“I smell your desire. I feel it tugging me into you.” Rowan’s nostrils flared.
“We can do other things. A lot of things, I hope?”
In response, Rowan wrapped his arms around me and leapt to his feet. “Yes, you beautiful, wicked thing. We can doa lot of things.”
Several hours later,we lay in a tangle of limbs, our breaths rasping and hoarse.
“Mom is an evil genius,” I rasped.
“Gods,” Rowan murmured. “Gods.” His hand tangled in my hair, and he tugged me closer, claiming my lips in a bruising kiss. “Can you imagine what it might be like if?—”
He cut himself off.
My head was clearer, my thoughts cohesive, and even in a haze of pleasure, clarity struck me like a lightning bolt. I rolled on top of Rowan, straddling him, and laced our fingers together.
He blinked up at me in surprise. “You may have to give me five minutes, darling.”
I snorted. “I’m in love with you, Rowan.”
His eyes went liquid gold. “Evie.”
I shook my head. “Don’t doubt this. I don’t. I’m scared of what comes next. I’m scared of a permanent bond. I feel guilty about what happened with Caelan, but I do not doubt how I feel about you.” I swallowed hard. “I’m not ready for a mating bond. Not yet.”
He watched me carefully, his body tight like a drum.
My lips curled into a soft smile. “But I will be.”
Tears shimmered in Rowan’s eyes. “Yeah?” he whispered.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
His smile was bright and wide. “Thank the gods,” he whispered, reaching up to cup my face. “You are everything I’ve ever wished for, Evie. My people love you. My lands love you. I love you. Always.” His thumbs stroked my cheeks. “The first time I ever saw you, I choked on jealousy. Caelan and I were friends, and I would never have dreamed of doing anything improper. Even when I saw things between you hanging by a thread, all I wanted was your happiness, even if it came at the expense of mine. But seeing what Caelan was doing to you slowly broke my heart. When I carried you away from this place, I couldn’t think of anything other than protecting you and helping you heal. This, where we are right now, wasn’t even a sliver of hope in the back of my mind, not with the way he’d broken you. I only wanted you to live again. Lying with you now, holding you skin to skin…” His voice trailed off. “This is more than I ever thought I deserved.”
Tears spilled freely down my face. Even when we were only friends, Rowan knew exactly what to say to me. “You are a precious gift to me,” I whispered. “And now that we are here, and we know how we feel about each other, we should never speak of Caelan again. Not in this context. He is a part of my past that brought me to you, so in a messed-up way I have to be grateful.”
Rowan’s eyes crinkled. He tugged me down to kiss me, and when we broke apart, a soft laugh escaped him. “I noticed you long before Caelan did.”
I stilled and lifted my head to peer at him. “When?”
“I traveled to Joy Springs frequently and spent a lot of time in the downtown area. Occasionally, I would spot you through the window of your shop. I wanted to come talk to you, but it was bad form for another Lord to encroach on their host’s citizens. In fact, dating one’s citizens sets a dangerous precedent.” His eyes crinkled. “That is why I hope to marry you. I do not like to set dangerous precedents.”
My heart melted. “You should have talked to me.”
His eyes glowed. “Should I?”
I nodded. “I’m not sure if I would have been nice to you, but I would have remembered you.”
He laughed. “I’ve never met someone with such a disdain for authority.”
I pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “You’re cute, so I might have held back some vitriol.”
Rowan snorted and rolled over, trapping me between his arms. “Just cute?”
I pretended to mull but lost all my coyness when his lips began traveling down my skin.
Soon after I was a quivering mess, and that golden thread between us grew ever brighter.
Chapter
