My cheeks burn, eyes widening.
He shoves down his pants, revealing an ass that’s a lot less tanned than the rest of him, then hooks her other leg back, punching his hips forward—
She moans, burying her face into his neck.
I swallow, unable to rip my gaze away from the wanton scene as he pumps up into her at a heart-thumping rate, her small body somehow absorbing every thrust.
That ... thatright thereis what’s expected of me at our coupling ceremony.
That. Right. There.
Will I want it like she does? Will the moment take me over and spike me with thrill?
How will I feel after the comedown, having given allthatto someone I quite possibly wouldn’t have chosen for myself had the circumstances differed?
My chest tightens.
Ducking behind the wall, I look to the sky. Another threadbare moan rings through the balmy air, curling my fingers and my guts.
I hold a breath in my cheeks, blow it out, and swing my stare toward the Inn’s main entrance. Edging closer to the window so I can look inside, I see a lazy churn of movement amongst the smoky atmosphere.
A bard on a corner platform carves a tune, tapping his foot to the lively beat while barmaids balance overburdened trays on their heads and weave between the crowd. Stumbling men clunk tankards, sloshing amber liquid on both themselves and the scantily clad women perched on their laps.
My gaze is drawn to a flight of stairs and the sign on the wall beside it that readsOvernight Guests Only.
Relief washes over me like a cool bath on a hot night.
Fingers crossed I’m wearing enough mud to pass as a scrappy teenager out past his curfew, I reinitiate my man-walk, wobbling a little for good measure as I stomp toward the door. I wrap my hand around the handle, draw a deep breath, and pull.
Stepping into the stuffy rabble, I resist the urge to bat away the sweet-smelling smoke swirling at my eye level.
A firm hand grasps my shoulders, slamming me against the wall, a big body blocking me from the room, and I look up the line of Gun’s broad back to a swathe of salt-and-pepper hair.
“Gods give me strength,” Gun growls, a low chastisement that saws at my bones. “What in Kvath’s name were you doing out there? Do I even want to know?”
“I went to get a plant,” I whisper-yell, and he looks over his shoulder, eyes lowering. I raise my hand so he can see my little mug-o’-bells in their full, drooping glory.
His thick brows smack together. “Are you mad?”
Yes.
“You’re sodden. And where are your boots?”
“Forgot them. Why am I backed against the wall?”
“Forgo—” He bites off the word, shaking his head. “Because there’s a guard on your door.”
I roll my eyes, tapping my bare, very muddy foot against the wooden floorboards.
“When you do that, you remind me of my partner,” he mutters. “And not in a good way.”
“I think I’d like them.”
“You would. He’s also a pain in my ass.”
I smile, cracking the mud on my cheek.
“So … what now?”
