Only You

Self Control

Aelin left the dining hall feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Orlon had purposely sat her and Rowan next to each other, not that she was going to complain— especially when Rowan's hands kept finding her thigh, thoroughly distracting her from the dinner on the table. He'd followed her up to her rooms, neither of them saying much. It felt different being out of the healing wing and back in the real world; there would be no hiding here, from here on out there would be eyes on them at all times— people always watching what they did.

The two of them approached her door, an unspoken question in the air. She hesitated before placing her hand on the door-knob, she tilted her head at Rowan, an invitation.

"I probably shouldn't." Rowan seemed reluctant to let those words out as he glanced down the hallway.

Aelin followed his gaze and noticed the three maids who had conveniently stopped at the end of hall pretending to be busy with some flowers. She held back a laugh and turned back to Rowan. "No one will care. We're mates... I think we're exempt from the rules of courtship."

"It's not just that." Rowan looked away from her, breathing deeply. "I'm not sure I will able to control myself if I come in."

Aelin let out a bark of laughter and couldn't resist taking his hand in her own. "I promise I will be on my best behaviour." She tried to tug him in but he resisted.

"The healers..."

"They're just being cautious. They kept me in there for a week; I think I'm okay." Aelin could see the battle raging in his eyes. She wasn't sure any other male who had just mated would have so much restraint.

"I wasn't planning on seducing you. I was genuinely going to crawl into bed and read." She fiddled with the ends of her hair. "The door is open if you want to come in. But I'm going to bed." She opened the door and strode into her room.

The fire had been lit and a few candles were burning, casting a soft glow around the room. She had always loved it in here. When she had been fourteen her mother had let her decorate it and since then it had stayed the same. The dark oak bed-frame, accompanied by two bedside tables of the same colour, the maroon rug that spread across the stone floor, the oak bookshelves lining one wall. The walls were the same stone that the rest of the palace was built of; Aelin had hung tapestries over those bare walls and long curtains draped from the windows and the doors to her balcony. Sometimes in the summer she wished she had chosen cooler colours, but then the long, harsh Terrasen winter would arrive and she thanked the Gods for her room and the warmth it brung— it was no wonder Lysandra and Aedion liked to come here.

She entered her washroom which was covered in light stone, a large tub stood by a fire and a basin nearby. Aelin headed to the basin and started scrubbing her face, the cool water fresh on her skin. She splashed it over her a few more times before she felt a presence at the door. She turned and smiled when she saw Rowan there, his expression unsure as he took her in.

"I couldn't—"

"You don't have to explain yourself." She started to undo the buttons on her dress, maybe putting on a bit more of a struggle than was necessary— looking to Rowan with a pleading look. "Maybe you could come here and help me out of this dress?" She knew she was being brave, perhaps asking too much too soon. And though she had promised she would be on her best behaviour... they had been holding back for what felt like an eternity and when he stood there in all his glory; it was hard not to push those limits.

Rowan's face shifted into a pained expression, looking toward her semi-bare back. "Gods help me." He took a step forward and then another until he was behind her.

Aelin gazed into the reflection, her breath hitching as she studied the two of them, Rowan looking at her with such affection it made her heart swell. She didn't look away as she watched Rowan bring his hands to the buttons on the dress and slowly, so very slowly, unbuttoned each one.