Chapter 246: Dangerous Honesty
"I’m figuring out how you feel."
"And?"
Martin pressed more firmly, taking more of her breast into his hand.
"Soft."
Alexandra’s lips curved.
"But not only soft."
His fingers kneaded deeper, feeling the firmer shape beneath the warmth. Her breast was fuller than his hand could easily contain, forcing him to adjust his grip.
"That sounded almost intelligent," she said.
Martin squeezed again.
Her breath caught.
The reaction encouraged him more than her words had. He moved his thumb across the front of her breast, feeling the fabric tighten over the hard point beneath it. When he passed over it again, Alexandra’s chest lifted into his palm.
Martin watched her face as he repeated the motion.
Her lips parted. The confidence in her expression slipped for a second before returning.
"There?" he asked.
Alexandra nodded once.
Martin rubbed his thumb over her nipple through the dress, using slow circles while his fingers supported the weight beneath. Her breathing caught a little sooner with each pass.
Her hand slid behind his neck.
"Better," she whispered.
She pulled him down into a kiss.
Martin kept his hand closed around her breast as their lips met. When he squeezed, her back shifted against the branch, her thigh pressed against his leg, and a quiet sound escaped into his mouth.
He followed her reactions. Firmer pressure made her fingers tighten behind his neck. Slowing his thumb made her push impatiently into his palm. When he combined both, her body arched and gave him a fuller hold.
Alexandra kissed him harder.
She broke the kiss to breathe but kept him close enough that their lips still touched.
"You’re staring," she murmured.
"I’m learning."
"You learn quickly when properly motivated."
Martin squeezed again, harder than before.
A small gasp escaped her.
He watched the flush deepen across her cheeks as he relaxed his fingers.
"That reaction was more useful than your instructions," he said.
"Don’t become arrogant."
Martin brushed his thumb over her nipple again.
Alexandra’s eyes narrowed, but her chest rose toward his touch.
"I like that one too."
"You’re supposed to be kissing me."
He obeyed.
This kiss was slower. Martin stayed close enough to feel every change in her breathing while his hand continued moving over her breast. Alexandra’s fingers slid into his hair and held him there, but she no longer needed to guide him.
When the kiss ended, Martin kept her breast cupped in his palm as her breathing gradually slowed.
Alexandra lay beneath him with flushed cheeks and swollen lips. She made no attempt to hide how much his touch had affected her.
She noticed him watching.
"Enjoying this view too?"
"Yes."
"At least you’re consistent."
Martin gave her breast one final squeeze.
Alexandra drew a sharp breath, then caught his wrist before he could pull away. She held his hand against herself for another moment.
"Next time," she said, "you can do that without waiting for me to place your hand there."
"There’s already a next time?"
"There had better be."
"And if I’m not sure?"
"Ask."
"I was going to."
"Good."
Martin finally moved his hand, but Alexandra caught it before he could pull away completely and laced their fingers together.
She sat up and smoothed the front of her dress. Martin settled beside her against the broad curve of the branch, and Alexandra leaned into his chest.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Players crossed the lantern-lit paths below. Workers carried supplies between buildings, and distant voices drifted through the leaves.
Martin looked down at their joined hands.
"This was more fun than I expected."
Alexandra lifted her head. "That is a terrible compliment."
"I expected it to be fun. I didn’t expect to enjoy every part of it this much."
"That’s better."
"I spent all day checking the time, showered twice, and planned every turn we were supposed to take. Then you changed the route, made me dance, nearly had to pull me back up the tree, and put my hand on your breast."
"You make the last part sound unreasonable."
"I’m not complaining."
"You’d better not."
Martin tightened his arm around her. "I liked being here with you."
The humor faded from her expression.
"I didn’t have to think about work, the guild, the dungeon, or what everyone expected me to do next," he continued. "Even when the plan went wrong, I wasn’t trying to fix it. I was just having fun with you."
"I improved the plan."
"You did."
Alexandra blinked. "You’re agreeing with me?"
"Don’t get used to it."
Her smile returned, but she waited.
Martin looked across the academy.
"I’ve also been thinking about what you said before. About the harem."
Alexandra went still against him.
"I want to try it."
She turned enough to see his face. She did not laugh or celebrate.
"Why?"
"Because pretending I only care about one of you is a lie."
Alexandra studied him quietly.
"I want you," Martin continued. "But I have feelings for the others too. Going on a date with you didn’t make them disappear."
"That doesn’t sound very romantic."
"It’s honest."
"That’s better."
Martin rubbed his thumb over the side of her hand.
"I don’t know if everyone will agree."
"Then they say no."
"And we leave them alone. No guilt and no pressure."
"Obviously."
"I needed to say it."
"I know."
A golden leaf drifted past them and vanished into the darkness below.
Alexandra leaned more of her weight against his side.
"I’ll get jealous," she said.
"I know."
"Don’t say that like you’ve prepared for it."
"You proposed a harem."
"That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being a woman."
"I wasn’t expecting you to."
Her fingers tightened around his.
"Sometimes I’ll want you to myself," she said. "Not because I suddenly hate the others. I’ll just want something that belongs to us."
Martin looked around at the glowing canopy. "Like this?"
"Like this."
"Then we make time for it."
"You’re saying that now."
"I’ll probably need reminders."
"I can provide those."
"I know."
The familiar answer almost became another joke, but Alexandra stayed quiet. Martin felt her thumb move once across his hand before stopping.
"What are you really worried about?" he asked.
Alexandra’s first instinct showed on her face. She wanted to dismiss the question and tell him she would simply win.
This time, she answered.
"Watching you discover things you love about them that I can’t give you."
Martin tightened his fingers around hers.
"That won’t make what we have smaller."
"I know that in my head." Alexandra touched two fingers to her temple. "The rest of me might take longer."
"Then tell me when it does."
She looked at him. "And what will you do?"
"I might not know how to fix it, but I won’t pretend I didn’t notice."
Alexandra lowered her gaze.
"I’m used to deciding what I can endure before anyone else realizes there’s a problem."
"I noticed your hands shaking."
"That was different."
"It doesn’t have to be."
The leaves rustled above them.
Alexandra stayed quiet long enough that Martin wondered whether he had pushed too far.
"All right," she said at last. "I’ll tell you."
"Before or after insulting me?"
"No promises."
"That’s fair."
She settled against his chest again. Martin kept one arm around her.
After a while, Alexandra looked toward the academy below.
"You’re not the only connection between us," she said. "Katherine is my sister. Cassandra and Annie are sisters. Elisebeth and Rias were already close before you came along."
"What does that change?"
"If all of us only get along when you’re there, it won’t last. Nobody has to become best friends, but we can’t treat one another like strangers fighting over the same prize."
Martin had not considered that part. "You really have been planning this."
"Someone had to."
"And you still plan to compete."
Alexandra looked offended by the question. "Of course."
Martin laughed quietly.
"I’ll help you with the others," she continued. "Cassandra will probably prepare an agenda. Elisebeth will panic over something ridiculous. Katherine will pretend she has everything under control until she doesn’t."
"You’re really going to help women date me?"
"I want this to work."
"And the competition?"
"They can have their turns." Alexandra tilted her head back to look at him. "I’ll still make you look forward to mine the most."
"You’re turning dating into another leaderboard."
"Honesty doesn’t make me less ambitious."
"You know I can’t promise you’ll stay at the top."
"I don’t need you to promise."
"What do you need?"
"A fair chance."
"You’ll have one."
Her smile sharpened. "Then I’ll handle the rest."
Martin shook his head. "A beautiful woman planning to interfere with all my future dates."
"Support," Alexandra corrected.
"You just described Cassandra’s date as a business meeting before it even happened."
"She needs help."
Alexandra kissed him, lingering against his lips before settling back against his chest.
"Plan the second one," she said.
"Already?"
"You still owe me a date in the real world."
"I remember."
"And I made the first move last time." Alexandra lifted their joined hands. "You can ask properly now."
Martin looked down at her.
"Alexandra, will you go on a real date with me?"
She did not pretend to think about it.
"Yes."
"That was fast."
"I already told you I wanted another one."
"You usually enjoy making things difficult."
"I do." She leaned closer until her lips brushed his. "But I’m trying honesty."
"How does it feel?"
"Dangerous."
Martin smiled. "You look good doing it."
Alexandra kissed him again.
"Keep talking like that," she whispered, "and I might let you stay close to the top too."