My eyes widened, and I immediately rushed from my bed to the open adjoining doors Kole and I shared. I hadn’t heard him come in last night. I had no idea if he returned, if he was safe too, if?—
I barreled into his chambers.
And promptly stopped.
Kole sat in a chair near his bed, drinking coffee, and he was shirtless.
If he was at all surprised that I burst into his chambers, uninvited, with only my pajamas still adorning me, he hid it completely. And if he was at all embarrassed to be caught in a semi-state of undress, he hid that too.
But I couldn’t.
Mouth dropping, I soaked up the muscles piled upon muscles that graced his chest. He looked smooth, hard, and surprisingly, no scars were in sight. The warrior was built like a slabbed wall, cut of angular granite, molded into the beautiful hard-rock specimen that depicted a perfect fae male.
And he was staring at me, his eyes slightly hooded, his only outward reaction, as he calmly sipped his coffee.
I, however, was not nearly as skilled in the art ofcomplete-and-total-devoid-of-emotion-upon-one’s-face, so I could only imagine the expression I wore.
“Goodmorning,” he finally offered, his voice so deep a shiver rolled through me.
“Um, morning.”
“Did you get your coffee?”
I gaped. “Youbrought that to me?”
He shrugged. “I went down the street to get a cup. I thought you might want one too.”
“And you delivered it, just now?”
“I did. Sorry if I woke you.”
“No, you didn’t. That’s not what I...I mean—” I snapped my mouth closed. The concern I’d felt at him being out during the night vanished now that I knew he was well, and quite frankly, I was at a loss to explain my dashing into his private chambers. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and don’t worry. I kept my eyes closed the entire time I delivered it, just in case you were—” He cut himself off, and even though his expression remained blank, his throat bobbed.
“Shirtless too?” I quipped, and despite the fact that I’d just woken up, a teasing smile twisted my lips.
He grunted, but I could have sworn that amusement lit his eyes as he took another sip of his drink.
I fiddled with the hem of my nightshirt, and he tracked the movements over the rim of his cup. Another roll of his throat came.
“Did, uh, or rather, were there any more of those creatures roaming the Wood last night?”
He shook his head. “Thankfully, no. The Wood remains clear.”
“And the traveling restrictions have been lifted?”
“They have. A dillemsill wasn’t sent to you because I knew I could tell you this morning.”
I nodded and released a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Have there been many sightings in the areas around here? I’m heading into the Wildland Mountains today, and well—” My hands twisted into my pajama top anew.
Kole glanced at my chest, and I realized the swell of my breasts was visible due to my fidgeting.
Kole stood in a flash and turned away, giving me his back. Muscles tightened and rippled along his shoulders. “It would be wise to reconsider your travels. It would be safest if you returned home,” he said over his shoulder.
Words once again failed me, because,Stars Above, the male was built. I marveled as I took in his broad shoulders, tapered waist, and muscled thighs. In his breeches, even his toned backside was as taut as a bowstring.
Everything in me tightened. “Your sword.”
