The door clicked shut behind me and I tensed, my heart racing. Rogue turned the lock and the sound of his footsteps nearing closer set me on edge. My breaths were shallow as I turned to face him, but he glided past me, pulling his shirt off and hanging it over the bed frame.
Water dripped from his hair and my eyes followed it as it rolled down his back between his wings. He reached up to tie his sopping hair in a knot.
“I know you’re wet, Ara,” he said without turning around and I jumped. “Your clothes, little storm.”
I glanced down. My shirt was soaked through, clinging to my skin as my chest rose and fell quickly. Grabbing the hem with shaky hands, I pulled it overhead and laid it beside his. With my back to Rogue, I unbuttoned and slid my trousers down, feeling his gaze on me as I laid them out on the floor.
With a deep breath, I turned to him. He was completely unclothed, just as I was. My lips parted in a small gasp. It was the first time I had seen him truly naked.
My eyes roamed over his face. The sharp line of his jaw. The hair piled atop his head, dripping beads of water down his scarred neck. The powerful, wine-red wings hanging behind him, shifting under my gaze.
Another drop of water dripped from his hair and my eyes followed as it rolled down his neck, gliding down his tanned skin. I was mesmerized, entranced, as it led my eyes lower. It continued down his chest, down his abdomen, stopping just above his hips.
My breath hitched at the sight of him.
He was beautiful.
I returned my eyes to his and they were blazing, his gaze intense. He took a slow step toward me and my pulse jumped in my throat. Hesitantly, as if scared I would turn and run, he closed the distance between us. He lifted his hand, pausing for a heartbeat before touching his palm to my cheek.
The nervousness left my body in an instant.
My eyes closed at his touch, at the warmth that radiated from his palm. His other hand slid around my waist, pulling me into him, and his warmth engulfed me. His hand angled my face to him and my eyes opened to meet his stare.
“I have waited so long for someone like you,” he whispered.
“A mate?”
“No…” He paused. “Not just a mate.”
He leaned down, lightly pressing his lips to mine, and I sighed into him. My hand slid into his hair, pulling his knot loose again, and wound around his neck, pulling him closer.
He groaned into my mouth, slipping his hands underneath me and lifting me. On instinct, I wrapped my legs around his waist and he walked us to the bed, easing me down, bracing himself on one hand.
“It’s about time we made it to a bed,” I said and he laughed against my mouth. A deep, genuine laugh that pulled a smile to my lips. I whimpered as his mouth left mine and he gently kissed his way down my jaw, my neck, to his mark.
My chest swelled at the tenderness and I moaned as he slid into me, groaning.
“Perfect,” he whispered, returning his palm to my cheek and resting his forehead on mine. “Soperfect.”
* * *
The moon peaked as Rogue pulled two chairs in front of the fireplace, lit it, and sat down in one. I joined, reveling in the warmth that immediately filled the room.
“How does your magic work?” I asked.
“It… feels like an extension of myself, like an extra limb. I just command it as I would an arm,” he explained, holding his palm up so small flames could dance along his fingers.
“Is it linked to your emotions too? Like mine?”
He turned back to the fire, dropping his hand. “Yes, usually only if I’m angry or… upset.”
I stared at the fireplace, picking at my fingernails as I remembered the day I told him I would never be his mate. The way the room had filled with smoke and flames as I left.
“Is it always fire or smoke when your emotions take control?”
“No.” He grinned, chuckling. “There have been a few times recently where I’ve just warmed the room by a few degrees. But that’s not out of anger.”
He winked and I flushed as the memory of breakfast flashed in my mind. The way Thana had rushed from the room as if she could feel the heat too.