When We Met

CH 39 Logan

The past month had been a dizzying whirlwind of clandestine manoeuvres and covert strategising, yet through it all, Rosaline remained my tranquil eye in the gathering storm. With Mateo and Alejandro now deeply embedded in my clan's ranks, feeding us invaluable intelligence, our final gambit was finally taking shape.

Noah's deft hand had helped immeasurably in quietly subverting my father's loyalists from within. Still, I couldn't shake the nagging sense of disquiet that snaked through my thoughts during the scattered moments Rosaline wasn't by my side.

In her presence, however, all doubts simply...melted away. We had grown increasingly, dangerously close these past few weeks. What had begun as charged flirtations and coy verbal foreplay had blossomed into a profound, almost carnal connection unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

I'd witnessed her formidable strength, her unshakable determination to see our unified goals achieved. Yet Roalsine possessed a softness, an innate warmth that called to something primal within me. In her arms, tucked against the silken slopes of her form, I found a sanctuary from the harsh world that no amount of power or status could provide.

Which was why, after concluding my latest mission arbitrating a dispute along our borderlands, I made straight for my quarters with eager strides. Mateo had accompanied me, allowing us to covertly realign certain strategic pieces on the game board. Still, my thoughts continuously strayed to Roalsine and the evening awaiting us.

As I neared the ornate double doors, the mouthwatering aroma of roasting meats and herbs tantalised my senses. A fond smile curved my lips as I pictured Roalsine puttering about the kitchen inter preferred loose attire, humming softly to herself as she prepared our evening repast.

Indeed, the very image of her seemed to materialise as I opened the doors, rising from where she knelt before the hearth attending to the meal. Rosaline's face lit up with the warmest of smiles, crinkling the corners of those expressive eyes in the way I'd become hopelessly addicted to.

"There you are," she purred in that smoky alto that never failed to stir my primal instincts. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd been detained."

Crossing the room in a few long strides, I cupped her face and slanted my mouth over hers in a heated, needful kiss. Rosaline melted against me with a soft moan, hands roving hungrily over the planes of my back and shoulders as if reassuring herself I was truly there.

When we finally broke apart, I brushed an errant wisp of hair from her flushed cheek. "And leave you waiting? Never..." My thumb traced the swell of her lower lip, admiring how thoroughly I'd managed to disarray her perfect poise. "Though perhaps I took a more circuitous route than intended."

Rosaline's tinkling laugh danced across my senses as deftly as her fingertips ghosting over my jaw. "Well then, my love, you'll simply have to make it up to me later tonight."

The heated promise in her gaze sent molten desire lancing straight to my core. I growled low in my throat and claimed her mouth once more in a scorching, possessive kiss. Rosaline surged against me with equal passion, our bodies rapidly becoming enflamed with escalating hunger.

Eventually, she managed to tear her lips away with a breathy chuckle. "Easy there...I'd hate for all my hard work to go to waste after slaving away on this meal."

"Mmm, you make a fair point, my heart," I rumbled against the slender column of her throat. Pressing one last smouldering kiss there, I forced myself to take a steadying step back. "Shall we dine, then?"

The table was laid out with our usual elegant simplicity a steaming haunch of fragrant meat, crisp greens, soft bread for soaking up the juices. We settled across from one another, our feet tangling together beneath the table as we enjoyed the fruits of her culinary efforts.