Chapter 17

Alden

THE SUN HAS JUST RISEN above the horizon, but the air is already warm and alive with the hum of insects and the melody of birdsong. My footsteps on the path are the loudest thing out here. I got home to my cabin late last night after working all day on Mr. Tillman’s new barn, and I passed out as soon as I peeled my boots off. I’ve not got any projects to work on today, and it’s been almost a full twenty-four hours since I last saw Aurora. My chest warms with anticipation; what an odd thing that being away from her for one day makes me feel so starved for her company.

The cottage is quiet as I approach. Harrison is lying on the veranda in a patch of golden sunlight, and he allows me to scratch him on the chin as I pass by.

“Aurora up?” I ask.

In response, he yawns and closes his eyes.

I ease through the door. Aurora’s boots, covered in mud and grass, are sitting in the foyer, and I remove mine and place them quietly beside hers. When I step into the kitchen, I find it empty. The window is open so Harrison can come and go, but the fire isn’t even going yet, so she must still be asleep.

Perfect.

I get to work stoking a fire to life— quietly —then fetch a bucket of water from the well and put a kettle on. Aurora prefers lavender tea with a bit of local wildflower honey in the mornings, and I’ve watched her make it enough times to have somewhat of a grasp on it.

The thought makes me chuckle. I can build barns without a second thought, but brewing a cup of tea can make me quake in my boots.

Gently, I grind the herbs in her mortar, then add them to a teacup that has happy sunflowers painted on the side. The kettle is just starting to steam by the time I’ve finished, and I pour the water in slowly, enjoying the floral smell that fills the kitchen as soon as the heat hits the herbs. Pulling the golden honey down from a shelf, I take a tiny spoonful of the sweet delicacy and mix it into the tea.

I place the teacup on a tray, then find there’re still a few slices of bread left over from the sourdough we had for breakfast yesterday morning. I grab two slices, slather them with honey and butter, and add those to the tray as well.

My feet are quiet on the steps—I’ve since learned which ones creak, and I try to avoid those best I can as I ascend the stairs. When I get to the top floor, I turn left, toward the bedroom, and find the door cracked. Sunlight streams through the narrow space, illuminating the dust floating in the air. All is quiet.

With a soft creak, I push the bedroom door open.

And there Aurora is, still lying in bed, her green hair spread out all around her.

But my side of the bed is already occupied.

My stomach squeezes.

Rowan is asleep beside her, his bare chest rising and falling slowly. His red hair snakes across my pillow, twining with Aurora’s, and I feel a pinch of jealousy.

Yeah, this is really going to take some getting used to.

I shift my weight, and the floorboards squeak.

Rowan’s eyes open slightly, and when he registers me standing there, he bolts upright in the bed, the blanket sliding all the way down to his waist. Beside him, Aurora stirs, slowly waking. Her pink lips part in a yawn, and as her eyes open, they find mine.

For a moment, the three of us remain in thick silence. On the tray balanced in my hands, the teacup steams, sending the scent of lavender and honey through the warm bedroom.

Rowan turns his head toward the window and the sunlight streaming through. With a jolt, he seems to realize it’s morning.

“Shit,” he mumbles, already kicking the blankets off and reaching for his clothes, which I now see are tossed haphazardly in the corner. As he pulls his trousers on, I get a good look at him, and I try not to feel too smug when I see he’s not quite as well-hung as I am.

Tiny victories.

“I’m going to be late,” he says, voice slightly garbled as he yanks his tunic over his head. Once the fabric falls into place, he puts a knee on the bed and leans across the mattress to press a kiss to Aurora’s cheek. She smiles sleepily, eyes closed, still looking half awake.

Only now do I realize the boots beside the bed—I would’ve known what I was walking in on had they been down in the foyer. Rowan scoops them up, then stands to face me.

For five seconds that feel like an eternity, we hold each other’s gaze. Then, with a small sigh, I step to the side, allowing Rowan passage to the door.

“Alden,” he says, giving me a small nod.

I nod back, and then he’s gone, slipping through the door. His feet thump down the stairs, and I remain standing there until the sound of the door clicking closed rises up from the foyer.

“Good morning,” comes Aurora’s sleepy voice, prompting me to turn toward her.

She’s sitting up in bed now, the golden sunlight illuminating her tiny breasts as she stretches her arms overhead and yawns.

Despite the fact another man just climbed out of the bed, my cock twitches at the sight of her. Seems he has no qualms with this new situation we find ourselves in.

With another sigh, I cross the room to sit on Aurora’s side of the bed. She scoots over to make room for me, and I settle the tray down on the blanket before her. When she takes in the steaming tea and the sourdough, her eyes soften, a smile pulling on her mouth.

“Good morning,” I say, watching as she reaches out to pick up the teacup. Her arms are darker now than when I met her this past spring; there’s a delicate line on each of her shoulders where her dresses cover her skin, but the rest of her has turned a shade of light gold. Her freckles are still pronounced, and I trace them across her arms as she lifts the cup to her lips and takes her first sip.

Her moan of approval has my low stomach tightening.

After taking a bite of bread, she looks up at me. “This is delicious. Thank you.”

She’s got some crumbs on her bottom lip, and I reach out to brush them away with my thumb. As soon as I swipe them off, she opens her lips and catches my thumb between her teeth, nipping me softly before pulling it into her mouth. Her tongue is warm and soft, and the look she gives me in the early-morning light makes my trousers tight.

Before I can ask her what she’s doing, she moves the breakfast tray to the nightstand and wraps her arms around my neck. When she presses her lips to mine, she tastes of honey and lavender.

Between kisses, I mumble, “Didn’t get enough last night?”

I didn’t mean for it to sound envious, but she breaks our kiss to pull away and look into my eyes.

“It’s been days since I last had you,” she says, voice still lilting with sleep. “I miss you.” She unwinds a hand from around my neck and brushes her fingers across my chest. “Please?”

She doesn’t have to ask twice.

I grip the hem of my tunic and yank it over my head before tossing the fabric across the room—probably not so unlike how Rowan did it, given his clothes were bunched in the corner this morning.

As I stand to pull the cord on my trousers free, Aurora moves to the edge of the bed. The blankets fall away, so I can see all of her now—the slope of her low back, the thin lines of her collarbones, the wispy hair between her legs.

Pushing my trousers down, I sigh as I spring free.

And Aurora is there a moment later, reaching out to wrap a hand around my length. Her hand is so warm, so soft. She strokes me from base to tip, looking up all the while with those bewitching green eyes of hers. But even that is no comparison to the feel of her mouth as she slips her lips past my tip and wraps them around my cock.

My head drops back, and my breath hitches. I can feel her tiny smile as she slides her mouth up and down my shaft. She grips my base with one hand and my balls with the other, giving me so many sensations I can barely focus. Pulling my head back up, I look down to find her mouth full, lips spread as wide as they’ll go. I’m almost too big for her mouth.

But she’s trying so hard for me. And the thought makes me even harder in her mouth.

As she pumps me, I reach down and push my hands through her tangled green hair. She lets out a moan around my cock, and the vibration has me curling my fingers into her hair, gripping her like she’s the only anchor holding me to this plane.

In response, she moves faster. Her tongue laps along the underside of my shaft, flicking that sensitive spot just below the head. As pressure builds, she squeezes my balls, making me twitch.

It takes everything in me not to fist her hair and drive myself into her mouth. I don’t think she could open wide enough for that.

My toes curl on the floorboards, and my eyes squeeze closed. With one final stroke of her lips over my dick, I explode into her mouth. She keeps pumping her head, and it makes me gasp with every release onto her tongue, my fingers digging into her hair.

I drain everything I have into her mouth, and when I finally open my eyes, I look down to find her gazing up at me, a bit of white trickling from the corner of her lips. She swallows, and just that has me almost ready to go again.

“You are remarkable,” I manage to say around my heavy breathing.

She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, then smiles at me.

I release my tight hold on her hair, then guide her slowly back onto the bed. The blankets whisper around our bodies as she lies down and I rest my body atop hers. She’s so small and warm beneath me, a delicate thing I want to cherish, to protect.

I’m still in awe that I get to be here with her, like this.

Shifting onto my side, I prop my head in one hand, and Aurora turns her head on her pillow.

“Your turn?” I whisper, using one finger to trace lazy circles down her chest, which is rising and falling rapidly with each of her trembling breaths. Her nipples are hard, like little peaks in the morning light.

Instead of answering, she grips my hand in hers and guides it—none too coyly—to that pink place between her legs. At my first touch, she flinches, breath catching. I push my fingers down her slit and arch one brow.

“You’re soaked.”

Her resulting smile is a tiny beautiful thing.

I like seeing her this way, squirming on the bed, eyes still sleepy but full of want.

Taking my time, I brush my fingers across her folds, teasing her entrance without sliding into her. The whole time, I watch her face, delighting in the look of frustration that flashes across her eyes each time I circle her opening without dipping inside.

“ Alden ,” she whispers, voice edging into a whine. She huffs out a breath, making the green hair stuck to her cheek flutter.

“Hmm?” My lips pull up on one side as I twirl one fingertip through the wetness gathering between her legs. She spreads her knees a bit more, begging without a word leaving her lips.

“Stop making me wait,” she whispers and lifts her hips off the bed slightly, pressing her warmth into my palm.

“All right, little witch.”

Finally, I press through her tightness and sink one finger into her. She lets out a fluttering sigh, eyes falling closed. Slowly, I move my finger in and out of her, my gaze on her expression. There’s a little wrinkle in her brow, and the look on her face now reminds me of the looks she used to give me before we first touched or tasted each other, when I was still keeping my distance from her—partly annoyed, partly determined.

As she softens around my finger, I add another, stretching her out. Beside me on the bed, she fists the sheet.

A thought enters my mind: Did Rowan have her squirming like this last night, legs spread, soaking the bed beneath her? Did he wrap his hands around her waist and drive himself into her from behind?

Perhaps the thought should evoke anger in me, but instead, I almost... like it. Thinking of her with another man makes my cock throb. Maybe it’s the innate competitive nature inside me, or the idea that I have to keep earning her love and affection each day if I want to get to be beside her like this, get to be inside her. I know she likely doesn’t look at it that way, would probably give me one of those irritated looks she gets if I told her these thoughts, but still... I think it turns me on.

“Tell me,” I whisper, still pushing my fingers deep inside her, “what did you do with Rowan last night?”

Her green eyes open, and a look of bewilderment crosses her flushed face.

“Wh-what?”

“Did he touch you like this?” I ask, curling my fingers inside her until she lets out a whimper.

Still looking unsure, she nods, cheeks going a deeper shade of pink.

“And like this?” Pulling my fingers out of her, I shift my focus to the tiny pink bud that’s just begging to be touched. As soon as I take it between my fingers, she closes her eyes and moans, spreading her knees farther. I roll her clit between my fingers, delighting in the way her lips part in a silent breath. “Did he do this?” I ask.

Not opening her eyes, she shakes her head, hair sprawled all across the pillow.

“No?” One of my brows arches up. “How’d he get you off, then?”

There’s a moment of quiet in which I can hear the birds singing outside and the creak of the cottage as it warms up in the morning sun. Aurora opens her eyes, just barely, and her look is equal parts smoldering and shy.

“He . . . used his mouth,” she whispers.

Now I’m picturing his head between her legs, her lips parted in a moan, and I’m hardening again. Shifting on the mattress, I kneel between her legs, and she sits up on her elbows to watch me guide my cock to her opening. When I push inside her, her pussy so tight around my cock I can barely fit, she trembles and falls back onto the bed.

But no matter how good this feels for me, it’s time to focus on her.

I brace myself with one hand and use the other to tease her clit slowly, softly. I circle it, roll it between my fingers, then press the pads of my fingers over top of it. All the while, I push myself slowly deeper, easing into her as her body relaxes enough to let me in.

“Th-there,” she whispers, eyes closed.

“Here?” I shift my hips, pushing a bit deeper into her, then pull back, keeping myself inside her the whole time.

Instead of answering, she just nods.

I fall into a rhythm—thrusting gently into her, playing with her clit as it swells with my touch. Again, I watch her face: head tipped back, lips open, both hands grabbing the sheets. And when her breathing goes quiet and her legs tense up on either side of my hips, I push myself deep inside her and feel the walls of her pussy clench around me as she moans and arches her back.

And I can’t hold myself back.

I cum again, but I’m not so sure anything comes out. My muscles clench and I close my eyes, and it takes both of us a few moments to catch our breath.

When I pull out of her, my dick is dripping, and a puddle has formed beneath her. She sees it and lets out a tiny giggle.

“I suppose I’ll be doing laundry today,” she says. Her gaze flicks to the window. “Hopefully it won’t rain.”

Laughing, I wrap her in my arms and fall back onto the bed, loving the feel of her cuddling up beside me, the way her head fits perfectly in the space between my arm and my chest.

For a while, we don’t speak. I trace circles on her back and twine her hair around my finger, and all is as it should be.

Until I hear the unmistakable cluck of a chicken.

My eyes open, and I look toward the bedroom door at the exact moment a brown hen comes strutting through like she owns the place.

“There’s . . . a chicken,” I say.

Beside me, Aurora sits up and pushes her tangled green hair away from her face. She looks at the chicken, then at me, and I can already tell she’s about to pull something out of her witch’s hat when her lips pull back into an innocent smile.

“I was hoping you might be able to help me with something.”