Color of Roses

Midnight Kisses

Chapter 16 (warning some mature smut near the end!)

"There's a cabin nearby that I passed on my way here. It's a few miles from here," Alyn says nearly breathless. I usher the horse to pick up speed and continue through the forest. In less than an hour we reach the cabin and Alyn nearly collapses off the horse. I help Alyn inside the cabin and lower him onto a small bed. I quickly return outside and place the horse in a small barn.

I return to find Alyn clutching his wounded leg. "We need to get this treated before it becomes infected," I say as I examine the torn skin. Thankfully it wasn't as deep as it appeared. "I'll need you to remove your armor and pants."

"Are you mad?" Alyn says, his eyes appear paler from loss of blood.

"Do you want me to help you or not? I can't clean the wound properly like this. Listen to me," I scrimmage around the cabin looking for some type of first aid supplies. I find some dried aloe leaves and add a bit of water and smash them in a bowl I found in the cupboard. I create a type of goo and set it beside Alyn on a small table. I grab a bucket and fill it with water from a small pond outside and boil it over the fireplace. Once the water is bubbling, I remove it and let it cool just a bit before placing a clean rag into the water. I sit on the small bed beside Alyn and reach over to begin wiping the dried and wet blood from around the wound.

Alyn cringes at my touch and I know the wound is tender. I clean it as best as I can and grab the makeshift antibiotic cream and begin smearing it over the wound. Alyn hisses as the cream begins taking affect in killing any bacteria inside the muscle.

"What is that?" Alyn asks.

"When my mother died, I wanted to help sick people and decided to study herbal remedies. Aloe leaves are great for infections and the skin."

Alyn remains quiet as I continue spreading the cream over the gash. When it's gone, I pull at my dress sleeves until they rip off. I tear them apart and create bandages I use to cover the wound.

"This should hold until morning. We'll need to get back to Wysteria as soon as possible. You'll need better medical treatment."

Alyn examines the bandages and sighs in relief. "Thank you, Aria," he says before collapsing into unconsciousness.

**

The sky was dark and I started to grow tired. I gaze at Alyn's sleeping face and contemplate whether to lie beside him or not. I sit at the edge of the bed and decide to rest my head on the soft mattress. A hand wraps around me and pulls me close and I freeze.

"If you wanted to sleep, you could have just said so," Alyn's gruff voice whispers into my ear.

"I didn't want to wake you," I murmur.

"I've been awake the past ten minutes. I'm just too tired to open my eyes," Alyn mutters.

I turn to face him to see his eyes barely opened. "How are you feeling?"

"The stinging is gone but there's still some throbbing," he says quietly.

I place a hand to his forehead and thankfully there's no fever.

"Your hands are cold," he says and grabs them. He lifts the blanket and places it over the both of us and pulls me closer to him. I press my hands to his chest feeling the warmth radiate off his skin. "If Giles saw us, he'd scold us till the end of our days," I joke.

Alyn remains quiet. "I honestly thought something happened to you," he finally says. He brushes away a stray hair behind my ear and rests his hand on my face. "I was scared I'd lost you."

I widen my eyes at his confession. I've seen several emotions from Alyn but fear wasn't one of them. "I can't imagine the great knight Alyn being scared of anything," I tease to lighten the mood.

He doesn't laugh with me but instead pulls me in for a soft kiss. "If they had harmed you in any way, I would have killed them all."

"Alyn," I mutter. He kisses me once more but I stop him the third time. "Alyn we can't do this. You're only making it harder for me."Alyn stares at me with weak eyes and I so badly want to kiss him one more time. "It only makes me want you more and more," I confess in a whisper. "How can I find another suitor while I'm caught up in your arms?"

Alyn's eyes stare at my lips, "I don't want you to choose another suitor."

"Alyn, that's not fair. This morning you-"

"I thought about what I told you this morning," he says and I raise my eyebrows intrigued to know more and I listen as he continues, "I thought being a knight meant that I would always be there to protect you, but today demonstrated that I could have lost you regardless. It made me realize that I need to always be by your side in order to keep you safe."

At a loss for words, I gaze into Alyn's eyes as they reflect back to mine. He rubs his thumb across my cheek as he speaks, "I want to spend my life with you even if it means giving it up for your safety, Aria."

My eyes begin to water at Alyn's words and I place a hand over his. He pulls me in for another kiss and I gladly embrace it. "I could never accept a kiss from anyone but you, Alyn," I whisper as our lips part.

Alyn maneuvers himself over me wincing as his wounded leg rests on the bed. "Alyn, what are you doing? You're injured. You shouldn't be moving around!"

"I'm fine," he says with a rough voice and kisses me once more. His body is pressed against mine and his gentle hands slide up my dress skirt. I whisper his name into our kiss but he doesn't stop. He lifts me up a few inches off the bed and pulls at my corset, loosening it and removing it completely to toss it onto the floor followed by my skirt. I cover my exposed breasts and I'm thankful it's dark enough that he can't see my major blush.

He removes my hands and pins them beside me allowing him to get a better look. I wiggle beneath as he kisses the tip of my breast. My breathing grows heavy as the sensation created by his kisses envelops my entire body. "Aria," he says with a husky voice.

"Alyn," I breathe.

Our eyes remain on one another and my mind is a jumbled mess. I want him to continue. I want to feel his lips once more. I don't want this feeling in my body to end. I slip my hand out and reach toward his face and pull him close enough that my lips intertwine with his.

He grasps my breasts firmly and massages them and I let out a soft moan. I listen to our breaths come out more as pants as we exchange fiery touches and steamy kisses. Alyn adjusts himself and lowers his body closer to mine till I'm pinned down against the bed.

His breathe is hot on my ear and I close my eyes in anticipation for what's to come. I feel his hands messing with my underwear and I take in short gasps. Alyn's soft lips burn as they touch my sensitive skin. I cry out as he enters, pressure filling my abdomen as he pushes further inside.

Our bodies remain together as Alyn takes the lead, grinding on top of me, letting out small grunts. His body continues rocking back and forth vigorously despite his injury. We continue well into the night, the fire nearly burned out once we collapse beside each other, both out of breath.

Alyn's arms wrap around me, pulling me close to keep me warm. He places a soft kiss upon my forehead and I snuggle against his breastbone. His hand gently caresses my hair as I lose control over my eyelids.