“Let me take care of you,” he says, and I nod lazily, my eyelids heavy and drooping after everything that happened tonight. He washes me gently, and I’m surprised to find that I’m not even a little uncomfortable having his hands roam caressingly over every inch of my body. It’s gentle and relaxing, the complete opposite of the way he can be out on deck when he has to be the captain.
When he’s finished with me, he moves me to the other side of the tub, giving me the perfect view of him as he washes himself. Rivulets of water stream down his body as he stands and rubs suds over his skin, and I get to gape at the perfection that is Weston. He steps out of the tub, and holds his hands out to me, pulling me to stand and lifting me out gently, setting me on my feet beside him. He has a towel a moment later, and dries me off quickly, doing the same with himself before he scoops me up again and carries me back to bed.
He doesn’t bother with the sleep shirt or his pants, he just sets me in the middle of the bed and climbs in behind me. I roll on my side, pressing my back to his front as he wraps his arms around me, pulling me close and pressing a long kiss to the tip of my shoulder.
“Are you going to run away in the morning if we wake up like this again?” I say sleepily, not realizing what I said until the words leave my mouth.
“You remember that?” he asks, shock clear in his voice.
I nod and yawn. “I woke up before you did. Are you going to regret it like before?”
“No, Lennox. I don’t regret it.” He pulls me closer, his hand splayed firmly across my stomach, and his arm sliding beneath my neck.
I don’t know how long we lay silently listening to each other breathe before I can’t keep my eyes open any longer, and drift off to sleep with the faint memory of a brush of his lips against my temple, and a mumbled, “Goodnight, Lennox,” against my skin.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Sunlight brightens the room and dances across my closed eyes. I let out a groan and turn my face away, sinking into the warmth wrapped around me. The events of last night come rushing back to me as the sleep slowly drifts away. Weston’s bare chest is under my cheek, and I’m tucked tightly into his side, while his fingers trace lazy circles over my back.
Waking up this morning, everything feels different. Dawnlin isn’t the same world, and I’m not the same person. But now, I know for certain I don’t want to stay here forever. Now more than ever, we need to find a way home. Spending eternity waking up like this would be amazing, but I don’t want to be robbed of the life we could have together back home. It doesn’t have to be how Weston thinks. I could change anything once I’m queen. We’d just have to contend with the kingdom and my father until then.
But right now, I don’t want to think about any of it. If there is anything I have learned on this island, it is to appreciate every moment because you don’t know when everything can change.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Weston says, the rumble in his chest loud against my ear. Fingertips skate up my bare back, myskin tingling in their wake, until they reach my head, and twirl through my hair and grazing my scalp.
“No, I’m not,” I grumble and turn my face farther into his skin, breathing deep and soaking up his scent. I’ll never understand how he always seems to know what’s going on in my mind, and my chest tightens, knowing it only means he understands me like no one else ever has.
“We still have a lot to talk about,” he mumbles.
“I don’t want to think about it yet,” I say, my voice muffled against his skin. The muscles of his abdomen tighten as I skate my hands over them, trailing my fingers down his stomach. My stomach flutters and I press my lips to his skin. I want him to distract me for a little longer before we have to leave the safety of this room and face the reality of everything that happened with Dane.
Weston’s fingers wrap around my wrist, stopping my hand from drifting any lower before he lifts, flattening my palm to his chest.
“You’re probably going to be sore. I don’t want to hurt you.”
I tilt my chin up to look at him, only to find him watching me intently.
“I think there’s only one way for you to help me with that,” I mutter. His eyes darken, his pupils widening as a low rumble vibrates in this chest.
The next second, I’m on my back and he’s rolling on top of me, his fingers sliding up my sides and pushing my arms up around my head.
“We can ignore everything for a little longer,” he says between kisses across my chest. “But we need to talk about it, Lennox. We need to figure out what to do now that Dane knows what we’re after.”
The sound of my name on his lips makes my chest squeeze and fire burn through me. He’s finally seeing me for me, not focusing on the title that will keep us apart.
“I don’t want to talk about him. Not right now,” I say. I try to pull my arms out of his grasp, wanting to run my fingers over his skin, but he tightens his grip, the thrill causing me to wiggle underneath him. The muscles in his arms ripple as he pushes his chest off mine, his hips lining up with mine as he towers over me. The sheets pool around his hips, and I gaze up at him, his broad shoulders blocking out everything beyond so all I can see is him.
All I want to see is him.
“Spread those pretty thighs for me,” he says, desire lacing his words. I respond, my eyes not leaving his as I wrap my legs around his hips, a jolt singing through me as his hard length presses against my core. He leans forward, tantalizingly slow, and brushes his lips over mine, and I part them, begging for more.
Weston’s lips part in a teasing smile, but his eyes don’t stray from my lips as he leans in again, but just as he’s about to seal the kiss, he stops abruptly as the door to the room flies open, slamming into the wall with a thud.
“Hey, Cap, when are we going to lift lockdown ohhh shit.” Jorn’s curse echoes through the room, and Weston’s face turns murderous.
“Get out!” he bellows over his shoulder.
“Shit. Fuck. Sorry. Shit. Sorry Cap,” Jorn stammers, then the door slams again, the room falling back into silence.
