My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 229: The Morning After

Violet

I woke up to the gentle warmth of body heat surrounding me before my mind could fully surface from sleep.

I blinked slowly at the freckles of light filtering through cascading leaves, the soft murmur of the river nearby, and the silky brush of willow tendrils swaying in a breeze I couldn’t feel.

I went still when I fully came to my senses.

Rowan was curled around me from behind, one arm draped over my waist, his chest pressed against my back. His breath came in slow, even puffs against the nape of my neck, and I could feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat against my spine.

My eyes widened.

We were buck naked.

Last night came flooding back in vivid, mortifying detail. His mouth between my legs, the strong rhythm of his hips, the hot splash of his release on my stomach, and the kiss at the river.

My face burned.

I needed to move, but I was a bit scared to. What if he woke up?

And I could literally feel his manhood pressing against my butt. I needed to put some distance between us before he woke and saw me like this.

I shifted carefully, trying to extract myself from his hold without waking him up.

His arm tightened around my waist.

"Don’t."

His voice was rough with sleep, barely more than a mumble against my hair.

I froze, my heart hammering.

He was a light sleeper. Now, I already understood that.

But...

He pressed a lazy kiss to the back of my neck, and I flinched despite myself.

His lips stilled against my skin.

"Sorry," he murmured, pulling back slightly. "Too much?"

Yes. No. I didn’t know.

I didn’t know how to act around him anymore. Everything had shifted between us, and I was still trying to find my footing on unfamiliar ground.

"It’s—no, I was just surprised..." I managed, my voice coming out smaller than I intended.

He didn’t push. Just loosened his hold enough to give me space while still maintaining contact. His hand rested lightly on my hip, and his thumb traced absent circles against my skin.

Even that small touch made my pulse skip.

We lay there in silence as the grove slowly brightened around us. The pink glow of the willows had faded with the night, replaced by the softer gold of early morning light filtering through the leaves. Somewhere nearby, I heard the chirping of sifs waking to greet the day.

It should have been peaceful.

But my mind wouldn’t remain quiet.

I had slept with Rowan.

I had slept with Rowan, and I had liked it. More than liked it. I had lost myself in it completely, had begged for more, had clung to him like he was the only solid thing in a world gone liquid.

And Kael—

My chest tightened.

Kael was out there somewhere. Probably worried sick and here I was, wrapped in another man’s arms, my body still tender from another man’s touch.

What kind of person did that make me?

"If you’re thinking about him... you can put the blame on me. It is not your fault you are mated to two people."

My eyes widened as Rowan’s voice pulled me from the spiral. I felt him shift behind me, propping himself up on one elbow.

How did he know what I was thinking about?

"I wasn’t... I..."

His hand slid from my hip to my stomach, palm pressing flat against my skin in a way that felt far too intimate for casual conversation.

Much less a conversation like this.

"We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to."

I wasn’t sure why, but I felt grateful.

Rowan leaned in close and buried his nose at the nape of my neck. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden contact.

"You smell nice."

A fluttering sensation swelled in my chest and I shrunk deeper into his embrace. It was ticklish.

"It’s ticklish," I mumbled, squirming slightly.

He chuckled against my skin, the sound low and amused. Then, instead of pulling away, he pressed his lips to the same spot with a soft, lingering kiss.

"Rowan—"

He did it again, and again. His mouth trailed along the curve of my neck, alternating between gentle kisses and the faint graze of teeth.

I squirmed harder, a breathless laugh escaping me despite myself.

"Stop—that tickles—"

His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me flush against him as his lips found a particularly sensitive spot just below my ear. He nibbled there, and I jerked in his hold, my body pressing back against his involuntarily.

"Oh..."

His member twitched against my backside.

My heart lurched into my throat.

The playful atmosphere evaporated instantly, replaced by something heavier, more charged. I could feel him hardening against me, the evidence of his arousal pressing insistently against my bare skin.

I was playing a dangerous game.

I darted upright so fast that Rowan barely had time to release me.

His eyes were wide with surprise at how fast I had slipped out of his grip and gotten to my feet. My legs faintly wobbled, still feeling the effects of last night, but I still managed to stay upright.

I clamped one hand over my breasts and the other between my legs, suddenly acutely aware of my nakedness in the bright morning light.

"I—sorry—I just—" The words tumbled out in a flustered mess. "I need to get dressed."

I made the mistake of glancing back at him.

He was still lying on the fabric, propped up on one elbow, watching me with an expression caught somewhere between bewilderment and barely restrained hunger. The morning light painted golden lines across his bare chest, highlighting the defined muscles of his stomach, the sharp cut of his hips, and—

I looked away so fast my neck ached.

Heat crawled up my cheeks, spreading to the tips of my ears.

"Sorry," I mumbled again, turning my back to him.

Then I froze.

My back was to him.

Which meant he had a clear view of my—

I hunched my shoulders, resisting the urge to cover my backside with my hands too. I only had two hands. Something had to be sacrificed.