Chapter 16
Rowan
Aelyra. I tried it on for size. Ae-lyr-a.
It was a beautiful name, but it felt foreign to my tongue, like it belonged to someone else.
I was Rowan, had always been Rowan, was quite fond of Rowan.
The thought of changing my name felt like losing my identity.
Like shedding the last piece of myself that still clung to the Human Realm, and…
I wasn’t ready to let go. Not yet. Despite how at ease I appeared with my changed circumstances, I had not yet decided if I would stay, or if I would return home at the earliest opportunity.
I’d left Aenan in the library and gone in search of my phone.
At least, that was the excuse I told him.
He’d only smirked at me when I’d risen from the settee, and I wondered if he could tell what I was really up to.
It was either that or the fact that I nearly fell over when I stood up. I was not drunk!
I was, however, actually on the hunt for Caelan.
I didn’t know how much time had passed since I had last seen him, but it felt like hours.
It probably hadn’t been that long, but Aenan and I (mostly Aenan) had managed to get through a whole bottle of whisky, and Jesmina had served us some lunch, so maybe it had been.
All I knew was that my head was happy, and as soon as I found Caelan, my heart would be too.
I missed him.
As much as I enjoyed spending time with my brother, I enjoyed the time I spent with Caelan even more. So here I was once again, creeping through the hallways. Looking through open doors, each step filled with anticipation.
The castle was quiet. Almost too quiet. My footsteps echoed on the polished floorboards as I moved from room to room.
Every door I opened, after cautiously knocking, creaked, mocking my efforts.
At some point, I don’t know when, my curiosity about what lay behind the next overruled my need to find Caelan.
I hadn’t explored the castle yet. Not fully.
If I discounted the brief tour I’d had when we first arrived, and the discovery that morning of the bathing room, I really hadn’t seen much at all.
I was happy to finally have some time to explore to my heart’s delight.
And I knew exactly which room I wanted to revisit.
I hastily made my way down the hall. I stopped just inside the door, watching quietly as Caelan lay in the pool with his head back, reclining against the side of a rock. God, he was so handsome. I swore I could expire just from looking at him.
And look I did.
I took great delight in gazing at his nakedness.
At his chest and the dark hair that grew there.
At the muscles that rippled his bronzed skin.
My fingers itched to scrape across those ridges.
Longed to run through the coarse hair. My eyes dropped further, following that trail as it sank beneath the water.
Water that just covered his hips. I cursed the light for being too soft for me to see below the surface.
When my eyes rose again, it was to find his open and looking straight at me.
I smiled at him, hoping for sensuality. “I hoped I would find you here.”
“You did?” A slightly panicked look crossed his face. “I mean – you did. Here I am.”
“I’ve been thinking of this room since I saw it this morning,” I said with a coy smile, looking at him over my shoulder as I approached the waterfall. I was drawn by its entrancing beauty, its sparkling water. It glittered like diamonds falling from the ceiling.
Caelan watched me with a hypnotic allure that beckoned me closer.
Turning back to him, I started to remove my clothes.
Slowly. The air seemed to crackle with anticipation, and the intense weight of Caelan’s gaze sent shivers down my spine.
When I stood there clothed in nothing but the steamy haze that clung to the air, his mist-coloured eyes widened, holding mine for but a second before something flickered within them, and they lowered down my body.
The heat of that stare seared my skin. Caressed me like some fiery hand. Touching me. Tasting me. Savouring me.
Ordinarily, I would have felt exposed. Vulnerable, even. But for some reason, Caelan didn’t make me feel that way. He made me feel treasured. Strong. Bold.
I stalked towards him, but he made to move from his position.
“Stay there,” I whispered. “Please.”
Stepping into the water was like stepping into a warm embrace.
It soothed my skin, a balm against the flush of heat that was licking up my chest. With his gaze still on me, I ducked beneath the surface before swimming across the expanse of water, only stopping when I was ensconced between his thighs.
He growled, low in his throat, when I ran my hands up his legs, my fingers softly teasing the hairs that lay there. Entranced, I watched as his erection grew, stirring the water around it.
Holy God.
My throat was suddenly very, very dry, and I swallowed, trying to moisten it again. Continuing my exploration, I skimmed up his thighs, my destination clear. When I looked up at him again, his soulful eyes captured mine, and my breath caught at the stark yearning I saw.
“May I?” I asked, stopping just before I touched him. There.
His response was a sharp nod, and I smiled to myself, knowing I had taken away his ability to talk.
Wrapping my hand around his cock, I gave a soft tug, my thumb flicking across the top.
The groan that came from him nearly undid me, and when I peered up at him from beneath my lashes, it was to see his head thrown back, his neck muscles pulled taut.
His arms were still out to the sides, as if he were bracing himself for what he knew was coming.
Or maybe stopping himself from touching me.
He shifted slightly, moving up higher on the rock shelf, his hips now clear of the water and his stunning cock out on display.
My mouth watered, the dryness long gone.
He glanced down. Wanting to prolong the moment, I lowered my head, inch by inch by agonising inch, my eyes glued to his.
Expectation crackled in the air, the feeling akin to electricity.
It danced across my skin, pooling in my core.
Deliberately, I blew on his tip. Teasing, tormenting.
Watching with fascination as a single bead of moisture glistened at the top.
Evidence of his arousal. Unable to resist, I lapped at that bead, savouring the salty sweetness.
The sound he made, the low, guttural moan, nearly drowned me.
With my hand still lightly squeezing the base, I wrapped my mouth around the head and caressed his smooth skin with my tongue.
When I looked back up, I was nearly brought to tears.
Everything I wanted, everything I dreamt of, was reflected in his eyes.
Desire. Tenderness. And, dare I hope, love?
I sucked hard. Drawing him in so far that I felt him hit the back of my throat.
His taste was intoxicating. Addictive. And soon I was scissoring my own legs beneath the water, dizzy with longing, lost in the rhythm of the act.
His moans drove me on, and when he cupped the back of my head, I knew he was close.
I increased the intensity. His fingers entwined in my hair and he started to buck, helping me along.
Moisture pooled, not only between my lips, but between my legs. I was no longer in control. He had taken over, and I was happy to let him. Relaxing into his hold, I allowed him to set the pace, but when I could stand it no more, I reached down and lightly caressed his balls.
He came with a shout. Yelling into the misty air as hot seed coated the inside of my mouth, shooting down my throat before I could swallow. Choking me.
“Rowan!” He pulled my head back swiftly, but I only smiled at him and swallowed. His face slowly started to relax.
“Hi,” I said breathlessly.
He growled and pulled me up his chest, kissing me with all that desire I’d witnessed in his eyes. “Hello, lass,” he finally responded, his voice gravelly.
Whoa. My inner self fanned herself at that voice. When he loosened his grip, I made to slip away, but he grabbed at me again.
“Oh no you don’t.”
He flipped me around, my back now to his front, his arm banded about my rib cage, just under my breasts.
“Did you really think that was the end of it?”
“I—”
I had. I really had. But the way his hand was tracing circles down my stomach had me changing my mind.
My body ached. Throbbed. Already heightened from what I had just done.
Falling back against him, I leant my head on his shoulder as he continued his indecent strokes downwards, my skin tingling in the wake of his touch.
I was on fire.
My heart was surely pumping embers. My veins burning up. The arm holding me to his chest came up to skilfully play with my nipple, flicking it and rolling it until I was panting beneath him.
“Do you like that?” he breathed in my ear, his teeth grazing my earlobe. I groaned my response. “Oh, I think you like that even more.” He grazed my ear again, lightly tugging with his teeth, and I moaned louder.
My legs started to writhe in the water, much like they had before, but this time it was to get friction where I needed it most. I clenched my thighs together as a pulsating need thrummed deep inside.
“I love that you’re so responsive,” he purred, his fingers finally making their way down to where I wanted them.
“Only with you,” I panted, closing my eyes as the sensations started to build.
He shifted me up his chest, moving me easily. With my mouth now closer to his, he captured my lips just as he plunged two fingers inside me.
My breath caught, and he thrust his tongue in, the rhythm matching that of his fingers.
I was surely dying. Sobbing with pleasure.
My hips moved of their own accord, meeting the thrusts of his fingers.
Driving me up. And up. And up. Until, with a sharp cry, I arched out of the water, the climax shattering through me.
I floated. Drifted.
“Breathe, Rowan,” he whispered in my ear.
I hadn’t even noticed I was holding my breath. Not until he spoke. And when he did, I fell back to earth, gulping in desperate lungfuls of air. Tremors wracked my body as he continued to caress me with gentle fingers, each touch soothing the fire within.
The murmur of the waterfall. The warmth of the water, lapping against my skin. His calming touch. It was a sensory overload, and tears started to form at the corners of my eyes.
“What is this? This thing between us?” I asked, knowing now that he felt it too.
He hesitated before answering. “What do you want it to be?” He had gone very still, as if everything inside of him was waiting on my answer.
I suddenly felt scared. “I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice uncertain. My doubts rose and I looked at him shyly over my shoulder. “It’s all happening so fast.”
His fingers ceased their movements, and he paused, as if searching for the right words. “We’ll keep it casual, then,” he finally said. “No expectations. We’ll just take it day by day.”
Looking away, I locked down my emotions and thoughts as fast as I could, clearing my face of how I really felt. I nodded, trying to act like that was what I wanted too. But deep down I felt ill. Sick to my soul. I wanted more than just a casual fling. I wanted him. I wanted all of him.
“Okay,” I squeaked. “I think that’ll be best.”
But it wasn’t okay. It felt as if my heart were breaking.