Page 27 of Blood & Roses

“A terrifying, fierce assassin,” he corrected, stepping closer and pressing a gentle kiss to my bare shoulder. My insides went a bit molten, both at the compliment and the kiss. “If looks could kill, Isolde.” He winked, a reminder of when he’d said the same thing under very different circumstances.

I blushed, still feeling nervous and untethered like a doe being hunted by a wolf. I wasn’t a virgin, but I wasn’tthatexperienced, and a part of me worried that Rowan would be disappointed.

“Never,” Rowan said, cupping my face in both of his large hands. I realized with chagrin that I’d spoken this thought out loud, and I gave him an exasperated look. He chuckled, bringing his lips to mine. “This is already far more than I’d imagined.”

“You imagined this?” I asked, backing toward the tub before we got too carried away with ourselves and forgot to actually wash.

Rowan moved with me, as if unwilling to let go of me. “Many,many times,” he said, offering his hand as I stepped into the warm water. It wasn’t as hot as I would have liked, but it wasn’t cold at least. “In many unhinged and filthy positions.”

I blushed, sinking into the warm water and hugging my knees as Rowan stepped into the tub. He settled around me, his long legs bent and bracketing my body.

“When?” I asked, as he reached for the soap and began to work up a lather. “When did you imagine this?”

“Most recently,” he said, reaching out to me and running soapy hands over my arms, my back, my breasts, “on that damn horse. Every time you shifted positions. It was pure torture.”

I laughed. “That was basically the whole ride.”

“Exactly,” Rowan agreed, his eyes dark as he worked soapy hands down each of my legs. His hands were firm and strong, massaging sore muscles in a way that felt heavenly. He didn’t touch my most intimate places, waiting, I realized, until I was ready. “And before that. When you stabbed that hunter between the eyes. When you let me hold you. When you fell in the snow.”

He huffed a laugh, handing me the soap so I could finish washing. I worked up a lather, intending to do for him what he had done for me.

“I imagined bending you over the table while you were making buns,” he continued, lifting my chin with two fingers to make me meet his eyes. “And I was very,veryjealous when you sat in that male’s lap in the tavern.”

“Quite an imagination,” I said, reaching out to trace his strong arms with my soapy hands. I heard his intake of breath as I moved over his shoulders, down his back, across his chest. “Why?”

“Why what?” he asked, voice rather hoarse as I moved to his legs, feeling his muscles twitch as I moved my hands down his thighs to his calves.

“Why do you want me?” I asked, focusing on my work rather than my own pounding heart and the insecurity that I couldn’t hide.

He stopped my hands, bringing them to his lips and kissing my soapy knuckles.

“Because you’re brave,” he said, holding my hands against his heart. “Strong and smart and caring. You fought for my brother, and…and honestly?” He furrowed his scarred brow. “Honestly, I’m not sure I have words for it. I just…know. Know that this is important. This is something, this thing between us.”

I nodded, understanding his own inability to voice his reasons, since I felt the same way.

Elves didn’t have fated mates, not in the way of the fae or the shifters or the demons to the far north did..

But if we did, perhaps Rowan was mine. Perhaps this draw was granted by the gods, this desire born of supernatural forces.

And if it wasn’t, perhaps I didn’t care.

I rinsed his arms, standing from the bath completely nude, water sluicing down my body. Rowan looked up at me, a little slack-jawed.

I wrapped a towel around myself, keeping my eyes trained on his.

“Take me to bed, Rowan.”

He stood and scooped me up, uncaring about the soapy water sloshing over the floor as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

We were a tangle of teeth and tongues and wet bodies as we stumbled back into the room, narrowly missing the candles and falling onto one of the small beds.

“Too fucking small,” Rowan cursed, standing and leaving me prone and naked but for the towel as he moved the little side table out of the way and pushed the two beds together. “I need more space to do this properly.”

I laughed, pulling him back down to me as he unwrapped me like a gift, tossing the towel away.

“You have no idea how much I have wanted to taste these,” he said, dipping his head to take a nipple in his mouth and sucking gently. The move sent pleasure rippling through me, and I arched into him as he palmed the other breast before switching sides and lavishing his attention equally.

“And this,” he added, kissing a trail down my stomach. “And gods, especially this.” He dipped between my legs, parting me with his tongue in a move that had me bucking up from the bed.