“Wolfe?” I whispered, half relieved, half stunned.
The floorboards creaked as he tip-toed over to the bed, sliding in next to me without a by your leave.
“Wolfe!” I tried to act outraged but inside my heart was hammering, my body already tingling with anticipation.
His eyes sparkled in the light from the moon outside the window and he grinned at me, playfully yanking me under him. My cry of surprise was swallowed by his mouth.
Oh well, I thought. Hadn’t I already decided? I smiled against his lips and kissed him back. When he took a breath, I eased a hand down his face, afraid to stop touching him. “What made you think I’d be amenable to you sneaking into my room?”
Wolfe shrugged, still grinning wickedly down at me. “I thought perhaps I’d finally gotten through to you. And… I don’t know.” He frowned now. “Something told me you wanted me here.”
My lips parted in shocked realisation. “Your magic? Can you read my mind now?”
He laughed against my cheek, shaking his head, his words whispering seductively against my ear, “No. Intuition again.” He nibbled my earlobe and I shivered. “I gather, my intuition assumed correct. You want me here?”
I gasped under him as he deliberately tried to seduce an answer from me. With a growl of indignation I pushed his head back. “What do you think?” I replied sarcastically, pushing him onto his back, straddling him. “I’m not throwing you out am I.”
***
Wolfe looked guilty as he leaned over me after our lovemaking. I frowned up at him and reached out to smooth his furrowed brow. “What?”
He exhaled slowly. “You might be carrying my child, Rogan. You have to marry me now.”
I took more pleasure than I should have at the way he almost closed his eyes, his features wincing, waiting for the coming hysterics. But before Wolfe had even come into my room – intent on seducing me to his will, the scoundrel! – I had decided I was going to marry him. I wanted a life with him, even at the risk of losing everything we would build together. I wasn’t a coward. I could doubt myself and the choices I had made in this life, but deep down, I had always prided myself on the fact that I wasn’t a weak-willed society girl. I wasn’t a coward. Not yesterday. Not today. And definitely not tomorrow.
I nodded sombrely up at Wolfe, teasing him. “I guess it does.”
His eyes widened. “You mean it?”
I nodded, chuckling now. “Yes.”
“You’ll marry me?”
“Yes.”
He cried out happily, pulling me into arms and I laughed, trying to shush him before he woke the Dena’s and really created a scandal. “I don’t care.” He kissed me, his hand resting over my chest so my heart thumped against his palm. “You’re mine now. I’m allowed to be here.”
Wolfe relaxed into sleep easily, now that I had agreed to marry him. My heart was still beating so hard, my brain still buzzing with all the things I now had to explain to Haydyn when she woke, that I watched over him, not able to close my eyes. Before the sun rose, I woke Wolfe and he reluctantly got out of bed and began dressing. He kissed me one more time, and then another time, and another… until eventually I laughed and pushed him towards the door. Just as he was about to leave I realised I hadn’t told him something.
“Wolfe,” I called out quietly.
He turned back expectantly.
I smiled, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “I love you.”
At my quietly spoken declaration, Wolfe’s eyes closed, relief softening his features, his whole face growing younger before my very eyes. I suddenly remembered he was only twenty one. A tension, I hadn’t even known was there, visibly melted out of his body. Wolfe opened his eyes again; they were light with deep emotion. “I love you too. Have done ever since you punched Niall Tromskin on the nose for pushing Valena in the courtyard and making her cry.”
My jaw dropped at the revelation. “I was fourteen!”
With one last warm chuckle, Wolfe nodded and quickly left.
Chapter Thirty Two
With our love declared and our betrothal decided, Wolfe and I both galloped towards Silvera with renewed determination. There was nothing else worrying us now but the ever growing need to wake Haydyn up. I think Chaeron knew something had happened between me and Wolfe. To be fair I think the entire Guard knew, considering we stared at one another with loopy smiles on our faces.
Now all I wanted was for Haydyn to be well. If I saved her, and somehow managed to banish my nightmares of the Mountain Man, everything would be almost perfect.
I was glad when Wolfe found ways to stay the night with me. He was furious I was still having nightmares, and I feared at first it would cause a disagreement again, but instead he soothed me back to sleep with his presence. The nightmares didn’t go away. I wasn’t sure they would for a while, but at least when I woke up, I wasn’t alone. Wolfe snuck into my room at Mag’s Inn in Sabith Town, and as he tiptoed in, his eyes so happy and mischievous he looked more boy than man, I wondered if we’d ever grow weary of another. I also wondered about his other women but was too afraid to bring up the subject for fear of what it would do to my self-esteem. Wolfe had only ever had liaisons with beautiful women. Then again… he thought I was beautiful, and who was I to argue with that?
“You know,” Wolfe mused as he pressed kisses over my stomach. “I think I’m starting to miss you arguing with me.”
I huffed, grinning. “That can be easily remedied, Captain.”
I felt him grin against my skin. “Mm. I imagine it could.” He looked up abruptly, frowning. “One thing I keep wondering about…”
“Mm?”
“You’ve stopped objecting to being called Lady Rogan.”
I nodded, stroking my fingers through his hair as he crawled up my body. He braced himself above me. “Perhaps I came to the conclusion, on this quest, that I am a lady, despite circumstances of birth.”
“Finally.” He rolled his eyes mockingly.
I laughed. “Just because you came to this realisation before I did-”
“That’s not why I insisted on calling you Lady Rogan,” Wolfe interrupted.
I frowned. “Then why?”
Instead of answering, he kissed me, his tongue stroking deep into my mouth, tangling with mine, trapping me in whatever spell he had me under. “I insisted on it,” he breathed raggedly. “Because one day I knew you were going to be my wife, and I wanted you accustomed to being called Lady Rogan.”
The floorboards creaked as he tip-toed over to the bed, sliding in next to me without a by your leave.
“Wolfe!” I tried to act outraged but inside my heart was hammering, my body already tingling with anticipation.
His eyes sparkled in the light from the moon outside the window and he grinned at me, playfully yanking me under him. My cry of surprise was swallowed by his mouth.
Oh well, I thought. Hadn’t I already decided? I smiled against his lips and kissed him back. When he took a breath, I eased a hand down his face, afraid to stop touching him. “What made you think I’d be amenable to you sneaking into my room?”
Wolfe shrugged, still grinning wickedly down at me. “I thought perhaps I’d finally gotten through to you. And… I don’t know.” He frowned now. “Something told me you wanted me here.”
My lips parted in shocked realisation. “Your magic? Can you read my mind now?”
He laughed against my cheek, shaking his head, his words whispering seductively against my ear, “No. Intuition again.” He nibbled my earlobe and I shivered. “I gather, my intuition assumed correct. You want me here?”
I gasped under him as he deliberately tried to seduce an answer from me. With a growl of indignation I pushed his head back. “What do you think?” I replied sarcastically, pushing him onto his back, straddling him. “I’m not throwing you out am I.”
***
Wolfe looked guilty as he leaned over me after our lovemaking. I frowned up at him and reached out to smooth his furrowed brow. “What?”
He exhaled slowly. “You might be carrying my child, Rogan. You have to marry me now.”
I took more pleasure than I should have at the way he almost closed his eyes, his features wincing, waiting for the coming hysterics. But before Wolfe had even come into my room – intent on seducing me to his will, the scoundrel! – I had decided I was going to marry him. I wanted a life with him, even at the risk of losing everything we would build together. I wasn’t a coward. I could doubt myself and the choices I had made in this life, but deep down, I had always prided myself on the fact that I wasn’t a weak-willed society girl. I wasn’t a coward. Not yesterday. Not today. And definitely not tomorrow.
I nodded sombrely up at Wolfe, teasing him. “I guess it does.”
His eyes widened. “You mean it?”
I nodded, chuckling now. “Yes.”
“You’ll marry me?”
“Yes.”
He cried out happily, pulling me into arms and I laughed, trying to shush him before he woke the Dena’s and really created a scandal. “I don’t care.” He kissed me, his hand resting over my chest so my heart thumped against his palm. “You’re mine now. I’m allowed to be here.”
Wolfe relaxed into sleep easily, now that I had agreed to marry him. My heart was still beating so hard, my brain still buzzing with all the things I now had to explain to Haydyn when she woke, that I watched over him, not able to close my eyes. Before the sun rose, I woke Wolfe and he reluctantly got out of bed and began dressing. He kissed me one more time, and then another time, and another… until eventually I laughed and pushed him towards the door. Just as he was about to leave I realised I hadn’t told him something.
“Wolfe,” I called out quietly.
He turned back expectantly.
I smiled, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “I love you.”
At my quietly spoken declaration, Wolfe’s eyes closed, relief softening his features, his whole face growing younger before my very eyes. I suddenly remembered he was only twenty one. A tension, I hadn’t even known was there, visibly melted out of his body. Wolfe opened his eyes again; they were light with deep emotion. “I love you too. Have done ever since you punched Niall Tromskin on the nose for pushing Valena in the courtyard and making her cry.”
My jaw dropped at the revelation. “I was fourteen!”
With one last warm chuckle, Wolfe nodded and quickly left.
Chapter Thirty Two
With our love declared and our betrothal decided, Wolfe and I both galloped towards Silvera with renewed determination. There was nothing else worrying us now but the ever growing need to wake Haydyn up. I think Chaeron knew something had happened between me and Wolfe. To be fair I think the entire Guard knew, considering we stared at one another with loopy smiles on our faces.
Now all I wanted was for Haydyn to be well. If I saved her, and somehow managed to banish my nightmares of the Mountain Man, everything would be almost perfect.
I was glad when Wolfe found ways to stay the night with me. He was furious I was still having nightmares, and I feared at first it would cause a disagreement again, but instead he soothed me back to sleep with his presence. The nightmares didn’t go away. I wasn’t sure they would for a while, but at least when I woke up, I wasn’t alone. Wolfe snuck into my room at Mag’s Inn in Sabith Town, and as he tiptoed in, his eyes so happy and mischievous he looked more boy than man, I wondered if we’d ever grow weary of another. I also wondered about his other women but was too afraid to bring up the subject for fear of what it would do to my self-esteem. Wolfe had only ever had liaisons with beautiful women. Then again… he thought I was beautiful, and who was I to argue with that?
“You know,” Wolfe mused as he pressed kisses over my stomach. “I think I’m starting to miss you arguing with me.”
I huffed, grinning. “That can be easily remedied, Captain.”
I felt him grin against my skin. “Mm. I imagine it could.” He looked up abruptly, frowning. “One thing I keep wondering about…”
“Mm?”
“You’ve stopped objecting to being called Lady Rogan.”
I nodded, stroking my fingers through his hair as he crawled up my body. He braced himself above me. “Perhaps I came to the conclusion, on this quest, that I am a lady, despite circumstances of birth.”
“Finally.” He rolled his eyes mockingly.
I laughed. “Just because you came to this realisation before I did-”
“That’s not why I insisted on calling you Lady Rogan,” Wolfe interrupted.
I frowned. “Then why?”
Instead of answering, he kissed me, his tongue stroking deep into my mouth, tangling with mine, trapping me in whatever spell he had me under. “I insisted on it,” he breathed raggedly. “Because one day I knew you were going to be my wife, and I wanted you accustomed to being called Lady Rogan.”
