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His eyes were like heated pools of honey, and the sight of them hit that spot just as well as his cock did.
I rode him then, moving faster and harder. His arms came around me, drawing me down. I shivered as the tips of my breasts grazed his chest, feeling the tension building.
Casteel kissed me and raised his hips to meet mine, both of us moving furiously now. The smoky flavor of his passion heightened what I felt. It was all too much. The tension unfurled. Hot, slick waves of pleasure took me, sweeping Casteel up in the storm, too. He spent himself, each spasm of his cock sending aftershocks of pleasure through me.
“I love you.” Casteel’s lips brushed mine as I eased my body free of his. He laid me down, so I was on my side, my legs tangled with his. Then stroked my hair as our skin cooled and our hearts slowed. Some time passed before he spoke again. “You going to tell me what woke you up?”
I closed my eyes. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten what had awakened him. “You’re like a barrat with a bone.”
“That creates pleasant imaginary,” he remarked. A moment passed. “Remember what we talked about? We share things with each other. Everything.”
“I remember. I do. It’s just…I don’t know.” I pressed a kiss to his chest as I stared at the bare, wood-paneled wall. “It’s Kieran—”
“So, you were dreaming of another,” he cut in. “That is…intriguing.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Giving him a wry grin, I shook my head. “I think I had this dream—or nightmare—because of something he said.”
Casteel grew very quiet and still then, triggering warning bells.
I rose onto my elbows. “He didn’t say anything bad that upset me or anything.”
“I know he wouldn’t say anything to upset you.” His hand smoothed down my back. “He wouldn’t do that. But Kieran…he sometimes says things you’d expect to come out of the mouth of a Seer.”
“It wasn’t like that either.” I lowered my chin to his chest. “He was telling me about Elashya.”
Casteel’s surprise was like a splash of ice water against the back of my throat. “He brought her up?”
I nodded. “That surprises you?”
“Yeah, it does.” Casteel lifted his free hand and dragged it through his hair. “He doesn’t talk about her much.”
“I can understand why.” Sorrow pierced my heart as I thought about the love and loss Kieran had felt. “It…it kind of amazes me that he knew he would lose her and still fell in love.”
Casteel’s gaze found mine in the dim light. “The heart doesn’t care, Poppy.”
My breath caught. “That’s basically what Kieran said. That the heart doesn’t care how much time you have with someone.” Emotion clogged my throat. “That it only cares that you have that person for as long as you can.”
“I didn’t always think that.” The hand on my back made another sweep. “When everything happened between him and Elashya, I couldn’t understand how he’d let himself fall in love. Couldn’t wrap my head around it. But then along came you.” His fingers tangled in my hair. “Now, I fully understand that the heart doesn’t care about plans, duty, or vengeance. It doesn’t care about time.”
My heart swelled. Kieran had been right. Casteel was right. I knew that, too. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Casteel, but I did when he was simply Hawke to me, regardless of my duty. And I continued to fall even deeper in love with him, despite the lies and betrayal.
His hand fisted in my hair. “I think I know what you dreamt.”
I exhaled a shaky breath. “I dreamt that…that something happened to you. That l lost you.”
“Poppy,” he rasped.
“It was so real.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “I can still feel the hopelessness and desperation.”
“It was a bad dream,” he said. “You’re never going to lose me.”
“Promise?” I whispered.
“Promise.” He cupped my cheek. “You never need to fear it or even think about it.”
I nodded, pulling my lower lip between my teeth.
“Forget the nightmare.”
