The woman stepped toward them, a smile on her full lips. Her long reddish blond hair curled riotously past her thin shoulders, twisted through with small twigs, the leaves still attached. Oddly, it suited her.
Her wide midnight blue eyes shone from a heart-shaped face, clear of any trace of makeup. She wore little to clothe her slim body, but she didn’t seem cold. Her feet were bare and dirt smudged her dewy, luminous tanned skin here and there like she’d been gardening.
She was lovely. Prettier than the Summer Queen. More beautiful than any Seelie woman Bella had ever seen. And from the way she was smiling at Ronan, she knew him well.
Bella’s limbs had been like warmed butter a moment ago, but now they’d gone wooden. This little twinge of jealousy was a stupid thing to feel. He’d been free to do as he wished, as she’d been free too.
They’d both had lovers since their parting so many years ago. She had no claim on his romantic entanglements of the previous years.
The woman smiled and all Bella’s ill feelings washed away in a moment. This person was like a part of nature herself, a wild and beautiful thing—like a refreshing rainstorm on a hot summer day or a gentle deer stepping out of the woods unexpectedly right before you. It was impossible to feel anything but joy in her presence. “I’ve never been with Ronan in the way you’re thinking,” she said warmly. “We’re only friends.”
Bella sucked in a breath. “Are you telepathic?”
“No. The question was in your expression.”
She turned her face away.
“It’s all right, Bella,” Aurora said. “I understand the history you have with Ronan. I’ve known him for many years now, and the only woman he’s ever wanted was you.” Bella looked at Ronan for confirmation of her words. He said nothing, only stared at her, his expression serious and his eyes wide and dark and very, very warm. His gaze did interesting things to her body and made her chest fill with something light. Hope?
“I still have what you gave me to keep,” Aurora said, drawing them both from the way they’d fallen into each other’s gaze.
He shifted to look at the birch lady. “Good. I never thought I’d come back for it.”
“And yet here you are. Don’t worry, it’s safe.”
“I thought we’d stay for a little while before heading back to the Summer Court.”
“Stay as long as you’d like. You’re safe here.” She ducked into the structure. “Your object is this way.” Bella tried not to gawk as they followed her in. The front of the structure was crumbling brick, but that was only a façade. So much in the world of the fae was not as it seemed. The ceiling was made of glass, showing the towering birch trees above that dripped with leaves, flowering vines, snow, and ice.
A fire burned in a corner fireplace and comfortable overstuffed furniture abounded in the room, all draped with cozy-looking throws. A four-poster bed dominated one corner, and a tiny kitchen occupied the opposite corner. It was a small house, but it was clearly a home, very comfortable. Bella had the impression she could live here forever and be content.
“Stay here a moment,” said Aurora. She exited the back of the cottage and returned with an item wrapped in cheesecloth. She gave it to Ronan.
“Thank you for keeping it.”
Aurora inclined her head and smiled. “Stay here in this cottage for as long as you’d like. We’ll be watching out for you, so don’t fear the guard.” She looked at Bella meaningfully. “Relax, if only for a little while. You’ve had a long journey and it’s far from over. You both have many more miles to go before you find peace.” Then she left.
Why did she think that Aurora wasn’t talking about physical distance, but emotional? There was a dark edge to her words that Bella didn’t like. They almost felt prophetic.
“Can we trust her?”
“I would trust Aurora with my life.” He paused. “I would trust her with your life, Bella, and that’s the most precious thing in the world to me.”
Ronan held her gaze, and the moment between them stretched. The look in his eyes could have kept her warm forever. Breaking the magic of it, she cleared her throat and stepped forward, toward the object.
“What is it?”
He set it down on the table near the bed. “Never mind that. There’s only one important thing right now.” He closed the distance between them and pulled her against him, letting his hot mouth close over hers. His lips slid across her lips like silk, tasting her gently until it seemed he had to have more. Then he parted her lips and slid his tongue within.
Shivers of pleasure enveloped her. Three decades’ worth of wanting welled up, and this time she didn’t suppress it. Relax. She let it wash over her, sweeter than anything she could imagine. Surrendering to her desires, she twined her arms around his shoulders, feeling the strong bunch and flex of his muscles as he made minute movements, and made her want to run her hands—her tongue—over his warm bare skin.
He walked her back until her calves hit the edge of the bed, then dropped his hands to the button and zipper of her jeans. He worked them over her hips and down her legs, taking off her boots and socks with them and leaving her in only her thong.
NINE
She pulled his sweater up, revealing his sculpted washboard abs. She dusted her lips across them, tasting his skin with the tip of her tongue and feeling his muscles tremble as she pushed his sweater up and over his head. The touch of her hands on him made him shiver, made him groan. It felt powerful to have that kind of an impact on a strong man like him.
She ran her palms over his chest, hardly able to believe she was here—in a place she’d never thought she’d be—with a man she’d long ago stopped hoping for. This moment had played out in her fantasies, but she’d always assumed that’s what they’d stay—fantasies.
He pulled her shirt over her head and looked down at her wearing two silky bits of almost nothing, then he made a hungry sound deep in his throat and pushed her back onto the bed. For a moment he stood over her, making her shiver as his gaze swept her. He looked like he intended to devour her from head to toe.
Kicking his boots off, he followed her down onto the bed. The fabric of his jeans scraped against her bare skin as he slid between her thighs to plunge his hands into her hair and kiss her. He nipped at her lower lip and then dragged it gently through his teeth, making goose bumps erupt all over her body. Her hands strayed to the button fly of his black jeans, eager to stroke what she’d never been able to touch so many years before.