Harem Online: My Party Is Full of Beautiful Celebrities

Farther up, the route narrowed against the side of a branch. Alexandra reached the next turn first, but instead of continuing ahead, she waited for Martin.

The footholds became harder to see beneath the moss, and the next one sat below her line of sight.

Martin moved behind her. "Lower your left foot."

"I know."

"You haven’t moved."

"I’m checking the distance."

He placed a hand around her waist to steady her and leaned close enough to look past her hip.

"The hold is right beneath you."

Alexandra remained where she was.

"Are you stuck?"

"No."

"Then move."

"I’m enjoying the support."

His fingers tightened around her waist. "You’re doing this on purpose."

"Obviously."

She lowered her foot at last, but before climbing away, she placed one hand over his.

"You can keep holding me until I’m steady."

"I thought you were already steady."

"I nearly watched you fall out of a tree."

Martin kept the joke to himself.

He left his arm around her until both of her feet were secure. Alexandra released his hand only after testing the next hold twice.

They continued upward side by side whenever the route allowed it.

Near the upper canopy, the breeze turned colder and the noise below faded. The smell of the forest mixed with distant water, and a faint pulse traveled through the branch beneath their feet, warm enough to feel through their shoes.

Alexandra glanced down at the glow beneath them. "Do you think it knows we’re here?"

"Rangar said the route wouldn’t appear unless the Light Tree accepted us."

"That wasn’t my question."

Martin placed his palm against the bark. The warmth continued beneath his hand, slow and steady.

"I don’t know. Maybe it does."

"And it still let you fall."

"It also gave you somewhere to catch me."

Alexandra looked at him.

"That was almost optimistic."

"Don’t tell anyone."

"I’m telling the entire guild."

The final stretch followed a branch wider than a road. Golden light flowed beneath its bark and led them toward an open place near the crown.

Martin climbed onto it first and offered Alexandra his hand. She accepted, and together they stepped onto the highest point the Light Tree had allowed them to reach.

Lanterns marked the academy paths below, winding between shops, homes, and training grounds. Farther out, the territories Night Espresso had helped secure stretched into the dark.

Moonlight flashed across distant waterfalls in the direction of Cascade Valley, while mountain ridges surrounded the forest. Golden leaves drifted around them, glowing softly before disappearing into the night.

Alexandra approached the edge of the branch and looked down.

She stayed silent long enough to make Martin wonder whether he had misunderstood everything.

"Was this too much?" he asked.

She turned toward him. "You read the Sacred Tower scene."

"Yeah."

"You understood why I loved it."

"You explained the difficult part."

"After you brought me here."

"I had most of it."

Alexandra looked back over the forest. "Someone once rented an island for me and filled it with scenes from one of my movies."

"The entire island?"

"Several beaches, a restaurant, and the villa where we stayed."

"That sounds expensive."

"He chose the movie I hated most."

Martin winced. "That’s impressive in the wrong direction."

"He knew every line I said in it. He remembered every dress I wore and every interview I gave while promoting it." Alexandra folded her arms beneath her chest. "He never asked why I hated making it."

"He planned the date for the woman he watched on a screen."

"Exactly. I could have been replaced by a cardboard cutout."

Martin looked toward the glowing leaves above them.

"I was worried I might be doing the same thing with Marika."

Alexandra turned back to him. "You weren’t."

"I took something from a story you loved and built the date around it."

"You used it to understand me. Then you changed it."

She stepped closer.

"You didn’t dress me as Marika or expect me to repeat her lines. You didn’t ask me to perform for you."

"You would have hated that."

"I would have pushed you out of the tree."

"That possibility occurred to me."

Her amusement faded, but she remained close.

"Marika climbed because everyone below wanted her gone," she said. "We climbed because you made a place for us here."

"I didn’t want you to have to prove anything on our date."

Alexandra watched him beneath the falling leaves.

"You already know I’m competitive, jealous, difficult, and much more arrogant than is reasonable."

"I’ve known that since the tutorial."

Her eyes narrowed, but he did not smile.

"I also know you caught me when you were terrified," Martin continued. "You kept holding on after I had the vine because you needed to know I was safe."

Some of the tension left her face.

"You don’t need a Sacred Tower to get my attention. You already have it."

Alexandra stared at him.

"That was romantic."

"I planned a sacred-tree climb based on your favorite trilogy. Pretending otherwise would be difficult."

A quiet laugh escaped her, though her eyes remained bright.

"You didn’t copy the scene," she said.

"I thought you’d hate it."

"I would have."

"So I changed the parts that didn’t belong to us."

"And made the rest ours."

Martin held her gaze. "Did I beat the Sacred Tower?"

Alexandra placed both palms against his chest.

"You idiot. I wasn’t standing here comparing you to a fictional tower."

"That sounds suspiciously kind."

"The tower belonged to Marika." Her fingers curled into his shirt. "This one is mine."

"Ours," Martin corrected.

Alexandra’s smile returned. "Getting possessive?"

"Making sure you don’t forget who almost fell off it."

"I’m trying to forget that part."

She rose onto her toes and kissed him.

Martin drew her closer, sliding one arm around her waist while his other hand moved into her hair. Alexandra pressed herself against him, her fingers gathering the front of his shirt as the kiss deepened.

Their first kiss had been all impulse and pent-up tension. This time, neither of them rushed. Martin felt every movement of her lips and heard the quiet sound she made when he pulled her closer.

Her tongue brushed his, and Martin caught it lightly between his lips. Alexandra answered by pushing deeper into his mouth, one hand sliding behind his neck.

His palm traveled down her back and settled over her ass.

She smiled against his mouth.

"You really like putting your hand there."

"You keep giving me the opportunity."

"I chose this dress for you."

"I noticed."

"Then stop being careful."

Martin squeezed her ass, drawing a sharp breath from her before she pulled him closer and kissed him harder.

When they separated, Alexandra remained pressed against him, breathing through parted lips.

"You know what happened after Marika reached the top of the Sacred Tower?" she asked.

"I stopped reading before that."

"Good."

"Why?"

Her smile turned slow and wicked. "Because this part belongs to me."

Alexandra caught his hand and guided him toward the broad inner curve of the branch. The wood dipped there, forming a natural hollow hidden from the paths below.

Instead of sitting, she lowered herself onto her back.

Her champagne-gold hair spread across the bark, catching the warm light moving beneath the branch. One knee remained bent while her other leg stretched out, opening the slit in her dress farther along her thigh.

Martin stood over her for a moment.

"Are you going to keep staring from there?" she asked.

"You lying down changed the situation."

"That was the idea."

He lowered himself beside her, supporting his weight on one arm. Alexandra reached for his free hand and placed his palm against her breast.

The fitted black fabric remained between them, but it did little to hide what lay beneath it. Her breast yielded under his palm before its fuller weight settled into his hand, warm and heavy enough to fill his grip.

Martin’s fingers flexed against her.

Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "That’s twice now."

"You were keeping count?"

"Of course."

"Should I be worried?"

"You should stop neglecting the rest of me."

Her breast rose against his palm with every breath.

"You sure?" he asked.

"I put your hand there, Martin."

His fingers remained still.

Alexandra held his gaze. "Don’t guess with me. I’ll tell you what I want, and I’ll tell you when I don’t."

"And if you tell me to stop?"

"You stop."

"Immediately."

Her expression softened.

"A date and a climb don’t buy me anything," Martin said.

"I know."

"Then tell me if I do something wrong."

"I will. Probably after insulting you."

"Fine."

Only then did Martin close his fingers around her.

Her breast compressed beneath his palm, soft at first before the firmer shape underneath resisted the pressure. His thumb rested along the upper curve while his fingers sank beneath it, testing its weight and the way it moved in his grasp.

Alexandra inhaled sharply.

Martin loosened his grip, then squeezed again, slower this time. Her breast gathered between his fingers before filling his palm again when he eased the pressure.

Her body moved with his hand. Each squeeze pushed her breast higher beneath the dress before it settled back into his grip.

"Still being careful?" she whispered.