Lorelai sobbed with pleasure as his words sank into her, each one a wild and sweet proposal unlike anything she could have ever imagined. She was convinced—no other woman in the world had ever received a proposal like this. It made her feel special in a way she had never known.
And yet, despite the warmth spreading through her chest, she couldn't bring herself to respond. Her silence hung heavily in the air, and Rhaegar's smile faded into something bitter, his amber eyes narrowing, the fire within them dimming.
Her heart twisted painfully at the sight of him, the veil of regret dulling the brilliance of his gaze. She couldn't bear it. She couldn't let him sink into that shadow.
So she kissed him.
Tentatively, her lips brushed his before her tongue flicked out to taste him, awkward and unpracticed. Rhaegar responded immediately, his sharp teeth grazing her tongue in playful mockery of her shy attempt.
