“Hey.”
Out of all the questions or accusations she could’ve voiced, she ends up saying, “I needed to be here.”
“Nothing’s wrong with that.”
“Okay,” she sighs, shifting just enough for her cheek to rest fully in my palm.
Lead lines the pit of my stomach, knowing what comes next. My confession.
I stand and guide her into a sitting position. My attention catches that yawn she’s trying to hide, noting how sweet it is.
But it’s not the time for warmth. Later, it will be.
“Actually, I’m glad you’re here,” I say once she’s settled, her palms in her lap.
“You are?” Elowyn looks at me as I push the robe down her shoulders. “It’s early.”
Not midnight, she means. Not punishment hour.
A growl rumbles in my chest. If I could kick my own ass, I would.
“No more scheduled meetings. If you want to see me, day or night, I’m yours.” My eyes move over her body, taking in her naked skin despite the unease stirring inside me. “What I meant before is, we have things to discuss.”
Needing the robe completely off, I lean in. When goose bumps rise along her arms, I groan, the sound possessive. I put them there. I turn Elowyn on.
She’s mine.
“I’ve had time to think, and I don’t want to fight anymore.” Her confession comes out fast. Her hands rest gently on my shoulders as she lifts her hips, helping me slide the robe free before I let it fall to the floor. “What happened doesn’t matter if we have each other, right? Can we agree that we both made mistakes and start over? Just be happy?”
My head snaps up. It happens so fast that my forehead misses her chin by an inch. “No.”
No, I need you to hear me out. No, I need you to understand, then forgive me for what I did.
“In that case…I’ll start. I’m pretty sure I figured out most of what happened on my own.” Instead of sitting again, she steps onto the platform. Naked, exposed, and somehow regal, she lets her hand rest on my jaw. “It was my brother. Barclay lied to meand to everyone else about why you disappeared. It had to be him. He’s the one who chased you away.”
While I listen, I metaphorically shackle her to me.
One bangle goes around the right hand, then the left. When I’m done, I curl my hands around her wrists, my thumb running circles over them, grazing the bangles too.
“What are these for?” Her pulse flutters beneath my fingertips.
“You’ve been spot on so far.” Ignoring the question, I lift her and set her back into a seated position on the pedestal, adjusting her hands until she’s leaning back. “Keep talking.”
She’s braced on her hands, back arched, breasts I’m dying to taste pushed forward.
The curious look in her eyes is what makes me truly feral.
“Keep.” I place my hands on her knees and spread her legs. Seeing how wet she is, a jolt of electricity locks my teeth. How she’s still swollen from yesterday. “Talking.”
“You wouldn’t have just left without so much as a goodbye. I get it now.”
My heated stare and my kneeling before her have Elowyn rocking her hips on the pedestal.
When I grumble low in my chest, she catches herself and stops.
That doesn’t disappoint me in the slightest. Even when she doesn’t try to fuck the air, she’s gorgeous. Fucking perfect.
I’m barely hanging on as is.
