Awoken (Ilea, Book I) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 23

I  walked into the kitchen and froze in the doorway, dropping my sword and the letter onto the floor in shock. “Well, I was hoping for a better reception…” I ran across the room and flung my arms round his neck, feeling his hot breath against my skin as he laughed. Wrapping his arms round my waist he kissed my head; I could feel him inhaling the smell of my hair as I nuzzled into his shoulders. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” I whispered in return and hung onto him more. He pulled back slightly, kissed me gently, and then with more force as the kiss went on. A cough sounded from the open doorway and we sprung apart, looking at the floor, but both of us with sheepish grins on our faces. Senkrad laughed.

“You seem to have gotten you answer to whether you are going to the Ball in Elmira.” I smiled at him, Rowan followed suit and we both escaped into the garden. He took my hand as we walked around the flowers, rubbing circles in my palm as we ambled along the paths. When he stopped next to one of the fruit trees I turned back to face him and found myself under an observant gaze, “What?”

“You’ve changed a lot since I was last here.”

“Oh.” I bit my lip and looked away from him, trying to work out what he meant, hoping it wasn’t what my mind had immediately jumped to. He put his hand on my cheek and turned my face towards him.

“I like it.” He said, smiling and kissing me once again, pulling my body towards him. I was aware of the distant longings it brought in me as my body was held firmly against his, I pulled away, smiling at him knowingly and still holding his hand as I led him to the wall the was underneath my room.

“Hold tight.” I lifted him up and through the open window, landing softly on the floor of my bedroom. He smiled and ran his hands through my hair, pausing at the nape of my neck and then crushing his mouth against my own. I walked back until I was resting against the wall, never breaking the kiss as we moved across the floor. He slid one of his legs between my own just as he had almost a year ago, his body pushing and curving into mine in the same familiar way, only this time I was completely in control.

He rolled over and lay on the bed next to me, making the covers pull tightly against my side. Then he turned to me, the moonlight highlighting his cheeks as a contented smile spread across his face. I smiled back as his hand brushed a stray lock of hair back behind my ear and faltered on my cheek, slowly stroking along my jawbone. I saw the desire in his eyes and slid closer to him once again so that I could feel my bare skin against his and he knew I felt the same way.

The next morning when I woke up I could fully remember the night that had just passed and smiled to myself. I turned over to see Rowan’s dreaming face as his head lay against the white pillow next to mine and studied it closely while he slept, noticing the perfect double curve of his lips and the way that his dark eyelashes curled against his cheek.

I breathed out slowly trying not to wake him but my cool breath ruffled his hair and his eyes fluttered open, hazily locking onto mine. “Morning.” I said quietly. He smiled in reply.

“We should probably go down to Senkrad, shouldn’t we?” He said after a few long minutes, his tone disgruntled. I laughed lightly at his expression but agreed in a tone much the same as his.

We pulled on our clothes and went down the stairs hand in hand. As we walked into the kitchen I thought I saw a strange smirk flit cross Senkrad’s face that was directed at Rowan, but it passed so quickly that I assumed it was nothing.

The bread and fruit was already on the table and I smiled at Senkrad warmly remembering that first argument we’d had over my meat eating habits, it seemed like years ago. We ate the food in silence and I waited patiently for the other two to finish, questions burning at the tip of my tongue. Finally they finished.