Color of Roses

Love Like No Other

Chapter 28

Alyn's eyes gaze into mine and the familiar smell of cinnamon and leather hypnotize me. "I'm still dreaming. That's the only reason I think you're here," I whisper to myself. I rest on the bed and pinch my cheek to wake myself up. I open my eyes and he's still there.

"Aria." His voice sends shivers down my spine. My eyes adjust in the darkness until I can see more of his features in the moonlight. I don't waste another second and I throw my arms around him. I bury my face into his chest and feel his arms wrap around me in a tight embrace.

"I've missed you," he whispers into my ear. He kisses the top of my head as his hand strokes my hair.

"How did you find me?" I peek up into his rose colored eyes.

"I came back to find you missing. Elias told me everything."

"What are you doing here? It's dangerous!"

"You think I care? I came to bring you home."

"How? Stein has millions of men. There's no way it'd be easy to just walk out without drawing attention."

"You underestimate me," he says in a cool voice and kisses my lips once more. I forget about everything and let myself melt away with each kiss. "I shouldn't be here but I had to see you."

"Alyn," I murmur as he finds my lips again. "Don't leave me again."

He pauses between kisses and tightens his hold on me. "I'm sorry, Aria. I thought I was useless not being able to protect you like I wanted. I thought you were better off without a wounded knight who couldn't fulfill his duty. When I left, all I could think about was you. I missed your smile, your laugh, and even your stubbornness. I missed everything about  you and it made me realize I had to be by you no matter what. I couldn't stand being away from you."

"You never need to feel useless, Alyn. I love you; No matter what. I want you to depend on me as much as I depend on you."

His arms close tighter and our lips collide once more. I feel my body rise as he lifts me up and climbs onto the bed. He lifts my nightgown off my body and his lips leave trails of kisses down my neck and to my breast. I tilt my head back as his tongue licks the surface and I bite my lip to stifle a sound of joy. My hands tangle his hair and I feel the warmth of his breath against my chest. He lifts his shirt off and messes with his pants until they're both beside the bed in a pile.

He pushes me farther onto the bed and my legs wrap around his waist. He kisses every inch of my bare body and I giggle as his hair tickles my sensitive skin. Our bodies become one and I dig my fingers into his muscular back letting myself dissolve away into pleasure. The moonlight dances across our bodies as they rock back and forth upon the bed. Alyn's hot breath against my neck sends a wave of shivers through my body and small sounds escape me. I lose myself in the moment, this time different and more passionate than the last.

His breathing is heavy and he holds me close as though he's scared I'll fall apart in his arms. His hands gripped my side and squeezed my hips. I feel him finish and he rolls to the side of me, his arms protectively wrapped around me. I snuggle up to his bare chest and listen to his heart beat wildly.

I hold onto him, afraid at any moment he'll disappear and I'll wake up realizing it was just a dream.

"I need to sneak away before the guards find me," he whispers. I don't say anything. He lies still a moment longer before propping himself up on his elbow. "I promise I'll get you out of here."

Our eyes connect and remain on each other before he looks away. "I hate leaving you here. I shouldn't have left you alone when I did. I could've stopped this," he murmurs to himself.

"I'm glad you were gone or you would've gotten hurt. I wouldn't forgive myself if you got hurt again."

He rises from the bed and pulls on his pants and tightens his belt. His muscles flex in the dim moonlight and I feel butterflies in my stomach as I watch. He grabs his shirt and slides it over his head with ease. He pulls me in for another deep kiss.

"I love you, Aria," he says.

"I love you too, Alyn," I say as I kiss him one final time.

His eyes linger on me for a second before he turns and sneaks out of my room and leaps over the balcony. I walk over and watch his body hidden in the shadows run across the landscape and climb over the surrounding wall.