Granada

Chapter 6

It had been a couple of weeks since the wedding, and while Anne and Diogo were on cloud nine, nothing had changed between Rowena and Rúben. Their conversations consisted mostly of bickering and teasing the other, and the pillow wall hadn't gone anywhere. Though each morning, Rowena found herself waking up closer and closer to Rúben. Like that morning.

When she opened her eyes the pillows were gone, and she found herself curling next to his body, her face just a few inches from his. And she couldn't help but stare at him. At the locks of hair falling on his forehead, the need to touch them and put them back in place being very real. At how long his lashes were, being the envy of many ladies. At the way he pouted while asleep, something she found very cute.

"Urgh" Rúben grunted, moving until his body was facing Rowena, his arm around her waist, trapping her.

"Great" she murmured.

She tried to move, to somehow free herself without waking him up, but it was impossible.

"Rúben" she whispered. "Rúben, can you move?"

"Urgh" he grunted again.

"Rúben... move." But nothing. He was fast asleep again, and Rowena was starting to feel the need to... relieve herself. "Rúben, if you don't move, I'll have to hit you."

Again, no movement.

"Rúben" she whispered, blowing on his face. That made him move, though it was just to twitch his nose.

"Rúben " she repeated, blowing on his face once again. This time, she couldn't help but laugh at the weird face he made.

"What..." he mumbled after she blew on his face again. "What is that?"

"The wind" Rowena giggled.

"Did you open a window?" he asked, his eyes still closed.

"I could have if I wasn't trapped under your arm" she said, blowing on his face one more time.

"Stop it."

"Then move."

"I'm comfortable like this."

"I'm not."

"Too bad" Rúben said, pulling her closer to him.

"You asked for it."

"Rowena!" he complained when she blew on his face, this time doing it with all the force she could manage.

"Let me go and I'll stop."

"You are such a child sometimes..."

"Look who's talking" she snorted.

"Yes... look" he said, finally opening his eyes and looking at Rowena in a way that made her regret all her teasing.

"Rúben... don't."

"Too late" he said as he swiftly moved to be on top of her, his face very close to hers.

"I swear, if you lay a finger on me..."

"What will you do, uh?"

"My leg is between your legs."

"And?"

"And if I reach my knee up a bit" she said, slowly moving her leg until she touched him.

"That's having the opposite effect of what you want, you know?" he smirked.

"What... oh" she whispered, her cheeks getting very warm as realization hit her.

"Yes, oh" he said, his smirk turning into a big grin.

"I can still kick you if I want."

"And I still can do what I wanted to do."

"Rúben..." she warned him.

"Rowena..."

"Don't touch me."

"Not even like this" he asked while tickling her.

"Rúben!"

"I knew you were ticklish!" he chuckled.

"I'm not."

"Then you won't mind if I do this" he said, now tickling her on the other side.

"Stop it!"

"No."

"Ru... Stop!" she laughed.

"You deserve it for waking me up" he said as he continued to tickle her everywhere.

"Rúben, please!" she laughed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Did you just use the magic word?"

"The what?"

"The magic word. The governess Diogo and I had as kids always told us to use the magic word if we wanted something."

"Please is the magic word?"

"It is. So since you've used it, I'll stop."

"Thank you. Can you now move?"

"I am very comfortable like this too" he smiled.

"Move or I'll..."

"Good mor... oh" a maid said after walking into the room, freezing in place the moment she saw them. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You weren't interrupting anything" Rowena quickly said, hitting Rúben in the arm and making him move.

"Didn't she?" he chuckled while letting himself fall on the bed.

"She did not."

"I think she did, wife. But we'll continue tonight. Maybe earlier if we can't contain ourselves" he smirked as he watched her leaving the bed, laughing when she gave him one of her most murderous looks yet before throwing him one of her slippers.