He followed her voice into a small glen fullof dried wood from a fallen tree.“This should keep our fireburning,” he said, gathering up an armload and carrying it back tothe cave.They managed three more armloads each before the firstfat raindrop hit Roark on the nose.“You get Etain, I’ll getArtur.”
By the time they’d staked the horses underthe rocky overhang with a handful of oats each, the sky letloose.
***
Alina entered the cave and looked around.Itwas small, yet big enough to contain their gear, a fire, and thetwo of them, with room to lay their bedrolls out next to each otherand to move around without bumping into each other.
She glanced at Roark, who stood on the otherside of the fire watching her, his rain eyes gleaming, and chidedherself for feeling so shy around him.Especially after all they’dalready seen and done and been through together.She pulled the potout of the pile of their gear.“I’m going to catch rainwater tosoak beans in for our breakfast,” she told him, almost hitting herhead on the top of the entrance in her haste to escape the suddenlysmall, stuffy cave.
Stepping outside, she took in a deep breathof brisk, cooling air and set the pot out past the ledge’s edge.Atthe rate the rain was coming down, it wouldn’t take long to fill.She stood outside and double-checked the horses, who lookedmiserable but dry, chiding herself for being so reluctant to goinside and face Roark in such close quarters for the night.
“Do you think this storm will reach the coastand slow Roger’s men?”she asked as she measured two meals’ worthof field beans into the pot.
“It’s hard to say.The Mounths have their ownweather, and the coast is leagues and leagues away.Plus, we’re onthe opposite side of the peaks from the coast.Odds are the rainclouds’ll be too heavy to cross over the peaks.”
Alina let her breath out in a rush.“That’swhat I was afraid of.”
“Losing time, or being cooped up in here withme?”
“Both,” she answered honestly.“I don’t knowwhat to do about either.”
Roark grinned, slow and easy, and the cavegrew small and sweltering hot.“There’s nothing you can do aboutthe storm,” he said.“It’ll wail and blow until it doesn’t.As forme, Ali girl, I’ll keep to my word and not bother you.I swearit.”
“That’s the problem,” she said.She, who’dalways considered herself a person of sense and intellect, a womanof self-control and practicality, that was until she met Roark andstared into his rain eyes.Until he’d smiled at her with thatmelting grin of his.Until he’d kissed her.“I don't want youto.”
Roark cocked his head.“What do youmean?”
“I mean,” she said, closing the distancebetween them in three strides and standing nose to chin with him,“I want you to bother me.You bothering me is all I think about dayand night.The thinking about it gets me bothered to the pointwhere I feel like I’ll either erupt or cave in.”
He stood still and silent, his nostrilsflaring and the black of his pupils almost eclipsing the grey ofhis eyes.The image of him standing naked in the river came to heras it had a hundred times since yesterday.
“I mean,” she said, her voice thick with needpooling deep in her core, “I want to do more than see you naked.Iwant to feel you, stones deep, inside me.”
“Ali, I…” He laid his hand on her shoulder,about to give in or to fight her, she couldn’t tell, when a bolt oflightning arced and filled the sky outside with a flash of blindinglight, its ear-splitting crack echoing off the cave walls andcausing them to jump.“Damnation.”He laughed, quick and short, andstarted to back away from her, but Alina wasn’t having it.
“Oh no, you don’t.”She grabbed him by thetunic and pulled him to her, stood on her toes and kissed him,firmly and none too gently, the pent-up energy in her ready tospark and arc as bright and dangerous as the lightning stillcracking outside.She pressed her body against his, breasts tochest, pelvis to pelvis, and smiled as he gave in with a groan andclasped her even closer, one hand in her hair and the other cuppingher backside, his mouth slanting over hers.
He broke the kiss and stared hard into hereyes.“Are you sure, Princess?”
Still gripping his tunic, Alina nodded.“Inmy land,” she told him, “a woman doesn’t have to be a virgin tomarry.Not even a princess.”
Roark snorted.“A woman doesn’t have to be avirgin to marry in any land,” he said.“That doesn’t mean a husbandwouldn’t prefer her to be.Men can be verra territorial when itcomes to the woman they love.”
“Love?”
“Wed.”
“Which is it?”Alina teased.“Love orwed?”
“Both,” he said, “if they’re lucky.Whichmost are not.”
“My parents were,” she said.“As were mygrandparents and my great-grandparents.As could we be, for howeverlong we have here in our little cave, our little world, where wecould do everything but.”
Roark went still everywhere but for thegrowing heat against Alina’s belly.“Are you sure, Ali?”hewhispered hoarsely.
She smiled, letting everything she felt forhim shine in her eyes.“Yes,” she said.“My answer to you hasalways been yes.”
“I know,” he said.“I’ve known since themoment I walked into your greenhouse.”
