Page 13 of Romancing the Throne
Because it turned out falling asleep was difficult enough with Elowin’s body pressed warmly against mine, his breath brushing my ear, and his scent as distracting as any fine perfume.
CHAPTER 6
ELOWIN
Iwoke to the sound of gentle snoring and the end of a braid dangling across my face. I glanced down to find Sparrow curled up against my side facing me, his mouth hanging open as he let out snuffling noises I was sure would have horrified him if he’d been awake to hear them. He had one arm draped across my chest, and he looked so peaceful I felt bad waking him. But our new friends were busy packing up the camp all around us, and dawn had faded into a bright morning, with the heat of the day making itself felt already.
I shook Sparrow’s shoulder gently. He let out a sigh and mumbled into my armpit, then went still again. I smiled despite myself and nudged him again, and when that didn’t work, I tugged gently on his braid. “Sparrow?”
He opened his eyes that time, and recognition dawned. “Oh! Is it morning already?”
“I’m afraid so. Did you sleep well?”
For some reason his cheeks turned pink. “Yes, thank you. You?”
I’d barely slept—having Sparrow in my bed was moredistracting than I’d expected—but I didn’t tell him that. Instead I pulled back the blankets and said, “Well enough.”
“You’re awake!” A cheerful voice rang out and Silrisar approached us. He was still wearing nothing but his braies. When I looked around, most of the other elves were also in their underwear, which made more sense when he said, “We’re going for a swim to freshen up before we head to Everend. Care to join us?” He nodded in the direction of the stream.
“Oh, can we please?” Sparrow asked with far more enthusiasm than I’d been expecting. “I know it will slow down our journey, but I’msosticky and sweaty and I’m sure I smell like the bottom of someone’s shoe.”
I laughed. “Of course we can.”
“And you’re welcome to ride the rest of the way to Everend with us,” Silrisar added. “It might be a squeeze, but we can make it work.” He gave us a wide, easy grin.
“We’d like that,” I said. If we could ride instead of walking, we’d save most of a day. And if Sparrow had to sit on my knee to make room, I wouldn’t object.
“I’ll tell the others,” Silrisar said and clapped me on the shoulder before heading in the direction of the stream where the rest of the group was now waiting. They were all in the process of shedding their underwear.
I’d peeled my shirt off and was halfway out of my leggings before Sparrow let out a long, slow breath and started to undress, his cheeks pinker than a sunrise.
Nakedness was something that came naturally to me, as it did to most elves, and I wondered if Sparrow’s shyness was because of his upbringing or if he was just naturally bashful. Either way, I had to admire the way he didn’t let it stop him from joining in. Instead he peeled out of his underwear before turning to face me, his nervousness only betrayed by the way his hands hovered in front of his cock and balls.
He was pretty all over, but I didn’t let my gaze linger. I had no wish to embarrass him. Instead I shot him a reassuring smile and stripped off the last of my own clothing, then strode over to join the rest of the group, who were all laughing and chattering and dipping their toes into the shallows.
Sparrow followed me, and I thought he might linger on the shore, but he surprised me. He took several long strides—well, long for him—and waded out to his knees before surging forward, letting out a shout as he sank into the deeper part of the stream. I wasn’t sure if it was bravery or a desire to hide his nakedness underwater that had him entering the water so recklessly. Either way, watching him gasp and splutter was entertaining.
I followed him in and gave a shout of my own, inhaling sharply as the water hit my body. It was like being stabbed with a thousand icy knives. “Goddess fuck, that’s freezing!”
The water parted in front of me, and Sparrow’s head popped up. His eyes were bright and he was grinning as he gasped out, “It’ssocold! I can’t feel my toes!”
“I can’t feel myballs!” I gave a breathless laugh and tried to suck some air back into my lungs.
There was a flurry of splashing and a chorus of shrieks and laughter as everyone else piled in behind us, and before long the stream was filled with wet, naked elves, all letting out various curses of their own at the cold water.
Sparrow floated away to the side of the group, and I noticed him sneaking surreptitious looks at some of the piercings on display, his gaze continually straying back to the gleaming metal adornments and the bodies they were decorating.
Hmm. Maybe Sparrow wasn’t as traditional at heart as I’d thought.
I swam over toward him. “Quite the view, isn’t it?”
Spots of color bloomed high on his pale cheeks. “I wasn’t looking! I mean, not deliberately looking. I mean, I wasn’togling,” he said. His gaze traced over my torso, making a liar out of himself.
He was definitely ogling. But I didn’t mind. If anything, it was flattering to have someone admiring my body the way he was. “Nobody would mind even if you were looking at them, Sparrow.” I flashed him an easy smile.
He bit his bottom lip. “It’s just sointeresting, that’s all. I’ve never seen piercings before.” His gaze flitted over to the group again, where Alariel’s and Silrisar’s nipple piercings were on display, the gold rings glistening against their chests, catching the sunlight as they splashed each other and moved through the water.
“My ex had a nipple piercing,” I said. “They can be a lot of fun.”
