He smiled with his teeth, a facial expression I didn’t often see from him. “Would have been sooner if only you weren’t so damn stubborn.” His eyes rolled, but he ended the gesture with a wink.
“I’m notthatstubborn,” I argued, though we both knew he was absolutely right.
I sat upright, letting the covers drift off of my torso. “Should we keep it on the down low for a bit though? I don’t want to seem like we're rubbing it in.”
“I’m assuming you’re referring to Sawyer?” He raised an eyebrow, and when I nodded, he said, “Oh, I amsorubbing it in. In fact, I might fuck you in his bed, just out of spite.”
My jaw fell slack. “Prince Hawthorne, you have an incredibly dirty mouth,” I teased before pressing my lips to said mouth.
“You know, I can’t say I blame him. Whowouldn'twant to kiss you? I mean, look at you, all starry eyed and covered in my?—”
“Sebastian!” I squealed, cutting off the last word of his sentence.
“Wait. You said he kissed you in your room, right?” he asked, not angrily or accusatory, just with pure desire to confirm the whereabouts.
“Yes.”
“Okay. Then I’ll move your stuff into mine. Because there is no way in hell we’re staying together in that room.”
“Understandable.”
Wrapping his firm arms around me, he pulled me back down against his chest. “Gods, I’ve missed this.”
“Me too.” I sighed into his skin. For a moment, it was like nothing mattered and all was right in the world again. Except that was not nearly the case.
“You’re thinking,” he pointed out. “I can tell because you get all quiet and you look like you’re daydreaming. What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing worth talking about right now. I don’t want to ruin this,” I answered, snuggling in closer to him and breathing in his frosted scent.
“Nothing could ruin sex with you, but regardless, I’m used to having a serious conversation with you right after coming. So tell me, what’s on your mind?”
I gave him a one-sided smile. He knew me so well it was almost laughable. “Shouldn’t we talk about whatthisall means?” I pointed back and forth between us. “Don’t you want to ask me what the hell I was thinking when I?—”
“No. I don’t. Because quite honestly, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me. As long as you are okay physically and up here,” he tapped my forehead, “that is all that matters to me. I understand, and if I told you I’d never done things I regretted in the midst of trying to grasp my own trauma, I’d be a liar.”
“I can’t fathom why the gods would put someone like you in my life,” I replied in pure awe, because I truly couldn’t understand what I had done to deserve this—to deservehim.
“I think I recall saying those very words to you once before.” He beamed, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, then saying when he pulled back, “Now, what were you really thinking about?”
I didn’t hesitate. “I’m thinking about Beaumont’schildrenand what Venay said he was using them for. How many do you think there are?”
Sebastian pulled me forward and on top of him, then sat us up, putting his back against the headboard for support. “I’m not sure. If I knew how he made them, maybe I could make a guess, but I have no idea.”
“What do you remember about seeing the one in the dungeon?” We had briefly touched on the subject, but not enough to share vivid details.
“Honestly, the further I get from that day the less I remember. My most vivid memory of the whole thing is waking up in the middle of the woods with you poking at my wound.”
My expression drifted into one more serious as I recalled everything he went through in Draemor. To keep me safe. And what did I do in return? Kissed his best friend.
“What are you thinking about now?” he asked, lifting my chin with his forefinger.
I started to saynothing,but again, he knew me too well.
“Tell me,” he urged.
“You said as long as I am okay up here,” I pointed to my forehead, “that was all you cared about.”
He nodded once, his attention softening upon me.
