Page 128 of Fear the Flames
“I know the feeling.” Whenever a shot of pain traveled through my body while riding, Finnian was the thought that kept me going. “Didn’t stop you from gambling over my sex life, though.” I poke him in the cheek where his dimple usually is. His smile spreads, and my finger dips before I pull it away. “I can’t believe you made a bet,” I giggle.
“Don’t worry. I’ll buy you a cider with my winnings considering you’re responsible for them,” he grins.
I roll my eyes, which only increases his laughter. “Buy me a book instead. You very well could have lost money.”
He gives me an incredulous look, “Not likely, darling.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I yawn.
“Elowen, his breathing hitches whenever he looks at you, and he can’t keep his eyes off you when you’re in a room. It’s like he’s always seeing you for the first time.” I’m too tired to deny it or to mutter a response, so I just let the words wrap around me like a hug while darkness pulls me under. “Goodnight, Ellie,” Finnian murmurs while getting up from the bed.
“Night, Finny,” I mumble before fully losing my battle with sleep.
I thought I was too tired to be woken, but I stir from sleep after feeling a soft pressure on my forehead. “Go back to sleep, angel. It’s just me,” Cayden whispers while placing another kiss on my forehead; his thumb strokes my cheek. I hear the rustling of paper and open my eyes, blinking a few times to get my bearings. My sweater is pulled up just below my breasts, and Cayden sits on his side of the bed, facing me with his back to the door. One of the papers already rests against my ribs, and the heat radiating from it feels wonderful. “They’re heating patches. I got them when I went out earlier,” he says.
“Thank you.” My heart squeezes. I yawn while rubbing my eyes. “You should sleep. I can do that.” I try to sit up, but he gently lays me back down while placing the next one on my ribs with careful fingers, never pressing my bruise too hard.
“I’m fully aware you can do this,” he begins while rolling up my pants to get to the bruise on my leg, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I enjoy taking care of you.”
I gasp, “What will the world think when they hear the cold Commander of Vareveth has a soft side?”
“I’m afraid they won’t believe you, gorgeous.” He leans down to kiss my bruise before applying the last heating patch. “This side is reserved only for you.” He gently pulls my pants leg down and slips under the covers next to me. His arms wrap around my waist and pull me close to his chest, but not before I see the crease of worry between his brows.
“Is something wrong?” I ask while trailing my fingers over his skin.
“No,” he says a little too quickly, and I stiffen in his arms. I sit up, propping myself on an elbow to look down at him. “It’s nothing.”
“So, there is something?”
“There’s always something on my mind,” he sighs while stroking my cheek. I don’t want him to go to sleep upset, but I can’t push him for details he doesn’t want to give. He hasn’t slept in over a day; maybe he just wants to be alone. He told me he doesn’t sleep next to people, and I understand it may take him some time to acclimate to that.
“Would you rather be alone?” I quietly ask.
He uses the hand on my cheek to bring my lips to his. It’s a slow, sweet kiss, filled with comfort and reassurance. He slowly parts my lips, gently sliding his tongue into my mouth. It’s the half-asleep kind of kiss when you don’t want to relinquish your hold on someone but know you should. It makes me want to bundle up in blankets and just trade kisses for a whole day. The rest of the world is asleep, and we’re in our own little bubble. He pulls away and rests his forehead against mine, sliding his hand to where mine rests on his chest and linking our fingers together.
“I always want you here,” he states. I tip my head forward and place a closed-mouth kiss on his lips. The crease between his brows fades from his forehead. “I promise I’ll talk to you tomorrow but right now…I just want to hold you.”
“Okay,” I whisper in the space between us. He tips his head forward, pressing a firmer kiss on my lips, and I sigh into his mouth.
“Thin walls!” Ryder shouts from the room next to us. Cayden groans, and his head falls back on the pillow.
“We’re not having sex!” Cayden shouts back.
“How the fuck did you even hear that?” Finnian’s voice joins the swarm.
“I. Hear. Everything,” Ryder states.
“Can you put earplugs in and shut up?” Saskia also joins.
“He won’t need earplugs because we’re not having sex,” Cayden groans.
“We’re not?” I whisper, pouting my lips. Cayden’s eyes fill with hunger.
“Do you want to?” he whispers back, even though his features are plagued with fatigue.
“Down, soldier,” I press a hand into his chest, “I was only kidding.” As much as I want to, he needs to sleep. “If you all don’t shut up, then we’re going to have sex, and we’ll be loud!” I shout. The pair of us softly laugh when that shuts them all up. We both need sleep to recuperate from the heist, so I sink back onto the mattress and turn my body away from him. He wraps his arms around my waist and firmly pulls my back into his chest. I wiggle myself to get comfortable and pause when I feel something hard press into my butt.
Gods, I love that he can’t hide his reaction to me.
