Page 68 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

It was a wonder he had any shirt to speak of at all. In truth it was little more than a right sleeve with a scrap wrapped around the bottom half of his toned stomach to hold it together. His pants hadn’t fared much better.

Not that she was complaining. At all.

The tattered clothes gave her an excuse to visually traverse the peaks and valleys chiseled into existence by all those hard-earned muscles. She didn’t realize her mouth had gone dry until her trail came to a disappointing end at the waistband of his trousers.

“Well, Butcher, I can’t say this is exactly how I imagined seeing you naked for the first time.”

“Oh?” he rasped, startling a cry from her lips.

Heart racing from the shock of hearing his voice, she jerked away. Ronan dropped like a stone, submerging himself completely in the water before surging back up in a riot of sputtering coughs.

“Mother’s tits. Haven’t I nearly drowned enough for one lifetime?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean... that is, you weren’t supposed to... they said it could be all night.”

He wiped a hand down his dripping face, brushing away water and long strands of his hair. “Well, don’t leave me in suspense. Howdidyou picture it?”

She blinked at him, her mind still scrambling to play catch-up. “Picture what?”

“Me.” He gave her a lopsided smirk, his eyes luminous beneath his spiked lashes. “Naked.”

“I didn’t.” The blurted lie was a reflex, but the seductive curl of his lip told her he wasn’t going to let it go.

“I’m afraid the cat’s out of the bag,kitten.” He prowled forward in the waist-high water until he stood mere inches away. “I heard you admit it quite clearly. In fact, I seem to have collected quite a few of your confessions.”

Shadow gulped, her pulse skyrocketing at his proximity. “Oh?” She aimed for casual disinterest, but the breathless quality of her voice betrayed her.

“Mmhmm.” He nodded slowly, his eyes locked on hers.

The heat she found in them positively seared her with its intensity.How is it possible something the exact color of ice has the power to burn?Even half-submerged in the cool water, her body was on fire. Lit from within by whatever it was he was doing to her with a mere look.

“People say lots of things in the heat of the moment.”

“But you’re notpeople, are you, kitten? You don’t say anything you don’t mean.”

Shadow bit her lower lip. That wasn’t strictly true. She’d lied to herself and Erebos plenty. Ronan, too. Though not, perhaps, in the way he meant.

“I’m known for being direct,” she said eventually.

She couldn’t look away from him. There was something about being in this place, surrounded by its beauty and power—and him—that was tearing away the last of her inhibitions. It was impossible to focus on anything other than how close he was standing. How if he’d only dip his head down, they’d be kissing.

What she should be doing was checking his injuries to ensure they were properly healed, or perhaps insisting he lay down and rest for a while. That’s the whole reason they were here. Instead, her attention was singularly locked on his mouth and what might come next.

When he spoke again, his voice was barely more than a rasp, and she felt the vibration roll over her like the brush of a fingertip along her most sensitive skin. “So, did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

He took her face between both his hands. “That you love me.”

For a second it felt as though the floor dropped out from beneath her, but the warmth of his palms on her cheeks held her steady. She might be falling, but he was right there, ready to catch her.

You wanted to stop running, Shadow. You wanted to know what would happen if you gave in. Now’s your chance.

There might be a million reasons this was a terrible idea. She could think of a certain blond one in particular, but she didn’t care. Lying about it now wouldn’t make what she felt for him any less real. It would only delay the inevitable.

And if the last few days had taught her anything, it was thattheywere inevitable.

Denial hadn’t gotten her anywhere, and she was tired of running away from the things she wanted. It was time to find out what happened when she stopped running and finally took the leap.

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