Page 12

Jasmine

It was hard not to think about Ryburn and our kiss when the two of us were travelling with one another for the entire day, but I was doing a reasonable job of avoiding him. Likely made easier by the fact he was clearly trying to do the same. Not that it stopped me from admiring him from a distance or him from stealing glances at me.

Everytime our eyes met, my stomach fluttered but I squashed the feeling down. I wasn't going to give in to my urges and risk sabotaging this alliance. Even if I suddenly understood why Brew and Katie gave into their attraction despite not being allowed to. If anything, it was making it harder not to give in rather than easier.

There was relief when we made camp again because that meant we were only one night away from arriving at Grower's Cove. Then all Taz needed to do was assess the mill situation and we could finalise the trade agreements which would be such a weight off my shoulders.

And after that? Who knew what would happen then. Maybe then I could give in to my attraction to Ryburn. Or I might never see him again, and this crush would fade. Whatever happened was fine with me, as long as I didn't do anything dumb before the alliance was in place.

Like kissing Ryburn again.

My lips tingled just from thinking about it, and the urge to linger around the fire in case he decided to do the same was strong.

I was proud of myself for avoiding temptation when I crawled into my tent. It was likely going to be another cold sleepless night again, but nobody said camping was fun. It really raised my admiration for my cousins and aunt and uncle who did a lot more travelling than I did.

I tossed and turned, trying whatever I could do to wrap myself up to get warm, but the chill from the frozen ground was making it impossible to actually sleep. After what felt like hours, I gave in and went out to the fire before my toes froze off.

As I feared, Ryburn was already there. He was sitting on a log with his blanket around his shoulders, which gave me the chance to turn around before he saw me, but my cold feet carried me towards him against my will. Or with my will. There was only a very small part of me that was actually resisting this, the rest wanted it a lot.

He looked up, looking tired himself. "Cold again?"

I nodded and wrapped my own blanket tighter around me. "I don't know how anyone else is managing to sleep. Is your shoulder hurting again?"

"It is. Carrying a backpack isn't good, and the hard ground isn't doing me any favours." He rubbed the affected muscle and grimaced.

I almost offered to massage him again, but bit my tongue instead. That was how we got into trouble last time, and I didn't want a repeat of that. Except that I did. I just knew that I shouldn't.

It was hard arguing with myself and I knew I was playing with fire when I sat down next to him. I should leave more space between us, but some things weren't worth fighting.

He looked at me, the shadows of the fire dancing on his face. He cleared his throat. "Do we need to talk about last night?"

"Probably. I shouldn't have..." I paused, aware that there might be people who could be listening and that I shouldn't say exactly what we did. "I shouldn't have done what I did."

Ryburn looked at me. "Do you regret it?"

"No." It came out as a whisper. "But we shouldn't do it again. This trade alliance is too important."

"I agree. I'm glad you feel that way too." He sighed and leaned back, drawing attention to the way his muscles moved, even under his clothes.

To distract myself from that, I diverted the conversation to a safer subject. "Are you looking forward to being back home?"

"I am. I've missed our family oak tree. I'm not used to being away from it."

"What does that feel like?"

"Kind of hollow, like something is missing. But it's not too bad. What about you? How is it being away from Purple Oak?"

"It's unexpected. I'm not used to being out of my element. Everything aches, and the lack of sleep isn't helping."

He shrugged the blanket off his shoulders. "If you're cold, you can use my blanket. I'm not going to be getting any sleep in my tent anyway."

"You can't sit out here by the fire all night."

"I'll be fine."

I shook my head. "I can't take your blanket."

He chuckled. "Well, it's not like we can share it."

"Can't we?" I glanced over to my tent which was just about big enough for two people. And I knew my bed roll was nice and fluffy which might even help his shoulder.

"Jasmine..." My name almost sounded like a groan. "Is that a good idea?"

"It's a terrible one," I responded.

He laughed. "Fair enough."

"But getting a good night's sleep is essential," I said, holding out my hand to encourage him up. I wasn't sure which of us I was trying to convince.

He looked at me, the silence hanging between us. I could see the conflict on his face, but also the sparkle of interest in his eyes.

Slowly, he reached up and took my hand, letting me guide him back to my tent while my heart hammered in my chest.

I was telling myself this was innocent and that we were too tired for anything to happen, especially because we agreed the kiss last night was just a one-time thing, but I was reasonably sure that was a lie I was telling myself so that I didn't go back on what I really wanted.

He held the tent flap open for me and climbed in afterwards, pulling the front of the tent closed and shutting the world out. And then there was just me and him, the sound of our breathing, the sweet smell of grass and smoke, and his shimmering eyes in the dark.

He shuffled closer, and I leaned in, abandoning all caution and reservation when his lips pressed on mine. His large hands grabbed hold of me, his touch burning into me and awakening a heat in my lower belly that was hotter than the fire.

I pulled him down onto my bedroll, sighing when his leg pressed between mine. He kissed me more while slowly rocking into me, the friction of our clothes both delightful and frustrating. There was no more time for thinking about whether this was a good idea or not, the only way I was going to be able to stop was if he wanted to.

One of his hands pushed under my shirt, and I could feel the desperation in his movements. I hadn't been the only one holding back.

Ryburn sat back to pull off his jumper and shirt, revealing the taut muscles beneath. I slid my hand over his bare chest, marvelling at the definition. I could feel his heart pounding under my touch and it only made me more excited to know that he was just as affected as I was.

He laid down next to me again, his lips finding mine even in the dark. With every kiss, every graze of his hands, I could feel my senses waking up. Desire grew within me, and I pushed my own clothes off, searching out the warmth of Ryburn's body instead.

This was what I'd been craving.

I pulled him on top of me, groaning when I felt him twitch against my leg. He was hot and ready, and I wanted to feel him inside me.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, his breath ticklish against the sensitive skin of my neck.

There were lots of reasons why we shouldn't but right now, I couldn't think of any. And we'd already come this far, would pulling back now really make a difference? The bell was rung, the milk was spilt, the cat was out of the bag. Whatever way I looked at it, there was no denying the way it felt to be with him like this.

I kissed him with all the intensity in the world as I pulled him down on me. Hovering over me, he guided himself into me and pushed into me with more restraint than necessary. I trailed my hands up his strong arms and angled my hips up, causing him to groan and sink deeper into me.

"Yes. More," I encouraged, tugging on his arms so he would give in.

He inhaled sharply when his hips met my thighs, and for a moment, neither of us moved.

"Are you all right?" he whispered, the concern in his voice gravelly and deep.

I nodded and grasped his arms. "It feels good."

He hummed, a sound that came from deep within his throat. He leaned down to kiss me more, the movement causing him to push even deeper into me.

I wrapped my legs around him, encouraging him to keep moving. Every time he pushed into me, the heat in my lower belly spread until my whole body was warm and electrified.

I was definitely no longer bothered by the cold.

A moan escaped me, and I muffled it by pressing my mouth against his shoulder, worried someone might overhear. I could hear his breathing get more rapid and felt his movements get more erratic.

I met his thrusts with my own, moaning as every press of his hips sparked pleasure. I could feel his muscles flex and contract, and I dug my fingers into him as my own release built.

"I'm getting close," he moaned in my ear. "I need a moment, or it's going to be over."

I nodded and unwrapped my legs from around him, hissing when he pulled out. The cold air was a reminder of the lack of contact, but it didn't last long because he pressed his hand between my legs, reapplying pressure. A gasp escaped from me as pleasure sparked down to the tips of my toes and up my spine.

"More?" he asked, his other hand reaching up to my nipple.

I could only nod and sigh while my thoughts got lost in our kisses and the friction from his fingers. Pressure built in my lower belly, and I pulled him back down on me. With a soft grunt, he pushed into me while his hand stayed in place and I wrapped my legs around him once more, wordlessly begging him not to stop.

He kissed me hard, his tongue searching out mine, and the heat lashed free. I moaned against him, glad that he was there to block some of the sounds. His breathing grew ragged, and his whole body tensed as he came along with me.

It was a good thing I had that tea. I was going to need it after all.

It took a moment before either of us managed to speak.

"Was that all right?" Ryburn asked.

I nodded, all warm and fuzzy. "Very all right. You?"

"Yes, although this was definitely not sleeping either."

I chuckled as he settled next to me and pulled both our blankets over us. "No, but I'm nice and warm now."

"Oh, good." He pressed his lips on mine again for a much softer kiss and rested his head on my shoulder. "We really should sleep though."

I nodded and snuggled into his embrace as finally, the haze of sleep took hold of me. I wasn't sure what consequences this would bring but I was too tired and too satisfied to care. That was a problem for tomorrow.