Page 143 of The Throne Seeker

She thought he’d let up when they came to the stairwell leading to Roman’s room, but he surprised her by chasing her up the stairs—swiping at her ankles, making her laugh breathlessly.

At the top of the stairs, he attempted to trip her once more, but she shoved his shoulder, causing him to lose his balance, though he easily steadied himself with one hand. Undeterred, he snatched her ankle and successfully tripped her this time. She landed on the soft bedroom rug with a thud.

“No!” she pleaded.

A dangerous smile slipped onto Roman’s lips as he dragged her to him, his hands climbing up her legs to her thighs, landing on her waist as he pinched her sides. Even though her skin was still wet and slippery, he held her firm, making her aware of just how easily Roman could overpower her if he wanted to, but she wasn’t worried.

She’d never be with him.

“Stop! Stop!” She laughed as she clawed for freedom. “Stop!” she pleaded.

She twisted her body and her hand accidentally hit him square in the mouth, sending him off her.

His hands flew up to cradle his jaw as he flinched away.

She sat up at once, covering her mouth. “Oh! I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“Zareb trained you well, didn’t he?” he grumbled, still covering his face with his hand.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

It was all a ploy. As soon as she reached for him, he took hold of her wrists, flipping her onto her back. He pinned her arms above her head. His beautiful pink lips dipped into a lazy smile. “It hurt a little, but not that much.”

She rolled her eyes as a grin of her own formed, her chest heaving for air.

The warm glow of the fire created dancing shadows over Roman’s sun-kissed skin, his eyes so seldom full of joy she had to stop to admire the flawless creases.

She hadn’t laughed that hard in… she couldn’t remember. It was like a medicine she desperately needed—a simple, pure moment that transported her through time to when things were easy. His body weight on hers calmed and crazed her at the same time.

Giving in to her impulse, she lifted her hand out of his grasp and slowly raised it to his sharp jaw, tracing it lightly with her fingers.

Without hesitating, Roman leaned into her hand, placing more of his body weight on her as his arms lowered into a push-up position over her.

Her back arched. Her body silently begged for more, aching for him to grind his hips against hers. To intertwine her legs with his. To dig her nails into his back and pull him closer.

She felt irresponsible for even thinking it, but her thoughts kept spiraling.

“I hope you have more fight in you by morning because that was pitiful,” Roman whispered, coaxing her as his lips hovered just above hers. “That is, unless you’d rather sleep in?”

“No, I want to,” she answered quickly, not wanting him to change his mind.

Roman paused, his gaze dropping to her lips, staring at them before he let go of her hands.

He cleared his throat, lifting himself off her. “Then we’d better get some sleep.” He reached down to help her stand, pulling her to her feet. “We’ll go at sun up before it gets too hot. Then perhaps we can cool off with a swim again.” He winked.

She sighed dramatically. “I was right. Youaretrying to kill me.”

He gave her a crooked grin, making her want to lay right back down on the floor with him. “It’ll be worth the result. Trust me. Get some rest… I’ll see you in the morning.”

She nodded, tucking her wet hair behind her ear, the tips soaking the rug.

“I hope you like goose feathers,” he called over his shoulder on his way out.

Once he’d left, she let out a breath.What are you doing, Rose?she scolded herself.

She wrapped her arms around her waist, trembling from the cold as she gazed at the empty room, feeling like somehow it had become vastly larger than it had been earlier.

She headed to the tub to rinse off the lake water before returning to the closet to select a nightgown. Though there was a plethora to choose from, many of Harriet’s pajamas were short and lacy. To her pleasant surprise, most of Roman’s clothes still hung in the closet, too. So, of course, she took the liberty of going through them.