for pliments? Because I will give them to you, princess."

  "You … will?" she breathed.

  She bli her own response—how obvious it was.

  Natalie ughed, and kissed her, chaste and quick. "Not only," she started in a low voice, "were you always the best fighter iire province, you were also the prettiest. You know that? The most posed and mature. And even when I was being a dick, you would always respond with such … grace, I guess. I holy thought it was arrogance. Your petty way of getting under my skin while staying above it all. Our rivalry. But I think I had y." Her lips quirked up. "Well, mostly wrong. You're definitely a little arrogant." She softehe words with another kiss. "But you deserve to be, I guess. Seeing how you're perfect, and everything."

  "What are you saying?" Sofia stammered out. Where had this e from? It was ohing to be soft ale, but this was something else entirely. "And …" she said. "T-The prettiest? You think so?"

  With horror, Sofia realized that she was fishing for pliments. And she was being so obvious about it.

  "Oh, yeah," Natalie said, grinning. "I could start with your hair," she said, slipping both hands through her white locks. She moved closer and pressed her forehead against Sofia's, entwining her fihrough strands at the back of her head. "It's so silky," she said, curling and uncurling her fingers, getting a feel for her. The motio shivers down Sofia's spine. "And that bright white color," she whispered. "The pale blue eyes … you've always seemed, I don't know, almost too pretty to be real. When I call you princess, it's only half about the attitude, you know."

  Sofia was melting. Literally. She was going to turn into a puddle at any sed. How could those words do this to her? Finding a response was entirely beyond her. And even worse—eveer?—Natalie kept going, vishing the pliments on.

  "And the part that makes it really unfair," she said, "is how good you are at what you do, too. Do you know how infuriating it is, losing to someone for a decade straight? Why do you get to be everything? Geous, smart, determined, skilled, poised, strong—I could keep listing them all night long and not run out."

  "Y-You're ying it on too thick," Sofia mumbled, f herself t her eyes away from Natalie's, turning her head to the side.

  "Do I sound like I'm saying it just to tease?"

  No. She didn't. Maybe teasing artially the point—but she sounded ear, too. That was the part that Sofia almost couldn't uand.

  How was she supposed to y here and take those sorts of pliments? It was just way too much.

  And not nearly enough. She wanted more.

  "I 't decide which is more fun," Natalie murmur-ughed. "Bossing you around, or telling you how amazing you are. It's incredible, I think the sed actually makes you more unfortable." She grabbed Sofia's and turned her face back to her own, f their eyes to meet again. "Wao keep going? I've got hours of tent when it es to you."

  Yes. She did want Natalie to tinue.

  And no, absolutely not, she couldn't stand a single more sed of the fttery. She might literally bust.

  It was a very fusing mix of emotions, ying there both desperately wanting, if not needing, Natalie to keep going, yet also fighting away the urge to wiggle out from underh her and sprint away.

  In fact, Sofia decided, she definitely couldn't handle more. With Natalie opening her mouth, she was forced to take desperate a. Her hand snuck up, brushing against Natalie's skirt, then more firmly into her. She was, unsurprisingly, erect, something Sofia had been more than aware of. She palmed her bulge through her clothing and squeezed, prompting a groan from Natalie.

  "Princess?"

  "Are you really going to use all night to just talk?" Sofia asked.

  It was a dangerous defle, especially because it worked as effectively as she'd hoped—or feared. A hungry look appeared in Natalie's eyes. She leaned up, and Sofia kept her hand on her, squeezing the firm outline of her shaft, the only surefire way to stop the pliments: redireg her attention elsewhere.

  "No," Natalie said, a glint appearing in her eye. "No, I won't." She reached down, took hold of Sofia's pants by the waistband, and slid them down—along with her underwear. Sofia's breath hitched as the st two pieces of her clothiossed to the floor, leaving her fully exposed.

  Swallowing, Sofia's attention turned up to the ceiling, too embarrassed to so much as twitch a finger. Natalie slid off the bed, and there was some shuffling as she removed her own clothes. Then she was crawling bato the bed, over top of Sofia. Sofia looked down, taking in Natalie's nakedness, just in time for a hand to slip betweehighs, a finger runnily up her slit—making her su a breath of surprise.

  "In fact, I think I'll get to business right now, if you don't mind," she said.