Page 62 of The Outlaw and the Heir

I cocked my head. “And how did you make peace with it? I'm not doubting you, but you've never spoken of it until now, so I'm curious."

"What? You haven't run through everything in your head and figured it out on your own? You seem to be good at that."

"And you seem to be good at switching between manners of speech, but I don't usually speak about that."

"You bring it up at least once a day."

"Mmm, true."

He stared at me for several seconds until I realized he was waiting for my response. A little hypocritical, considering he was the one supposed to be talking, but fine, it wasn't like I didn't usually dominate conversations between us. Letting him have the reins occasionally wouldn't hurt me much. My pride was fairly sturdy.

"Look, I'm good at understanding people and predicting what they're going to do, but it's not perfect. And I most certainly can't see into the future or read minds, so there are things I'm surprised by on occasion. And..." I stopped, realizing something even as I was about to say it aloud. I ran it through my head one more time and grimaced, knowing if I backed out of saying it now, Ambrose would retreat again. "And you...have been surprising me more and more lately."

"Lately?"

"Fine, ever since that day at the river, I've been surprised by some of the stuff you say and do. Apparently, I didn't get as good a read on you as I thought, and now I'm having to learn about you the old-fashioned way."

To my annoyance, a small, crooked smile formed on his face. “From the sounds of it, that irritates you."

"A little," I admitted begrudgingly, not liking to give away my failings at something I was good at and prided myself in. Apparently, I had been stuck with this man for too long and was starting to soften, which I suppose was unavoidable, but I also knew it opened me up to many new dangers.

He seemed pleased by my answers and shrugged. “Itdidbother me. But I dunno, at some point I kinda figured that when it's just the two of us...when we're?—"

I had to smile. “Really? You stripped us both naked and used the living hell out of my body, but you don't even want to say it aloud? Come now, we're both grown. We’ve seen what the other has and are completely alone. I think you can say it."

He huffed. “Since we had amorous congress."

I tried hard not to laugh. “How...polite. At least you haven't started saying you've had a few brushes with me. So I suppose I can still feel a little important."

He rolled his eyes, cheeks turning red. "Since we started doing it, I had to start thinkin' of you as not bein' a prisoner or an outlaw, or what have ya when we're together. When it's us, you're just...you."

"Iamall of those things, though."

"But you ain'tjustthose things."

Interesting, he'd found a way around his moral upheaval and hadn't realized he’d done the very thing he once would have condemned me for. His strict moral code had been evaded, and he'd found a way to justify it to himself. I most assuredly was not going to be the one to point it out to him, and not just becauseit would ruin a perfectly good moment we were having. I also didn't want him to have another moment of moral panic when he realized he’d compromised his morals of his own free will because that kind of 'fall' could be destructive and messy.

In the end, it was the sort of thing he was going to figure out on his own, and if he wanted help, I would provide it if asked. No matter who you had around you, it was ultimately up to you to determine how you would move through the world and how you would see it. If his views and attitudes changed due to his experiences, he would have to navigate that on his own, without any pushing, prodding, or forcing from me.

"Well, that is true," I admitted. He had started off seeing me as only those things which had been amusing at first and had eventually grown irritating. It seemed more than just his attitude toward his moral stances had changed, but at least not treating me like a leper or fiend was something I could immediately enjoy. "It's nice to be seen."

He smirked, reaching down to grab me while I was still soft...though his touch certainly stirred something to life in me. “You're definitely seen right now."

I laughed. “That's not what I meant, but you won't hear me complain. Well, you might hear me gripe later when my ass is sore, and I know who's responsible for it."

"Was it...too much?" he asked, and damn it all, he was sweet and worried about my wellbeing, ruining the lusty moment and yet adding to it at the same time.

"No," I said with a little laugh, reaching down to grab him as well because if I was going to get groped, he might as well too. "Mostly because I know damn well you have free rein to have your way with me whenever you want. You were just that good."

"Mmm," he hummed. "Maybe you could stay with me tonight and slip out before sunrise. That'll give me time to have another bout."

"Oh really?" I asked with a raised brow. "How bold."

Extremely bold and probably the biggest surprise of the night, considering I expected him to send me away quickly.

"It's alright," he said quickly, suddenly shy. "No one comes in here without my permission."

"Not even your dad?"

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