Page 86 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

Bast huffed but ultimately relented. “All right. One hour. And don’t get too close to the shore either. No telling what might leap out at you.”

Wasn’t that the fucking truth?

“We’ll keep him entertained until you get back,” Calypso promised.

He tossed the captain a thankful grin. It wasn’t that he was eager to split up again so soon, but now that Reyna was back, he didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to be alone with her either. A walk down the beach hand in hand sounded like the perfect compromise. They’d be far enough away to hold a private conversation and steal a kiss or quick cuddle, but not so far as to leave either side vulnerable.

“I mean it, Ronan. One hour. Then I’m coming after you.”

“We’d better hurry, kitten. Something tells me the hourglass is short on sand.”

“I think you’re right,” she murmured, smiling at Bast and giving the others a small wave as he tugged her away from the fire.

They fell into a companionable silence, the flicker of flames quickly replaced by the soft crash of waves.

Once they were out of earshot, he asked, “Well, we’ve survived a sea monster, a miniature dragon, and man-eating weeds. What do you think the morrow will bring?”

Reyna shrugged and pursed her lips as she considered. “Perhaps plague, maybe famine.”

“It really does feel like the end of the world, doesn’t it?”

“I prefer to think of it as we’ve gotten the worst out of the way. Maybe it’s all smooth sailing from here.”

He squeezed her hand, neither of them believing her hopeful words.

“That would be a nice change of pace. I could do with a bit of boring. Find a quiet place to put down some roots, hang up my sword for a while.”

“You? I don’t buy it for a second. You’d be back out adventuring before the first sennight.”

A low laugh rumbled through him. “Probably. I guess you’ll just have to give me plenty of reason to stay home in bed.”

“Oh no, just because you’re ready to retire, old man, doesn’t mean I am.”

“Old man? I’m only a couple years your senior.”

“What can I say, Butcher? They were rough years.”

“You weren’t complaining about my age last night.”

Her grin was flirty. “That’s because I didn’t realize how feeble you truly were.”

“Feeble? I’ll show you feeble!” He bent down and grasped her around the knees, picking her up in a seamless move and taking off down the beach, her squeals of laughter floating on the air behind them as she collapsed over his shoulder.

“Ronan!” she wheezed between bouts of laughter, pounding on his back. “Ronan, you made your point. Set me down.”

He continued to jog until she slid the tips of her fingers beneath the waistband of his fresh trousers. Thank the Mother, they’d had the foresight to grab a couple extra pairs of clothing when they’d raided the smuggler’s cave, else he’d have been wandering around in little more than a loincloth. And while they were a bit short, not to mention tight, especially at the moment, at least they covered him from arse to calf.

“You sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes!”

He dropped to one knee, flipping her over and onto her back in the sand, knocking the air from her lungs. Silent laughter continued to quake her shoulders.

“Do you still think me feeble?”

She rolled her lips together, looking as if she was about to say yes, before quickly shaking her head. Running her hands up his stomach and over his chest, she murmured, “You’re quite virile for a man of your years.”

“At least this time you speak true,” he murmured, planting a hand by either side of her head as he leaned down over her.

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