After finishing our meal, we retreated to our room.
It was spacious, large enough to fit two beds inside. A small table with a couple of chairs was stationed in the corner. Corvin strode across the room, throwing the window wide open and breathing deeply, savoring the cool evening air.
I took in our actual accommodations. There weretechnicallytwo beds provided. Only, the bed on the left was in a serious state of disrepair. It was practically caved in at the middle, its wooden support beams completely broken. “What in the—” Corvin turned around, taking in the state of the room himself.
He chuckled lightly. “I can’t say I’ve ever been so…inspired.At least the bed usually stays intact.”
Realization dawned. I blushed deeply, thinking about the couple who must have stayed here before us.
Now my mind was drifting to other things.
Like whatwouldinspire him to break a bed.
“I wouldn’t know,” I admitted, feeling Corvin’s eyes on me.
“Should we ask for a different room?” he asked, his tone earnest.
“The innkeeper said this is all they have left,” I replied.
“The mattress looks usable enough. I’ll drag it to the floor and sleep there.”
“That’s not fair,” I protested. “I’ll take it.”
“You could use the sleep before tomorrow.”
“So could you,” I retorted.
“How about we play for it then?” Corvin asked, reaching for his deck of cards and taking a seat at the table.
He pulled out the second chair, tilting his chin in my direction. “Winner gets to sleep on the bed.”
I joined him at the table. “You’re on.”
Declaring dealer’s choice, I let Corvin choose the game. Even so, after several rounds, I drew my final card from the top of the deck, expecting it to win me the game. I looked down at the cards in my hand, then back up at Corvin. The day ahead would requirebothof us to be fully rested if we wanted to succeed. A dizzying mix of desire and anticipation flooded through me. I laid down my hand, purposefully choosing the combination that would result in us tying the game instead.
Corvin laid his hand down on the table across from mine.
“Well, this is a conundrum,” he said cheerfully. “We appear to have tied. What do we do now?”
“I think we honor our deal. We tied. I think…I think that means we share the bed,” I said breathlessly, hardly believingthe words were coming out of my mouth. “We don’t have to; if you’d be uncomfortable, I can sleep on the floor instead.”
His eyes drifted away from me and toward the bed, but not before I saw the yearning in his gaze, the slight flare of his nostrils, in response to my suggestion. But I wasn’t sure if I could trust what I had seen or if it simply existed in my head. There was no mistaking the low rasp of his voice, however, when he finally replied, “I agree, let’s share the bed tonight. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. We should sleep soon anyway.”
He shuffled his cards back into the deck and then reached for mine—my hand!I couldn’t let him see the cards or he would know. I lunged for them. “Let me shuffle the deck!” My urgency gave me away, and Corvin swept my cards into his hand before I could reach them, quirking an inquisitive eyebrow at me. As he scanned the cards, a slow smile spread across his face, growing increasingly wicked the longer he stared at them. “You know, Elvira, if you want me in your bed you can just tell me. No need to throw your hand.”
He leaned forward, waving the cards in front of my face. “These tell quite the interesting story.”
And maybe it was the boldness of our earlier escape, still invading my system, spurring me onward, but rather than make an excuse, I pushed my elbows onto the table, bringing our faces close together, and huskily replied, “I want you in my bed, Corvin,” letting the words linger in the air between us, soft and slow, before abruptly leaning back in my chair and flashing him my sweetest smile. “It’s important that we both sleep well tonight, don’t you think?”
He swallowed thickly, his voice a deep rumble. “Then I’ll do my best to ensure you get a good night’s rest.”
“Careful, Corvin,” I murmured back. “I take midnight vowsveryseriously.”
He chuckled, low in his throat. “I’ll certainly keep that in mind. Shall we?”
I rose from my seat. “Ready. I’ll change over there, if you could look away.” I wandered over to the bed, quietly undressing behind it. Truthfully, I needed a moment to myself, to clear my head and steady my breathing. I removed my pants but kept my long tunic on.
Facing the other direction, Corvin was undressing as well, pulling off his shirt. I watched him with bated breath, my heart beating erratically in my chest, but he made no move to undress any further. Tracing the broad lines of his shoulders, I let my eyes linger there a moment, admiring his body before guilt drew my gaze away from him.
