Warrior's Heart

Chapter Thirty-Six

The Blue Mountains Inn might not have an original name, but it was so adorably cozy, Arielle didn't really mind all that much. It was nice to simply be somewhere not the stone cottage at the end of the lane. It was the perfect place for them to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. 

Thorin closed the door and leaned against it. "It's too quiet. It feels odd."

"It does, but let's just savor it, shall we?" She faced him. He looked as tired as she felt, and although he wasn't getting up every two hours to nurse, he made sure that he did what he could to ease the burden on her, and he did just that. 

"What is it?" he asked, reaching up to lay a hand against his cheek. "Have I something on my face? In my hair? Your daughter thinks it great fun to spit up in it, you know."

"No. You're fine, Thorin." She closed the space between them and laid her hand atop his. "And when she does things like that, she is your daughter."

He let out a tired laugh. "I could sleep for a week. Perhaps we should just do that tonight."

Her spirits sank. When Thorin approached Amara, she insisted they spend the night in peace just the two of them, and since Arielle was feeling up to it, Amara also told her that she was free to enjoy her husband in any way she wished, and so she had been looking forward to doing just that.

But apparently, he was not interested in doing anything beyond sleeping. While it was difficult to fault him, since they were both just so very tired, she couldn't help but press a hand over the small belly that remained since she had the baby. It was difficult to fault him, since he'd been witness to her giving birth, and that had to disturb him to some extent. And her body was no longer the same as it had been prior to having Tiriana, so there was that as well.

She bit back a sigh. "Of course."

He smiled and pushed up from the door, setting their bag on one of the chairs at the small table in the corner. "I had the feeling you might agree."

"It has been a long few weeks." it was on the tip of her tongue to just suggest perhaps they do more than sleep, but he moved to the bed and stretched out with such a long, lusty sigh, she couldn't make herself form the words. 

Instead, she moved to the table and drew out one of the other chairs to settle into. Thorin looked over at her. "Come, lay with me, love. I sleep much better with you up against me."

She rose and crossed over to him, but didn't join him in the bed. "If you wish to sleep, do so. I am not all that tired. I must have gotten a second wind."

"What is the matter, love?" he asked, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, on either side of her legs. 

"Nothing. You're tired, so you should sleep. We only have this one night, so, make the most of it."

"Arielle, something is on your mind. What is it?"

"Noth—"

He rose, gently nudging her away from the bed to stand before her. "What is it?"

"Nothing, I just—"

He caught her face in his hands, his thumbs lightly brushing along her cheekbones. "Tell me, love."

"You want to sleep, so you should sleep."

"Oh, love," he murmured with a grin, "sleeping is not what I want to do."

He held her gaze, his eyes darkening to a smoky blue-gray and her heart skipped a beat as her mouth went dry. "Thorin?"

"I've missed you, princess," his voice dropped to a growly murmur, "I've missed the feel of you under me, of you wrapped about me, of me being inside you..."