So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)(73)

As he drifted off, he realized he was still torn. Part of him wanted to keep her here on the island where she would be safe, but another part was tempted to ignore the danger. He wanted to grab on to her and never let go.

Somehow, in just a few days, she’d become as important to him as his quest for revenge.





Chapter Eighteen

When Brigitta woke up, she discovered the pillow beneath her head was Rupert’s shoulder. With a gasp, she sat up. Her blanket fell to her hips, and she jerked it back up to her chin.

Good goddesses, she’d been sleeping with him naked. Her mind raced, trying to remember what had happened, but she only had a dreamy recollection of some sweet snuggling in the dark.

“Don’t leave me,” he mumbled, pulling her back down.

She landed on his chest. “Rupert, wake up.”

He cracked open one eye, then closed it and smiled. “Good morning.”

Morning? She sat back up, holding the blanket against her breasts. Sure enough, there was sunlight beaming through the hole in the cavern. “We slept through the entire night? Sister Fallyn will be worried sick!”

He blinked sleepily at her, then tugged at her blanket.”Why are you hiding from me?”

She scooted out of his reach. “It’s daylight.”

“I know. I want to see everything I fondled last night.”

She huffed. “Honestly, we have more urgent matters to attend to.”

He smiled slowly. “I’m more urgent than you realize.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant, but then her brain was having a hard time thinking when he was smiling at her, stretched out on a pile of furs with his gleaming amber eyes, tousled hair, and sharp jaw shaded with whiskers. And then there were his gloriously muscled arms and chest, his skin the color of golden honey. Her gaze dropped to his navel and the narrow trail of hair that disappeared beneath a blanket that looked oddly like a tent.

The tent suddenly twitched.

She gasped. “It does leap.”

“It’s a damned cock.” With a wince, he dragged a hand through his hair. “If you keep staring at it, things will get messy.”

She frowned at him. “Why do you keep cursing your own … manhood? I’m sure it’s perfectly nice.”

“Nice?”

From the annoyed look on his face, she gathered she’d used the wrong word. How had he referred to her private parts? “More than nice. Sweet.”

“Sweet?” He sat up. “Holy crap.”

She groaned inwardly. Apparently, he was rather sensitive about his manhood. “Look, we have more important matters to address. We need to make plans for regaining your throne and—”

“I already have plans.”

“And first, I need to reassure Sister Fallyn that I’m all right.”

He waved a dismissive hand. “She’ll have other things on her mind. Stefan was planning to propose to her last night.”

“What?” Brigitta scrambled to her feet, still holding the blanket against her.

“That’s why Stefan came here to the cave. He was picking out a ring for her.” Rupert’s mouth twitched. “They may have been too busy last night to even notice we were gone.”

“Oh, dear goddesses. I have to hurry back!” Brigitta rushed over to the ladder. Sister Fallyn must have been shocked! Had she said yes?

With a wince, Brigitta realized she would need to drop her blanket in order to climb down the ladder. She motioned to Rupert. “Turn around.”

“I saw you last night.”

“It was dark. Please. I’m not comfortable with this yet.”

Rupert sighed, then flopped back onto the furs. “Fine.” He turned his back to her, taking his blanket with him and leaving his rump entirely exposed.

Her mouth dropped open as she eyed the long length of his muscular back, all the way from his broad shoulders down to his bare feet. When she dropped the blanket, she was tempted to crawl toward him.

She shook her head. What was wrong with her? “Give me enough time to get dressed before you come down.”

As she made her way down the ladder, more memories from last night came to mind. Good goddesses, a few kisses from the man and she’d let him take liberties with her. Mother Ginessa would definitely not approve. Sister Fallyn would be scandalized.

Or would she? Brigitta suspected the nun was madly in love with Stefan. He might have taken liberties, too.

*

Halfway back to the village, Rupert let Brigitta take the lead so he could trail behind and adjust his breeches. They had dried well, along with Brigitta’s clothes, but they were too damned tight in the crotch.

“Damned cock,” he muttered.

“Are you cursing yourself again?” She glanced back, then quickly looked forward when she caught him rearranging his load.

He snorted. She should try living a week with blue balls. And watching the sway of her hips wasn’t helping. “By the way, nice and sweet are not the words a man wants to hear describing his cock. Just so you’ll know for future reference.”

She slanted a dubious look back at him. “You think I’ll be referring to your manhood in the future?”

“Oh, you’ll be doing a lot more to it than referring.”

She scoffed. “Sure of yourself, are you?”