Rowan spewed his drink and wiped at his mouth, barely containing his laughs. He then cocked his head. “What? Why are you staring at me?”
“I like your laugh too.” I averted my gaze to the water. “And your smile.”
I was smitten with Rowan, plain and simple. The excitement when I saw him. The warmth that pooled low in my belly whenwe touched. The flutters when our eyes met and how I missed him when he wasn’t with me.
A waft of chilly air swept around us, and I drew my cloak closer.
“It’s colder up here in the mountains.” He stood and grabbed my hand. “Let’s get you warm.”
He led me toward the cave. The rush of the waterfall lessened as we walked but added a nice background noise. Soothing. His hand in mine was soothing too.
The cave wasn’t what I’d expected. It wasn’t dark or cold, with bats flying around and shitting on everything. A fire burned low in a pit, casting light on the walls. A bedroll lay near the fire with a small pillow and blanket. There was also a medium-sized pot, a stirring spoon, and what looked like beef jerky hanging on a small rack made from sticks.
“Is this where you’ve been staying?” I asked.
“Aye. It’s not a fancy room in an inn like yours, but it’s home for now.” Rowan guided me closer to the fire and instructed me to sit on the blanket. I did. “Sorry if it’s not up to your standards, Your Highness.”
“I didn’t say that.” I brought my knees up and wrapped my arms around them, watching as he stoked the logs in the pit and added a new one. “It just seems lonely.”
“I like being alone.”
“Alone and lonely are different,” I said. “Lake lived alone for years, never talking to anyone. He didn’t feel lonely because it was all he knew. Then, I barged into his quiet world, and I guess he realized he didn’t like it so quiet after all.”
Rowan stared at the fire. “You certainly have that effect on people.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Yes. Very bad. In fact, it’s the worst.”
“Oh.” My heart squeezed. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be.” He stoked the fire once more before sitting beside me on the bedroll, bringing his knees up to match my pose. “Because I don’t think I like my world as quiet anymore now either.”
Some of that weight lifted from my chest. “Then I guess you should stick around after this trip and come back with me to Bremloc.”
A trace of a smile touched his mouth. “You call me a thief, but it’s you who’s stolen from me.”
“What did I steal?”
“My sanity, mostly.”
I snorted.
Rowan’s eyes did that thing again—the dark gold irises warming with his softening expression. “I can’t say where the future will take me, little treasure. Bremloc or some other city. But right now, inthismoment?” He grabbed the side of my neck and glided his lips along the curve of my jaw. “I want to lose myself in you.”
“I…” My breath shook. “I want that too.”
His mouth brushed mine before connecting. The contact was like a hard knock to my ribs, a quake I felt in my core. As we kissed, he pushed against my chest to move me to my back and straddled my hips. Being straddled like this was… new. His ass rubbed against my groin, eliciting a small moan from my lips.
“Oh, I reckon this is a good time to tell you.” Rowan gave me a lopsided smile. “I prefer to receive rather than give.”
Holy crap.
He was a bottom.
